Prescribed Naproxen And Vicoden For An ACL Tear. Is There Any Risk In Having A Glass Of Red Wine?

Posted on Fri, 26 Oct 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Fri, 26 Oct 2012 Answered on

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : I have been prescribed naproxen and vicoden for an ACL tear and subsequently prescribed clarithromycin for strep throat. What if any risk is there in having a glass of red win somewhere in between doses?

Answered by Dr. Sadiq Mughal (2 hours later)

Hi,

Thanks for your question.

As with all painkillers, drinking alcohol while taking vicodin increases your risk of unpleasant side effects. Apart from that it can cause serious side effects too; most common of them are;

1. Liver damage - The acetaminophen in Vicodin can cause liver damage if you take too much of the medication or combine it with alcohol. Having more than three alcoholic beverages per day increases your risk of liver damage.
- Central nervous system depression - The hydrocodone in Vicodin can cause confusion, memory loss and difficulty in breathing in some people. Since alcohol is depressant, drinking while taking Vicodin increases the risk and severity of these side effects

2. Effect on stomach - Both alcohol and Vicodin can upset stomach and combining these two can lead to nausea and vomiting which can be severe.

3. Addiction - Vicodine can be habit forming and if you have a problem controlling your drinking, you might be more susceptible to developing a dependency on Vicodin.

Therefore, it would be better to avoid alcoholic beverages completely while you’re taking Vicodin

Hope I answered your question. If you have other queries, do post follow up; I will be readily available to answer.

Regards

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Prasad