If you’ve been prescribed steroid medication, and you’re having trouble cutting back on your alcohol use, there are new ways to find support. Our team offers expert medical consultation, weekly coaching sessions, anti-craving medications, and more—all through a smartphone app. You may wonder if you can still enjoy a glass of wine or a beer with dinner while you take prednisone. In general, if your dose is low and you’re not using prednisone for long-term treatment of a chronic condition such as RA or adrenal insufficiency, a drink or two per day should be fine. In this article, we explore the side effects of prednisone and alcohol and if they might be safe to use together. If you or someone you love has developed a dependency on either Xanax or alcohol, or they are using both drugs simultaneously, it is important to seek help from our Orange County rehab center.
Are certain people at greater risk when mixing prednisone and alcohol?
- Due to how alcohol is processed in the body, women and older adults are at higher risk for negative side effects from prednisone and alcohol.
- Anyone who takes prednisone and drinks alcohol regularly has a higher risk of developing an infection.
- Talk to a doctor or an addiction specialist to find the right treatment program for your needs.
- Combining alcohol and prednisone may increase the risk of physical and mental side effects, including a weakened immune system, stomach ulcers, bone loss, depression, changes in blood sugar levels, and weight gain.
- It can be hard for the body to fight off infections with a suppressed immune system.
Your doctor can offer more information about drinking alcohol while treating your specific health concerns with prednisone. The higher your dose, the greater your chances of experiencing side effects, and — presumably — the less you can safely drink. Long-term use of three months or more also raises your risk of side effects. Research suggests the length of time you’ve been taking prednisone matters more than the specific dosage. Steroids like prednisone can also contribute to pancreatitis, albeit at much lower rates.
You should also be sure to tell your healthcare provider about other medical conditions you have and other medications you may be taking before starting treatment with prednisone. Some medications, including prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicine, and herbal supplements, may interact with prednisone and cause side effects. Prednisone can affect blood sugar (glucose) levels and alter the body’s sugar tolerance.
What Is the Recommended Treatment for Alcohol and Xanax Dependency?
That said, the little research that exists suggests drinking a small amount of alcohol while taking prednisone may not always have negative health effects. Both prednisone and alcohol can also irritate and reduce your stomach’s protective lining, which could increase your chances of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding. While a drink or two might not have any impact on your health while you take prednisone, it’s always best to talk to your doctor first to avoid complications and give you the best outcome. A person taking prednisone may want to avoid alcohol until they finish the treatment. Long-term prednisone use can make the bones weaker and more brittle, leading to osteoporosis. Alcohol use is also a risk factor for osteoporosis due to the loss of nutrients necessary for bone growth.
However, drinking while on prednisone may carry heightened risks for some based on prednisone’s effect on lowering the immune system and the side effects of alcohol use. Abstaining from drinking alcohol while on prednisone treatment is always the best option. Combining alcohol and anabolic steroids can put additional strain on the liver, as both substances are metabolized by this bromide detox organ. Chronic alcohol consumption can lead to liver damage, including inflammation, fatty liver disease, and cirrhosis. When combined with anabolic steroids, which may also have hepatotoxic effects, the risk of liver damage may be further increased.
Corticosteroids, such as prednisone and prednisolone, can have an impact on mental health. People who take corticosteroids may experience mental and mood changes, including mood swings, insomnia, and depression. People who take prednisone long-term for chronic conditions have a higher risk of these side effects than people who only take prednisone for a short period. Prednisone is a potent and versatile steroid prescribed for different purposes. It is often prescribed for the short-term treatment of allergic and inflammatory conditions, although it can also be prescribed for chronic conditions.
Mental and mood changes
In order to achieve the same effects, people tend to consume a larger amount of alcohol and eventually become alcoholics. Should you wish to stop using Xanax, you should work with your doctor or healthcare provider to wean you off gradually. Another danger of skipping a Xanax dose in favor of alcohol is that you are no longer following your doctor’s prescription that was made specifically with your case in mind. As a result, you may be tempted to take double doses to make up for missed ones or discontinue your use entirely.
The risk of side effects increases with the dose and duration of prednisone treatment. Higher doses and longer durations of prednisone increase the risk for side effects. Whether it is safe to drink alcohol while on prednisone depends on the dosage of the medication, the length of the course of treatment, how frequently a person uses alcohol, and other conditions the person may have. In some cases, having the occasional glass or two of alcohol may be safe during treatment with low-dose prednisone. And for many, drinking alcohol in moderation while taking prednisolone could be considered safe.
Prednisone has many side effects, and some of them could be complicated by alcohol. We also provide access to sober living homes if you need somewhere safe and secure to live while attending treatment. This makes you more prone to Xanax overdose as well, as you may forget whether you took a pill or how many you took while under the influence of alcohol. Use caution if driving, operating machinery, or engaging in potentially hazardous activities as your motor coordination and judgement may be affected. Alcohol appears to lead to slowed “gastric emptying” when combined with erythromycin ethylsuccinate. This may delay the absorption of the antibiotic into the bloodstream and lower the antibiotic effect.
But drinking alcohol while you’re fighting an infection may cause dehydration, upset stomach, interrupt normal sleep, and lower your immune response, and hinder your body’s natural ability to heal itself. Mixing these two substances also leads to high blood pressure, which is a major contributor to organ damage. People mirtazapine and alcohol with an alcohol use disorder (AUD) are at high risk for these side effects. If you have a condition that requires treatment with prednisone and want to avoid alcohol-related side effects, you may want to consider limiting your alcohol intake. In extreme cases, high blood pressure can damage the vessels around your bones.
Prednisone is a corticosteroid—a class of medications used to treat inflammatory conditions, ranging from arthritis to skin rashes and asthma. Aside from prednisone, common corticosteroids include hydrocortisone, dexamethasone, and methylprednisolone (Medrol). These can be taken as creams, inhalants, and nasal sprays, but the strongest doses often come in the form of injections or oral tablets. Prednisone may also increase your blood sugar levels beyond the threshold for diabetes.
Popular Prescriptions
It is strongly recommended to avoid consuming alcohol while taking anabolic steroids, as the combination can have severe and potentially life-threatening consequences. It is crucial to consult with a healthcare professional for proper guidance and monitoring if solutions based treatment you are using anabolic steroids. Due to how alcohol is processed in the body, women and older adults are at higher risk for negative side effects from prednisone and alcohol. You should also be especially careful if you have diabetes, osteoporosis, digestive problems, hypertension, or a weakened immune system to begin with, as the combination can make all of these conditions worse. Alcohol might also worsen the underlying condition you are trying to manage. Intestinal inflammation, for example, is a common side effect of chronic alcohol use.
Prednisone is a steroid that mimics certain hormones produced in the adrenal glands. The anti-inflammatory qualities of prednisone mean that it’s often prescribed to treat a range of conditions like asthma and bursitis. However, prednisone is known to affect metabolism — how the body breaks down food into energy. The body converts prednisone to prednisolone, which the liver then metabolizes before a person excretes in the urine. Because the liver also metabolizes alcohol, it is possible prednisone may change the effects of alcohol on the body. Some people who previously took Xanax and miss the effects they experienced can turn to drinking as a substitute drug, even if they did not consume alcohol while taking Xanax.