If you take any medication, you need to read the labels and leaflets to check that they're safe to use with alcohol. This goes for over the counter medicines, prescribed medicines and herbal medicines.

Medication that slows you down or sedates you can be dangerous when combined with alcohol. You may find it's hard to breathe or think clearly. You need to be careful with the following types of medication in particular:

• Antibiotics. Antibiotics are used to treat infectious diseases. Examples include - penicillin, furazolidone (Furoxone), griseofulvin (Grisactin and others), metronidazole (Flagyl), and the anti-malarial quinacrine (Atabrine). If combined with alcohol, antibiotics may cause nausea, vomiting, headache, and possibly convulsions.
• Anticoagulants. These affect the blood's ability to clot. An example is Warfarin (Coumadin). If combined with alcohol, anticoagulants increase the possibility of haemorrhages.
• Antidepressants. Alcohol increases the sedative effect of tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil and others), impairing mental skills needed for tasks such as driving, and increasing the sedative (sleepiness) effect. Some antidepressants when combined with alcohol, result in a dangerous rise in blood pressure.
• Antidiabetic medications. Oral hypoglyceamic drugs are prescribed to help lower blood sugar levels in some patients with diabetes
• Antihistamines. Drugs such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl and others) are available without prescription to treat allergic symptoms and insomnia. Alcohol may intensify the sedation (sleepiness) caused by some antihistamines. Combining alcohol and antihistamines can potentially can cause dizziness also
• Antipsychotic medications. Combined with alcohol, antipsychotic medications can result in increased sleepiness, impaired coordination and potentially fatal breathing difficulties
• Antiseizure medications. Mainly used to treat epilepsy, if combined with alcohol, protection against epileptic seizures is significantly reduced
• Cardiovascular medications. These include a wide variety prescribed to treat ailments of the heart and circulatory system such as angina and high blood pressure. Combining them with alcohol can result in dizziness or fainting, as well as reducing their therapeutic effect
• Narcotic pain relievers. These drugs are prescribed for moderate to severe pain. They include the opiates morphine, codeine, propoxyphene and meperidine. If combined with alcohol the sedative (sleepy) effect is increased
• Non-narcotic pain relievers. Aspirin and similar non-prescription painkillers, mixed with alcohol, can damage the stomach lining and cause bleeding. They can also prevent stomach enzymes from processing alcohol, meaning the liver requires more time between drinks. In addition, aspirin may increase the effect of alcohol
• Sedatives and hypnotics ("sleeping pills"). Benzodiazepines such as diazepam (Valium or Halcion) may cause severe drowsiness in the presence of alcohol. Never combine the two

There are other medicines that should not be taken with alcohol. If you want to drink alcohol and have been prescribed medicine (or are taking medication) you should check the risks with your doctor or pharmacist first.

If you use illegal drugs, such as cocaine, ecstasy, heroin and so on, then you should never combine them with alcohol, as it can make their effects even more harmful. The same goes for legal alternatives like methadone.

If you'd like more information on illegal drugs, Talk to Frank.