How soon after taking naproxen can I drink alcohol?

Naturally occurring chemicals known as prostaglandins act on the endings of your nerves, and enhance pains triggered by inflammation. You need to know that prostaglandins keep body temperature under control. Thus, by inhibiting prostaglandins you can manage pains and fever. Medications grouped as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (also known as NSAIDs) can block prostaglandins. This action offers needful remedy. Naproxen is one of the commonly prescribed NSAIDs. But, how soon after taking naproxen can I drink alcohol? It becomes essential to have more information.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are chiefly taken for episodes of pain. These include backache, toothaches, migraine or headache, etc. Often, such drugs are used to handle pains showing up due to inflammation. These meds are known for their quick action; they also cause mild, undesired side effects. These meds are preferred to corticosteroids; the latter cause more-acute effects.

In this milieu, what is naproxen?

This drug is one of the popular NSAIDs. The active ingredients of naproxen can inhibit chemicals called prostaglandins. This activity leads to a marked reduction of both fever and pain. Caregivers all over the world administer it for treating inflammatory conditions like cramping of muscles, tooth pains, gout, back aches, pains arising from autoimmune disorders like arthritis – viz., rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, etc. Its key chemicals can act faster than many other NSAIDs and thus allay pains.

Maintenance dose of naproxen is pegged at 250 milligrams (mg). Caregiving teams may advise you to consume this NSAID along with food. Also, taking these meds at the same timeslots – each day of your medication plan – is recommended.

How soon after taking naproxen can I drink alcohol?

If you want to drink alcohol, you are advised to wait for at least 16 hours after the last dose of naproxen. This timeline is equivalent to the half-life period of NSAIDs like naproxen. In other words, it takes more than 13 – 15 hours’ time to halve the concentration of this NSAID in your bloodstream.

However, if you are taking alcoholic drinks in moderation, it is unlikely to cause very adverse outcomes. But, intake of a large amount of alcohol – after using naproxen – can make you turn giddy, dizzy and lightheaded. In some cases, people who took alcohol with naproxen witnessed GERD / heartburn, bleeding at the intestinal tract, discharge of darker stools, etc.

Also, if you are taking naproxen for treating signs of arthritis, intake of alcohol can almost completely nullify the effects of this NSAID. In general, if you are mixing alcohol and naproxen, it is not safe to engage in sporting actions like jumping or driving. It is equally dangerous to pursue activities like driving or working with heavy machines.

Safety measures needed while using naproxen

A few users have tried using more than one NSAID – say, naproxen and ibuprofen or aspirin and naproxen, etc – to obtain a quicker remedy. This is not a safe thing to do. Taking these drugs in combination may cause an overdosed condition. Combining NSAIDs can result in bloody stools, intestinal discomforts like pain in lower abdomen, etc.

You also need to remember that intake of NSAIDs more frequently can cause a sizable drop in drug-efficacy. If you are trying to take an excessive dose – than what has prescribed, always speak with your caregiver prior to pursuing such measures. It is a good practice to take proton pump inhibiting meds (PPIs) like omeprazole; such PPIs safeguard the inner linings of your stomach from active chemicals of NSAIDs like naproxen. Those who took PPIs prevented formation of ulcers or a sense of irritation inside their gastric tract.

Above all, it is important to know how soon after taking naproxen can I drink alcohol. In this regard, it is indeed a safe thing to talk to a certified caregiving professional prior to taking alcoholic drinks while using NASIDs.

Disclaimer

Information provided here are only of supplementary nature. Information shared here does not substitute a qualified doctor’s advice. This website is not suggesting intake of this drug as safe or appropriate. Hence it is advised to talk to your doctor before consuming this med or any other drug.