Dextromethorphan: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions, Pictures, Warnings & Dosing

However, some people feel that they can drink more if they take these medications. In reality, these drugs are intended to treat symptoms and are not designed to make you feel drunk or to cure a hangover. Mucinex DM is a medication that contains dextromethorphan (DXM), a cough suppressant, and guaifenesin, an expectorant that helps loosen mucus. While guaifenesin does not directly interact with alcohol, dextromethorphan can have dangerous interactions with alcohol. If you’d like to explore an alternative to dextromethorphan, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about drinking alcohol while taking dextromethorphan.

Dextromethorphan – Uses, Side Effects, and More

• Breathing problems can be especially dangerous if you have asthma or other respiratory conditions which require you to have quick, easy access to oxygen.
• This is because alcohol can interfere with the body’s natural defenses, making it harder to fight off illness.
• Teens often misuse DXM, mistakenly thinking it’s safer because it’s OTC.
• Acetaminophen is known to cause liver damage when consumed in high doses, and alcohol increases this risk.
• It can also lead to liver damage, rapid heart rate, and an increased risk of overdose.
• Some prescription medications contain dextromethorphan as an active ingredient.

Mixing dextromethorphan with alcohol can lead to increased drowsiness, dizziness, impaired coordination, and respiratory depression. Just because DayQuil is sold over the counter (OTC) does not mean that is completely safe. It is also one of the two most abused OTC medicines as reported by the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA). Dextromethorphan (DXM) is an active ingredient in many cough, cold and flu medicines. Initially approved by the FDA in 1958, the drug is one of the most common ingredients in over-the-counter medications for cough.

Drinking Alcohol While Sick

Some people misuse dextromethorphan by taking it in amounts higher than the recommended dosage to try to get high or hallucinate. People sometimes also misuse dextromethorphan by combining it with alcohol or other substances. Dextromethorphan can sometimes cause harmful effects in people who have certain conditions.

Short-term side effects

Some people may also experience impairment in thinking and judgment. You should avoid or limit the use of alcohol while being treated with dextromethorphan. Talk to your doctor or pharmacist if you have any questions or concerns. Using dextromethorphan together with ethanol (alcohol) can increase nervous system side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating. It is important to tell your doctor about all other medications you use, including vitamins and herbs.

This can result in impairment of judgment, thinking, and psychomotor skills. It can also increase the risk of overdose, with deaths reported when alcohol is combined with high doses of dextromethorphan. The most common effect from this interaction is drowsiness as alcohol is a depressant with these effects multiplied as it’s mixed with DayQuil.

Could Mixing Alcohol with DayQuil be a Sign of Substance Use Disorder?

DayQuil also contains chemicals to decrease the symptoms of the common cold. However, it’s best to stop drinking any further alcoholic beverages. If you experience enhanced side effects that worry you, contact a doctor. Both dextromethorphan and alcohol are central nervous system depressants, and when mixed, they can enhance each other’s effects. The FDA approves dextromethorphan to help relieve coughing due to a short-term cause. Dextromethorphan misuse is dangerous, and there have been reports of fatal overdoses.

• Do not drive or do other activities that require alertness or coordination until you know how dextromethorphan affects you.
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• There are many dextromethorphan warnings to consider, but the most severe ones have to do with combining DXM and other substances, especially alcohol.
• When taken in high doses and combined with alcohol, dextromethorphan can be dangerous and even life-threatening.
• Your body can develop tolerance to DXM and alcohol with continued use.
• DXM is one of the most common over-the-counter (OTC) products adolescents misuse.

Here’s a list of some of the mild side effects dextromethorphan can cause. To learn about other mild side effects, talk with your doctor or pharmacist. Or read the drug’s labeling information for the capsules and the suspension. This will help them determine if dextromethorphan is right for you. If you struggle with drinking while taking DXM or are mixing DXM and alcohol to get high, stopping can seem overwhelming.

Dextromethorphan can cause similar hallucinatory effects to those experienced by ketamine or PCP users, and this effect is exacerbated by alcohol. To view an interaction report containing 4 (or more) medications, please sign in or create an account. Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances. Therapeutic duplication warnings are only returned when drugs within the same group exceed the recommended therapeutic duplication maximum.

Blood Thinners

“It’s generally advisable to avoid drinking alcohol when taking medications,” says psychiatric clinical pharmacist Mei T. Liu, PharmD, BCPP. In fact, mixing DXM with alcohol can lead to serious health risks due to the synergistic depressant effects both drugs will have on the central nervous system. When these substances are mixed, individuals may experience heightened side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and impaired judgment. The combination of can you drink alcohol with dextromethorphan alcohol and dextromethorphan can lead to additive central nervous system (CNS) depression.

While over-the-counter Mucinex products do not contain high enough doses of dextromethorphan to cause a deadly overdose, the combination can still have harmful effects. The active ingredients in DayQuil (dextromethorphan, phenylephrine, and acetaminophen) can cause complications when mixed with alcohol. The most common effect from this interaction is drowsiness as alcohol is a depressant with these effects multiplied as it’s mixed with DayQuil.

The dangers of mixing alcohol with prescription drugs are well known. One of the deadliest combinations is alcohol and narcotic pain medications. On their own, opioids can cause drowsiness, dizziness, slowed or impaired breathing, impaired motor control, abnormal behavior, and memory loss.

Mild liver inflammation can occur in about 2% of people who take statins for a long time. You might not need to completely avoid alcohol if you are taking a blood thinner. The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends limiting your intake to no more than one or two occasional drinks if you are on anticoagulant therapy.