A disturbing report by The Economic Times has revealed that over 100 <keyword id="21300086" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="cough-syrup" source="keywords">cough syrup</keyword> samples manufactured in India failed quality control tests. The Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (<keyword id="20109095" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="CDSCO" source="keywords">CDSCO</keyword>) analysed over 7,000 batches of cough syrup, finding that 353 did not meet quality standards. The reasons for these failures are particularly concerning. Nine batches contained di<keyword id="21957039" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="ethylene-glycol" source="keywords">ethylene glycol</keyword> (DEG) or ethylene glycol (EG), toxins previously linked to the deaths of children in Gambia, Uzbekistan, and Cameroon. These toxins can cause serious health problems, including vomiting, convulsions, circulatory issues, and acute kidney failure. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="94675384" title="Indian drug regulator kicks off probe on cough syrup linked to deaths of Gambian children" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div> <h2>What are <keyword id="15176477" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="diethylene-glycol" source="Orion">diethylene glycol</keyword> and ethylene glycol?</h2>For the unversed, DEG is a colourless, odourless and sweetish chemical. It is also a common industrial liquid used in many products, like antifreeze, car brakes, wallpaper removal solutions and in making fabrics and dyes. Similarly, EG is also a colourless and odourless alcoholic compound with a sweet-tasting and syrupy composition. It has known applications as an automotive antifreeze and as a raw material for manufacturing polyester fibres. It is also usually present in products like hydraulic brake fluids, stamp pad inks, ballpoint pens, solvents, paints, cosmetics and plastics. However, cough syrup manufacturers sometimes use EG and DEG as a replacement to non-toxic solvents like glycerine or propylene glycol simply because they are cheaper. Unfortunately, swallowing DEG and EG can be very dangerous. If someone drinks it, it can cause serious problems throughout their body and nervous system, leading to coma, seizures, nerve damage, and even liver and kidney failure, as per the CDC. <h2>Who is responsible?</h2>According to The Economic Times, the CDSCO blames unsecured supply chains and inadequate testing for the presence of these toxins. This news comes after a series of global alerts issued by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2022 regarding cough syrups manufactured in India that were linked to the deaths of over 140 children worldwide. The first alert came in October 2022, when the WHO flagged four cough syrups produced by Haryana-based Maiden Pharmaceuticals. Authorities in Gambia linked these medications to 66 deaths, primarily from acute kidney failure. In December 2022, the WHO recommended avoiding two cough syrups made by Marion Biotech after Uzbekistan reported 18 child deaths linked to their Dok 1 Max syrup. Most recently, in August 2023, the WHO issued another alert for a batch of Indian common cold syrup found to contain unacceptable levels of DEG and EG as contaminants. This marked the fifth such alert issued by the WHO since 2022 regarding Indian-made cough syrups. <h2>CDSCO considers waiving testing requirement before exploring cough syrups</h2>The discovery of toxic components in something that’s as commonly sold as cough syrup should have prompted authorities to tighten texting processes. However, the apex drugs regulatory authority, is reportedly examining stakeholders’ proposal to waive the requirement for testing cough syrups being exported to the US, the UK, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Australia, Singapore, Korea and Switzerland at the prescribed laboratory. These repeated failures and global health warnings raise serious concerns about the safety of cough syrups manufactured in India. The Indian government is urged to take immediate action to address these issues by strengthening quality control measures, securing supply chains and ensuring thorough testing to prevent further tragedies. <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="96935179" title="WHO alert against use of Indian cough syrups in Uzbekistan" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>

Why are over 300 batches of Indian cough syrup being deemed "toxic"?

The <keyword id="43588" type="General" weightage="50" keywordseo="world-health-organization" source="Orion">World Health Organization</keyword> on Thursday warned against the use of two Indian cough syrups for children that have been linked to deaths in <keyword id="108488" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="uzbekistan" source="Orion">Uzbekistan</keyword>. The WHO said the products, manufactured by <keyword id="15908017" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="marion-biotech" source="Orion">Marion Biotech</keyword>, were "substandard" and that the firm had failed to provide guarantees about their safety, the <keyword id="60684" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="bbc" source="Orion">BBC</keyword> reported. The alert comes weeks after Uzbekistan alleged that 18 children died after consuming a syrup made by the company. The firm has not yet commented on the alert. After the deaths were reported in Uzbekistan, India's Health Ministry suspended production at the company. This week, the food safety department in Uttar Pradesh, where Marion Biotech is based, also suspended the company's production licence. In the alert issued on Thursday, the WHO said that an analysis of the two cough syrups - Ambronol and Dok-1 <keyword id="26842" type="General" weightage="80" keywordseo="max" source="Orion">Max</keyword> - by the quality control laboratories of Uzbekistan's Health Ministry found unacceptable amounts of two contaminants - "diethylene glycol and/or ethylene glycol", the BBC reported. Diethylene glycol and ethylene glycol are toxic to humans and could be fatal if consumed. "Both of these products may have marketing authorizations in other countries in the region. They may also have been distributed, through informal markets, to other countries or regions," the global health body said. It added that "the substandard products" were "unsafe and their use, especially in children, may result in serious injury or death", BBC reported. India is known as the "world's pharmacy" as it produces a third of the world's medicines, meeting much of the medical needs of developing countries. The country is also home to some of the fastest-growing pharmaceutical companies. SEE ALSO: <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/international/news/nine-in-10-adults-from-india-us-admit-to-cyberbullying-royal-melbourne-institute-study/articleshow/96933109.cms">Nine in 10 adults from India, US admit to cyberbullying: Royal Melbourne Institute study</a> <a target="_blank" class="c-link c-message_attachment__title_link" href="https://www.businessinsider.in/india/news/world-is-in-a-state-of-crisis-difficult-to-predict-how-long-it-will-last-modi/articleshow/96934401.cms">World is in a state of crisis, difficult to predict how long it will last: Modi</a>

WHO alert against use of Indian cough syrups in Uzbekistan

<ul class="summary-list"><li>Drinking on some <keyword id="6385081" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="antibiotics" source="Orion">antibiotics</keyword>, like metronidazole (Flagyl) and Bactrim, can cause vomiting, cramping, and rapid heart rate.</li><li>Though some antibiotics, like amoxicillin, don't warn against <keyword id="11994111" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alcohol" source="Orion">alcohol</keyword>, drinking can worsen side effects.</li><li>In most cases, you can safely drink alcohol again three days after the last dose of antibiotics.</li></ul>While a drink or two per day normally isn't cause for alarm, when you're on <a href="https://www.insider.com/how-long-does-it-take-for-antibiotics-to-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">antibiotics</a> even one drink can cause adverse side effects. In fact, mixing antibiotics with alcohol may add to, trigger, or complicate the side effects of your medication.Here's why you should never mix alcohol with antibiotics.<h2>It's important to avoid drinking alcohol on antibiotics </h2>There are some antibiotics that are almost certain to cause strong, negative side effects when mixed with drinking alcohol, says<a href="https://honeybeehealth.com/blog/author/erinwchan" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Jessica Nouhavandi</a>, PharmD, a pharmacist in Los Angeles, California, and co-founder of Honeybee <keyword id="11894571" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health" source="Orion">Health</keyword>, an online pharmacy. According to Nouvahandi, antibiotics that have a particularly strong reaction with alcohol include: <ul><li><a href="https://www.drugs.com/metronidazole.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Metronidazole (Flagyl)</a> is an antibiotic used to treat bacterial or parasitic infections in the vagina, stomach, liver, or brain.</li><li><a href="https://www.drugs.com/tindamax.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tinidazole (Tindamax)</a> is an antibiotic that is used to treat infections in the vagina and intestines.</li></ul>When taking these antibiotics, you should stay away from liquor, wine, and beer — and also avoid anything that contains alcohol, including cough syrup and mouthwash, Nouvhavandi says. If you consume alcohol while taking these antibiotics, you will most likely experience strong side effects, <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/antibiotics-and-alcohol/faq-20057946" target="_blank" rel="noopener">such as</a>:<ul><li>Abdominal cramping </li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/home-remedies-for-nausea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nausea</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/home-remedies-for-headaches" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Headaches</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-stop-vomiting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vomiting</a></li><li>Rapid heart rate</li></ul>If you do accidentally drink while taking antibiotics, your side effects will usually disappear within a few hours. However, if you are experiencing a severe reaction after taking antibiotics and drinking alcohol, seek medical attention from your doctor or head to urgent care. Other common antibiotics that should not be mixed with alcohol, even though side effects may be less severe, include: <ul><li><a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/sulfamethoxazole-and-trimethoprim-oral-route/description/drg-20071899" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim</a> (Bactrim DS), which is used commonly for UTIs or skin infections. It has similar side effects as metronidazole. </li><li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a686015.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">C</a><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a686015.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">efotetan</a> (Cefotan), which is used to treat bacterial infections in the lungs, skin, and bones, also has similar side effects to metronidazole. </li><li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a602004.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Linezolid (Zyvox)</a>, which is prescribed to treat skin infections and pneumonia, has strong interactions with beer — even non-alcoholic beer — and red wine. Drinking while taking linezolid can cause your blood pressure to spike.</li><li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682401.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isoniazid (Nydrazid)</a> is used to treat tuberculosis and can overwhelm your liver, leading to toxicity, when combined with alcohol.</li></ul>You can resume drinking alcohol once the antibiotic has cleared from your system, which is usually <a href="https://blog.ochsner.org/articles/can-you-drink-alcohol-on-antibiotics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three days</a> after the last dose. <h2>Are there any antibiotics you can drink with?</h2>While it's best not to drink on antibiotics, there are some <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/antibiotic-use/data/report-2015.html?CDC_AA_refVal=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cdc.gov%2Fantibiotic-use%2Fcommunity%2Fprograms-measurement%2Fstate-local-activities%2Foutpatient-antibiotic-prescriptions-US-2015.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">commonly prescribed</a> medicines that won't become less effective with moderate alcohol intake. They include:<ul><li><a href="https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/flucloxacillin/#:~:text=Yes%2C%20you%20can%20drink%20alcohol,it%20on%20an%20empty%20stomach." target="_blank" rel="noopener">Flucloxacillin</a> (also known as floxacillin) is used to treat skin, bone, and ear infections. Its side effects include nausea and diarrhea.</li><li><a href="https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=375cdfd0-7996-5a42-e054-00144ff88e88&amp;audience=professional" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amoxicillin</a> (Amoxil) is commonly prescribed for respiratory and urinary tract infections. It may also be prescribed along with other medications for stomach infections and ulcers, and it can cause gastrointestinal upset.</li><li><a href="https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=d567412a-e5ed-4c7f-90f0-ea3039786480&amp;audience=consumer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Amoxicillin and clavulanate</a> (Augmentin) may be prescribed for sinus, respiratory, or urinary tract infections. Side effects include diarrhea. The drug also carries a warning about use in patients with liver dysfunction, citing rare instances of <a href="https://labblog.uofmhealth.org/body-work/troubling-trends-drug-induced-liver-damage" target="_blank" rel="noopener">liver toxicity</a>. For this reason, you might want to skip any alcoholic beverages during the course of this medication.</li><li><a href="https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=db52b91e-79f7-4cc1-9564-f2eee8e31c45&amp;audience=consumer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Azithromycin</a> (Zithromax) is often prescribed to treat respiratory infections like pneumonia. Its side effects include gastrointestinal issues like nausea and diarrhea.</li><li><a href="https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=68fba58a-7748-4581-8432-f5286c46d90a&amp;audience=consumer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cephalexin</a> (Keflex) may be prescribed for respiratory tract or skin infections and its side effects include gastrointestinal upset. A rare but serious side effect is liver injury.</li><li><a href="https://dailymed.nlm.nih.gov/dailymed/drugInfo.cfm?setid=888dc7f9-ad9c-4c00-8d50-8ddfd9bd27c0&amp;audience=consumer" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Ciprofloxacin</a> (Cipro) is prescribed to treat a number of illnesses, including skin and bone infections, infectious diarrhea, and UTIs. Fluoroquinolones like Ciprofloxacin come with <a href="https://www.urmc.rochester.edu/medialibraries/urmcmedia/medicine/general-medicine/patientcare/documents/Ciprofloxacin_Brochure_URMC.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">warnings</a> about rare but serious reactions including tendonitis, neuropathy, and liver toxicity.</li></ul>Though drinking moderately won't reduce the effectiveness of these common antibiotics, it could still inhibit healing, put stress on the liver, cause dehydration, and <a href="https://www.alcoholrehabguide.org/alcohol/drinking-drugs/antibiotics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increase the risk</a> of or worsen side effects.For example, doxycycline (Vibramycin, Monodox) and <a href="https://www.insider.com/amoxicillin-and-alcohol" target="_blank" rel="noopener">amoxicillin (Amoxil)</a> are known to frequently cause digestive problems, says Nouhavandi. Since having alcohol in your system can also cause these symptoms on its own, using both antibiotics and alcohol together increases your risk of these side effects.Additionally, since drinking alcohol <a href="https://www.insider.com/does-alcohol-weaken-the-immune-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">weakens your body's immune system</a>, drinking when you've been prescribed an antibiotic is never a great idea. "Not all antibiotics result in a serious interaction when mixed with alcohol, but generally, when someone is on antibiotic therapy, it is because they are trying to fight an infection and their immune system is weak," says Nouhavandi.<h2>Does alcohol make antibiotics less effective? </h2><a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/antibiotics-and-alcohol/faq-20057946" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alcohol consumption</a> won't directly impact how effective your antibiotics are. But, drinking alcohol can mean that it takes your body longer to recover from whatever infection or illness you are taking antibiotics for in the first place. Nouhavandi says this is partly because when you're sick, you need to be properly hydrated. One of the side effects of drinking alcohol can be dehydration, which can make it harder for you to get well. Like many types of antibiotics, alcohol is broken down and processed by your liver before it can exit your body. When your liver is already working to help fight infection, adding alcohol to the mix can overwork it. In rare cases, this can cause drug-induced <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526106/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">liver toxicity</a> (swelling of your liver). <h2>You should never skip a dose of antibiotics to drink alcohol </h2>Even if you want a drink, it's important not to skip a dose or a day of your antibiotics until your prescribed course of medication is complete. Skipping a single dose won't really protect you from side effects, anyway, as it takes several days for the medication to clear from your system. When you take antibiotics, you typically start feeling better <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/antibiotics.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">within 48 hours</a>. But that doesn't mean that there's no more infection present in your body. If you stop taking antibiotics early so that you can drink, you are giving the bacterial or fungal infection a chance to return. <h2>Insider's takeaway </h2>Some antibiotics, like metronidazole and tinidazole, have strong interactions with alcohol that may cause nausea, headaches, and cramping. Even if you are taking another antibiotic, it's best to avoid all alcohol because drinking may impair your body's ability to fight the infection. Furthermore, even antibiotics that don't have strong interactions with alcohol <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/antibiotics-and-alcohol/faq-20057946" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still come</a> with a risk of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea that could be exacerbated by drinking. Additionally, never skip a dose of your antibiotics just to drink.

Can you drink on antibiotics? A full breakdown of which antibiotics you shouldn't mix with alcohol

<ul class="summary-list"><li>You should never drink <keyword id="6359858" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="alcohol">alcohol</keyword> while taking antibiotics, as it could weaken your immune system and make recovering from your infection more difficult. </li><li>Drinking with some antibiotics, like metronidazole and tinidazole, can cause severe side effects such as vomiting, abdominal cramping, and a rapid heart rate. </li><li>You can drink alcohol again once the <keyword id="6369335" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="antibiotic">antibiotic</keyword> clears from your system, which is usually three days after the last dose. </li><li>This article was <a href="https://www.insider.com/insider-medical-review-board" target="_blank" rel="noopener">medically reviewed</a> by <a href="https://health.tamu.edu/experts/jason-mcknight.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jason R. McKnight</a>, MD, MS, a family medicine physician and clinical assistant professor at <a href="https://medicine.tamu.edu/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Texas A&amp;M College of Medicine</a>. </li></ul>While a drink or two per day normally isn't cause for alarm, when you're on antibiotics even one drink can cause adverse side effects. In fact, mixing antibiotics with alcohol may add to, trigger, or complicate the side effects of your medication.Here's why you should never mix alcohol with antibiotics.<h2>It's important to avoid drinking alcohol on antibiotics </h2> There are some antibiotics that are almost certain to cause strong, negative side effects when mixed with drinking alcohol, says <a href="https://honeybeehealth.com/blog/author/erinwchan" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jessica Nouhavandi</a>, PharmD, a pharmacist in Los Angeles, California, and co-founder of Honeybee <keyword id="6354750" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="100" keywordseo="health">Health</keyword>, an online pharmacy. According to Nouvahandi, antibiotics that have a particularly strong reaction with alcohol include: <ul><li><a href="https://www.drugs.com/metronidazole.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Metronidazole (Flagyl)</a> is an antibiotic used to treat bacterial or parasitic infections in the vagina, stomach, liver, or brain. </li><li><a href="https://www.drugs.com/tindamax.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Tinidazole (Tindamax)</a> is an antibiotic that is used to treat infections in the vagina and intestines. </li></ul>When taking these antibiotics, you should stay away from liquor, wine, and beer — and also avoid anything that contains alcohol, including cough syrup and mouthwash, Nouvhavandi says. If you consume alcohol while taking these antibiotics, you will most likely experience strong side effects, <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/antibiotics-and-alcohol/faq-20057946">such as</a>: <ul><li>Abdominal cramping </li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/home-remedies-for-nausea" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Nausea</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/home-remedies-for-headaches" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Headaches</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-stop-vomiting" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Vomiting</a></li><li>Rapid heart rate</li></ul>If you do accidentally drink while taking antibiotics, your side effects will usually disappear within a few hours. However, if you are experiencing a severe reaction after taking antibiotics and drinking alcohol, seek medical attention from your doctor or head to urgent care. Other common antibiotics that should not be mixed with alcohol, even though side effects may be less severe, include: <ul><li><a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements/sulfamethoxazole-and-trimethoprim-oral-route/description/drg-20071899" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim</a> (Bactrim DS), which is used commonly for UTIs or skin infections. It has similar side effects as metronidazole. </li><li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a686015.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">C</a><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a686015.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">efotetan</a> (Cefotan), which is used to treat bacterial infections in the lungs, skin, and bones, also has similar side effects to metronidazole. </li><li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a602004.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Linezolid (Zyvox)</a>, which is prescribed to treat skin infections and pneumonia, has strong interactions with beer — even non-alcoholic beer — and red wine. Drinking while taking linezolid can cause your blood pressure to spike. </li><li><a href="https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/meds/a682401.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Isoniazid (Nydrazid)</a> is used to treat tuberculosis and can overwhelm your liver, leading to toxicity, when combined with alcohol.</li></ul>You can resume drinking alcohol once the antibiotic has cleared from your system, which is usually <a href="https://blog.ochsner.org/articles/can-you-drink-alcohol-on-antibiotics" target="_blank" rel="noopener">three days</a> after the last dose. <h2>Why you shouldn't drink alcohol on antibiotics </h2> Since drinking alcohol lowers your body's immune system, drinking when you've been prescribed an antibiotic is never a great idea. "Not all antibiotics result in a serious interaction when mixed with alcohol, but generally, when someone is on antibiotic therapy, it is because they are trying to fight an infection and their immune system is weak," says Nouhavandi. Furthermore, even antibiotics that aren't directly contraindicated with alcohol — meaning mixing them with alcohol is strongly discouraged — <a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/antibiotics-and-alcohol/faq-20057946" target="_blank" rel="noopener">still come</a> with a risk of nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Nouhavandi cites doxycycline (Vibramycin, Monodox) and amoxicillin (Amoxil) as two examples of antibiotics that are known to frequently cause digestive problems. Since having alcohol in your system can also cause these symptoms on its own, using both antibiotics and alcohol together increases your risk of these side effects.<h2>Does alcohol make antibiotics less effective? </h2><a href="https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/consumer-health/expert-answers/antibiotics-and-alcohol/faq-20057946" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alcohol consumption</a> won't directly impact how effective your antibiotics are. But, drinking alcohol can mean that it takes your body longer to recover from whatever infection or illness you are taking antibiotics for in the first place. Nouhavandi says this is partly because when you're sick, you need to be properly hydrated. One of the side effects of drinking alcohol can be dehydration, which can make it harder for you to get well. Like many types of antibiotics, alcohol is broken down and processed by your liver before it can exit your body. When your liver is already working to help fight infection, adding alcohol to the mix can overwork it. In rare cases, this can cause drug-induced <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK526106/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">liver toxicity</a> (swelling of your liver). <h2>You should never skip a dose of antibiotics to drink alcohol </h2>Even if you want a drink, it's important not to skip a dose or a day of your antibiotics until your prescribed course of medication is complete. Skipping a single dose won't really protect you from side effects, anyway, as it takes several days for the medication to clear from your system. When you take antibiotics, you typically start feeling better <a href="https://medlineplus.gov/antibiotics.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">within 48 hours</a>. But that doesn't mean that there's no more infection present in your body. If you stop taking antibiotics early so that you can drink, you are giving the bacterial or fungal infection a chance to return. <h2>The bottom line </h2>Some antibiotics like metronidazole and tinidazole have strong interactions with alcohol that may cause nausea, headaches, and cramping. Even if you are taking another antibiotic, it's important to avoid all alcohol because drinking may impair your body's ability to fight the infection. Additionally, never skip a dose of your antibiotics just to drink. <h2>Related articles from <a href="https://www.insider.com/health-reference" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Health Reference</a>:</h2><ul><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-prevent-the-flu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">How to prevent the flu, according to doctors</a><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-to-prevent-the-flu" target="_blank" rel="noopener"></a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-antibiotics-work" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Antibiotics treat infections by either killing or sterilizing bacteria</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/does-the-flu-shot-give-you-the-flu" target="_blank" rel="noopener">You can't get the flu from the flu shot, but there are side effects</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/does-alcohol-weaken-the-immune-system" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Does alcohol weaken the immune system? Yes, if you drink too much</a></li><li><a href="https://www.insider.com/how-effective-is-the-flu-shot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The flu vaccine is not 100% effective but you should still get it every year</a></li></ul>

Why you shouldn't drink alcohol while taking antibiotics

<ul class="summary-list"><li>We compared menu items between <keyword id="9486381" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="halal-guys">Halal Guys</keyword> in the US and UK to find out the big differences between the two.</li><li><keyword id="6596418" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="halal">Halal</keyword> Guys red sauce ranges from between 100,000 to 130,000 on the Scoville scale.</li><li>The baklava in the UK actually contains some questionable <keyword id="6181" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="Food">food</keyword> colorings.</li></ul>Following is a transcript of the <keyword id="21654" type="COMPANY" weightage="60" keywordseo="video">video</keyword>.Harry Kersh: From calorie count to portion sizes, we wanted to find out all the differences between Halal Guys in the UK and the US. This is "<keyword id="9221472" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="food-wars">Food Wars</keyword>."Harry: In the UK, you can get your order in three portion sizes. As a small platter, as a regular platter, or as a sandwich. Joe: The Halal Guys in the US, your order can come in three sizes: small, regular, sandwich. Harry: We're going to weigh a regular platter in both countries to see whose is the biggest. [beep] It's been so many episodes. Why don't we just get bigger scales? Bear with us one second. [elevator music plays] First half is about 337 grams. 337 plus 321, six five eight? Quick maths. Joe: This thing, we need to wash this thing. It's getting funky in here. Here we go, the regular. Whoa, fits in perfectly. 640. 640 grams. That's a full meal. Oh, man, this smells so good. Harry: Fries in the UK only come in one portion size, this one. Joe: In the US, The Halal Guys also only have one size fries. Look at this case. Have you seen this? Do you think it's to keep them crispy, so they don't get soggy? Very smart. Very innovative. I want to eat this so badly. We gotta weigh it first. Harry: This could be another brick. [fries plop onto scale] Ayy. So, a side of fries from a UK Halal Guys came to 213 grams. Joe: Wait. Oh, yeah, OK. Yeah. 145 grams for one size of Halal Guys fries. Oh, yeah. Yo. I've never gotten the fries. These are good! Crispy. Don't sleep on the Halal Guys fries. Harry: In the UK, a side of hummus only comes in one size, and it's this one right here. Joe: In the US of A, Halal Guys hummus only comes in one size, and, of course, we are going to weigh it. Harry: So, our side order of hummus came in at 246 grams. I'm going to eat all of this as soon as the cameras stop rolling. A side order of baba ghanoush in the UK only comes in one size as well. Joe: In the US, the baba ghanoush at The Halal Guys is also just one size. Harry: In the UK, you can get a side of falafel, and it comes as a two-piece serving. We did ask for some, but I think the guy forgot, so we don't have any to show you. Joe: In the US at The Halal Guys, you can get your falafel in three sizes: two pieces, four pieces, or six pieces. Harry: We can also get falafel sandwiches. Let's take some measurements. Our falafel sandwich is 8 inches in diameter. And for the moment you've all been waiting for, we're going to measure the girth. The tape measurer is really not fit to task. Actually, that's going to work. And our falafel sandwich has a girth of, let's say, 7-and-a-bit inches. Joe: From pita to pita, 8 inches? Yeah? Oh, look at that! And it's 8 inches thick. 8 and 8. I like when things are just precise like that. Harry: And, finally, it weighs 286 grams. Joe: And a falafel sandwich at the US Halal Guys ♪ weighs ♪ like, exactly -- [burps] Excuse me. Exactly 250 grams. Harry: In the UK, if you want dessert at Halal Guys, you can get baklava. It comes in a two-piece serving. Joe: Halal Guys in the US, the baklava comes in one size, in this one piece. This piece right here. Oops, I ordered two! I guess I'll just have to eat one. Who am I kidding? I'm eating both of these.Harry: Unfortunately, Halal Guys doesn't make its nutritional information available for its UK products. We did find some in the store, and, luckily, I took a picture. From this, we now know that the sandwiches range anywhere from 419 calories to 694 calories, and the platters range anywhere from 471 calories to 1,049 calories. It's fairly safe to assume that the 1,049-calorie platter is probably one of the meat ones with all of the sides, all of the sauces, pretty much everything you can get. 1,049 calories will take you to just over half of your normal daily allowance. Joe: The combo platter is said to be Halal Guys' most popular menu item. This is a regular combo platter before any white or red sauce has been added. I would recommend not eating it until it is added. That's just me. Our regular combo platter is 794 calories, 23 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 1,998 milligrams of sodium, which I believe is 86% of your daily intake, and also 96 grams of carbs. Of course we're adding white and red sauces, right? OK. The white sauce pouch. One of these is roughly 330 calories, 37 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 420 milligrams of sodium. 420. [bell dings] And 2 grams of carbs. See this guy right here? Each package of their hot sauce adds only 7 calories, but 89 milligrams of sodium. Harry: Let's talk about the red sauce. Now, according to the Halal Guys website, their red sauce ranges from between 100,000 to 130,000 on the Scoville scale. To put that in perspective, sriracha is somewhere around 2,500 on the same scale, and the infamous "Hot Ones" Da Bomb sauce is around 135,000. So pretty close to this.Joe: Halal Guys has something called the Hot Sauce Challenge. What it is, is a small platter with 20 lines of their hot sauce, and you've got to be able to eat the whole thing in 10 minutes with no assistance of any beverages, not only during while you're eating it, but also five minutes after. Harry: Sorry, what are we doing? Joe: So, one, two - Harry: It's times like this where you're like, "I should have a will written, just in case." That's four. Oh, my God. If I don't make it out of this, someone tell my cat that I love him. 20. I'll just put this whole thing in there. [laughs] This is such a bad idea. Producer: You ready? Joe: Yeah. Producer: Set, go. Joe: All right. [ominous music plays] Whoa. Yo! [coughs] Oh, my God. This stuff is really hot. Oh, man. I'm getting a metallic taste in my mouth, like my mouth might be bleeding. Harry: [laughs] [coughs] OK. Yep, that's immediately spicy. No slow burn here. Joe: Oh, God. This was a mistake. [coughs] It's, like, really good, dude. Harry: Oh, God. More. Joe: How long's it been? [cry-laughs] OK, OK. I think I can manage this. Harry: [laughs] My eyes are watering. The throat is hurting. [clears throat] Joe: This is really hot. My tongue, back of the mouth, everything. [pounding] Harry: No way I'm lasting five minutes. I'm breaking early. God. [steam hisses] I'm throwing in the towel. I can't do it. Producer: Yeah? Joe: Yeah. Holy s---. How long was that? Producer: Three minutes and 10 seconds. Harry: See, Nando's? That is spice. If you advertise something as spicy, at least deliver. And that's what Halal Guys have done. [production crew laughing] Whew! Joe: People who build up tolerance in their mouth for spice, they also have the tolerance for it going out. Because the worst thing about spicy food for me is -- the second worst is eating it. The first worst is -- it'll be about in five hours. Speaking of which. It would have been smarter to do this at the end of the shoot. Now, if you were to go with the falafel sandwich in the US, it would be 641 calories, 26 grams of fat, 4 grams of saturated fat, 1,259 milligrams of sodium, and 82 grams of carbs. [pants]Harry: Currently, Halal Guys don't provide that much information when it comes to the ingredients of their meats and rices. What we do know, as you can imagine, is that Halal Guys' food is, indeed, halal certified. Joe: The Halal Guys chicken recipe is a secret. So we assume, similar to other Middle Eastern street meats, it is marinated in herbs, lemon, olive oil, salt, and pepper. I got all of this info from the Halal Guys "Legendary Eats" story we did about a year ago, so thank you to those producers for doing my homework. Harry: The beef is also a secret recipe, but from what we know, it's likely to be flavored with things like salt, pepper, oregano, and paprika. Joe: But The Halal Guys can't be tight-lipped on their sauces now that they're available for retail. So the hot sauce in the US, and assuming the UK, ingredients are ground red pepper, vinegar, salt, various spices, question mark, question mark, question mark? And concentrated lemon juice. White sauce: soybean oil, water, egg yolk, distilled vinegar, less than 2% of salt, sugar, spices, natural flavors, xanthan gum, sodium benzoate, and calcium disodium EDTA, or "ed-ta," to maintain freshness. Contains eggs. Harry: According to the white sauce packets, it contains soybean oil, water, egg, spirit vinegar, salt, sugar, pepper, preservative potassium sorbate, thickener xanthan gum, mustard, antioxidant calcium disodium EDTA, and natural flavoring. Joe: For the Halal Guys pita bread, I had to do some deep investigative journalism. Specifically, I called The Halal Guys in downtown LA, and they told me that the pitas they use are these: Kontos <keyword id="1937089" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="gyro">Gyro</keyword> Bread Pre-Oiled. Is this the pita breads they use for all Halal Guys? I called and emailed Kontos, and they did not get back to me. Guys, what's the story? So I'm gonna assume that they do. So this pita contains unbleached, unbrom, bromated, no. Unbleached, unbromated, enriched flour, niacin , thiamine , reduced iron, riboflavin , folic acid, water, and soybean oil, and contains 2% or less of the following ingredients: calcium propionate , corn syrup solids. OK. Fumaric acid, guar gum, salt, sesame flour, sodium bicarbonate, sorbic acid , soy flour, sugar, vegetable mono- and diglycerides, vegetable L-cysteine, wheat enzymes, whole-wheat flour, and yeast. Harry: One thing to look out for there is the fumaric acid that they use. While this is practically nontoxic because the amounts in our food are very small, the European Union does say that in high doses, this can be nephrotoxic, which is toxic to your kidneys. So you might want to go easy on the pitas. One thing we found out just by purchasing the product is that the baklava in the UK actually contains some questionable food colorings. The first is Blue 1, also known as Brilliant Blue. This is kind of hard to come by in the UK, as it's just fallen out of favor thanks to the Smarties controversy. Blue 1 used to be the blue coloring used in Smarties in the UK. However, it was removed after there was a panic about it potentially causing hyperactivity in children. It famously took Smarties years to come up with a natural replacement for the blue coloring. They finally settled on spirulina, which is made from seaweed. On a not unrelated note, there's also Yellow 5 in here, also known as tartrazine. Yellow 5 is one of the chemicals highlighted by a 2007 study investigating links between food colorings and hyperactivity in children. The initial results did seem to show a link between the two; however, since then, people have backtracked and said that further study may be required. Despite that, foods containing these chemicals in the European Union must still bear a warning that they may have an adverse effect on attention in children. We don't see a warning on this box, so Halal Guys, you might want to update your packaging. [baklava crunches]Harry: Here is everything you will only find on the menu at a UK Halal Guys. Joe: Here are the exclusives you can get in the USA. Harry: Yeah, believe it or not, this is probably our shortest exclusive section ever. All the things you can only find on the menu in the UK are an orange Fanta or a lemon Fanta. I'm assuming you guys do have Fanta in the US, but for me, obviously, Fanta orange is the classic. However, Fanta lemon, absolutely amazing. For some reason it's not super common in the UK, but if you go into mainland Europe, particularly slightly hotter places like Spain or Greece, this is kind of everywhere. So for me, it just brings back memories of, like, being on a beach bar with my family, sipping a Fanta lemon, having a great time. Joe: So, forgive me if I'm wrong. I didn't see this anywhere on the Halal Guys London menus. It is 16.9 fluid ounces of the white sauce. Look how big this is. This is hilarious. Ugh. Side of olives. Oh, you can also get a side of jalapeños. If the hot sauce wasn't hot enough, here you go. You can also get yourself a side of tahini. For desserts, you can also get Halal Guys cookies. Harry: That's pretty much it. I'm going to go and lie down, because hot sauce is a terrible invention. Cheers.Joe: You know why this is trouble, though? Because it still tastes really good. I mean [laughs], I'm a glutton for punishment.

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