Medical Consequences of Alcohol-Drug Interactions

Abstract

Probably few Americans do not have some exposure to medicinal drugs. More than 2,800 prescription medications are available today (Medical Economics 1993), and physicians write 14 billion prescriptions annually (Benet 1990). In 1987, approximately 2,000 medications were available without prescription, including popular consumer products for treating such common ailments as headaches and hay fever (Medical Economics 1987). Similarly, most Americans have some exposure to alcohol. A 1990 survey revealed that of the U.S. adult population, 71 percent drink alcohol at least occasionally, and 10 percent drink daily (Midanik and Room 1992). Among Americans age 60 and older, who are more likely than younger people to be taking prescribed medications, the proportion using alcohol was found to be 66 percent, with 16 percent drinking daily (Midanik and Room 1992). An additional survey showed that 13 percent of the adult population have met medical criteria for alcohol dependence or abuse at some point in their life (American Psychiatric Association 1987).1 Given the prevalence of alcohol use and the prevalence of medication use,2 some concurrent use of alcohol and such drugs is inevitable. It is crucial for health care professionals to be aware of the interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Patients must be informed of the risks of combining alcohol with prescribed drugs, and for this information to be meaningful, clinicians must understand which drug-alcohol interactions are clinically significant. This knowledge is also important for understanding otherwise