By RICK NAUERT PHD Senior News Editor
Reviewed by John M. Grohol, Psy.D. on January 19, 2015
Alcohol & Many Medications Make A Risky Mix
A new study finds that almost 42 percent of U.S. drinkers have also used one or more prescription medications that interact with alcohol — everything from blood pressure medications to diabetes drugs to antidepressants.
Although 71 percent of American adults drink alcohol, little is known on how these alcohol interactions affect the general population.
“To our knowledge there have been only four previous U.S. population-based studies,” said Dr. Rosalind A. Breslow, an epidemiologist in the division of epidemiology and prevention research at the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Three of the prior studies were conducted among elderly people with the conclusion that substantial numbers of seniors were both drinking and taking alcohol-interactive medications. The findings lead researchers to call for increased awareness about possible harmful consequences.