Interactions | Arcoxia® and alcohol – is it compatible?

Interactions

Since alcohol and Arcoxia® are broken down in the liver, they interact with each other. If you take Arcoxia® film tablets and drink alcohol as well, or vice versa, there are several complications that can occur. Firstly, this is an enormous strain on the liver.

The liver finds it difficult to process both substances at the same time. In addition, many patients complain of severe stomach pain if they take Arcoxia® film tablets over a longer period of time. Others have enormous stomach problems even after a short regular intake.

If you drink alcohol in combination with Arcoxia® tablets more often, it can cause severe damage to the stomach after a while. Alcohol can have a good effect on rheumatism – in moderation, of course, and not in bulk. Of course, you should not exceed the recommended daily maximum amount, but together with non-steroidal anti-rheumatic drugs it has a partially strengthening effect.

This means that side effects of the drug can be intensified. Alcohol should generally be avoided in gout patients, as it can have a reinforcing effect even without taking the appropriate medication and can cause acute attacks of gout. It can also happen that the alcohol is broken down more slowly. Patients often complain that they can hardly tolerate alcohol and are drunk immediately; even small amounts are sufficient. The effect can also last much longer than without the tablets.

Side effects

Since the degradation of Arcoxia® can be delayed by the additional consumption of alcohol, stronger or more prolonged side effects may also occur. Side effects only decrease once the drug has been broken down into harmless substances. However, if the process is delayed, those affected may suffer longer or more severely from the possible side effects of the drug.

These are very varied. Since the drug has an approximate half-life of 22 hours, one can expect to suffer from the possible side effects for a very long time. Side effects that are very similar to flu symptoms can occur very often.

On the one hand, there are headaches, fever, outbreaks of sweating, which mainly occur at night, tiredness, weakness and dizziness. In addition, Arcoxia® film-coated tablets can also cause numerous digestive problems. These include diarrhoea, flatulence, constipation, but also nausea.

As already mentioned, these tablets are not particularly good for the stomach. In addition to the digestive problems, stomach cramps and pain can also occur, which can be of varying intensity. Patients are also repeatedly plagued by heartburn.

Particularly in the blood count, clear changes can be seen, which mainly affect the liver values. This should be checked regularly to prevent liver damage. Oedema (water retention) in the extremities (arms and legs) is another frequent side effect.

Last but not least, side effects related to the circulation and heart are also common symptoms. These may include high blood pressure, palpitations and bleeding into the skin. All of these side effects can be drastically increased if alcohol is consumed before the Arcoxia® tablets have been broken down.

There are other serious side effects that occur much less frequently. These include heart attack, stroke, bloated stomach, cardiac insufficiency, angina pectoris, or individual symptoms such as tightness, pressure or heaviness in the chest – these can also be harbingers of an approaching heart attack. In addition, cardiac arrhythmia is possible, as well as ulcers in the gastrointestinal tract.

Mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety are also possible. There are even more side effects that can occur, which you can read in the package insert or get to know from your doctor. All these symptoms need not occur, but they could. Therefore, you should be careful with your body and the medication you are taking.