Phenazopyridine and Alcohol
Phenazopyridine is a pain reliever that affects the lower part of your bladder and urethra which is the lower part of the urinary tract and is used to treat pain, burning, increased urination and the increased urge to urinate. These symptoms are usually caused by infection, injury, surgery, catheter or other conditions that irritate the lower urinary tract.
This drug will treat the symptoms of a urinary tract infection but will not treat the actual infection. An antibiotic is usually prescribed to treat the infection.
It is suggested moderate drinking only while using this drug as the side effects may be greatly affected.
At this time the medical community defines moderate consumption of alcohol as no more than two drinks per day and no more than 14 drinks per week. If anything more than that it is considered an unhealthy dependency on alcohol that may have adverse social, family and health consequences.
If a person drinks only once or twice a week but drinks on the same days each week and more than two drinks this is considered as an alcohol dependency.
If a person binge drinks at any time during the week this is also considered as alcoholism.
Some consider alcoholism as a disease while others consider it an addiction which is the result of personal choice and character fault. This school of thought blames the alcoholism on life style choices.
Personally I consider alcoholism a genetic tendency as I have seen families of alcoholics even when they live far apart. These unfortunate people are probably dependent on alcohol from the first drink.
When alcohol interacts with prescription over the counter drugs it usually results in negative health effects most especially liver damage as the main organ affected.
Before using this drug advise your doctor if you are allergic to any other drug or substance, if you are using dietary or herbal supplements, are pregnant, plan to be or are breastfeeding, liver disease, diabetes or a condition known as (G6PD) glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.
Side Effects
Less serious side effects are headache, dizzy, stomach pain, upset stomach or skin itching. If these occur call your physician for advice.
Serious side effects are severe allergic reactions such as hives difficult breathing, tight chest, swelling of the mouth, face, lips or tongue, pale skin, fever, confusion, weakness, jaundice, changes in urination, drowsy, confused, mood changes, increased thirst, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, swelling, weight gain, short of breath, blue or purple colouring in your skin.If these occur get emergency medical help.
This site serves as an information source only and does not dispense medical advice or any other kind of advice. If you are seeking medical advice you are advised to consult your own physician.
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