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Jimu News reporter Liu Xun

Correspondent Zhang Jingyi

Intern Zheng Zhuo

Drawing by Liu Yang

It is said that "Cephalexin and alcohol, just go away", but the 9-year-old boy just didn't believe it. He was discharged from the hospital the day before and drank the medical alcohol mixed with water out of curiosity to verify the truth of this statement. He was admitted to the hospital because of red face, dizziness, headache, shortness of breath and decreased heart rate. Fortunately, with the timely intervention of medical staff, no serious consequences occurred and he has been discharged and returned home.

On July 23, experts from Wuhan Children's Hospital reminded that taking cephalosporin with alcohol is no joke. Severe cases may lead to loss of consciousness, shock, or even death. Be careful. After taking cephalosporin, try to avoid accidentally taking alcohol-containing medicines or foods to avoid serious consequences.

Take cephalexin with alcohol and go wherever you want?

A 9-year-old boy was curious and tested the authenticity of the

On the evening of July 19, Ms. Wu (a pseudonym), who lives in Houhu, returned home from get off work and found her 9-year-old son Xiaojie (a pseudonym) with a red face, hot ears, dizziness, headache, and shortness of breath. Ms. Wu was worried about her son's health and repeatedly asked him about his movements at home that day. At first, Xiaojie said nothing. After his mother asked and counseled him for an hour, Xiaojie finally told the truth.

It turned out that when Xiao Jie heard his grandmother watching a short video, she mentioned a sentence: "Cephalexin and alcohol, just go away, don't try this." This caught Xiao Jie's attention, and he thought: "How serious can this be?"

Xiao Jie told his mother that he had just been discharged from the hospital the day before and had been given cefuroxime for several days in the hospital, so he was very curious and wanted to verify whether this statement was true, so he set his eyes on the unused medical alcohol at home.

"I sprayed it in my mouth first, and when I saw that my body didn't react, I poured the remaining part of the bottle into the water cup and drank it in one gulp." Xiaojie told his mother that the alcohol tasted very spicy, but he still endured it and swallowed it. Based on her son's description, his mother estimated that this gulp was about 50 ml.

Soon, Xiaojie began to react. He felt his face getting hot, and the burning sensation spread to the roots of his ears. He also had shortness of breath, and Xiaojie began to get scared. After learning the truth, his mother was terrified and rushed Xiaojie to Wuhan Children's Hospital overnight.

Fortunately, no serious consequences occurred.

Doctors remind that taking cephalosporin with alcohol is no joke

In the early morning of July 20, Xiaojie was admitted to the intensive care unit of Wuhan Children's Hospital due to dizziness, chest tightness and shortness of breath. After careful examination by the attending physician Du Lan, the child's vital signs were still stable. Dr. Du Lan gave symptomatic fluid replacement and diuretic treatment, and Xiaojie's dizziness, chest tightness and shortness of breath gradually eased.

"I will never do such a dangerous thing again." During the hospitalization, Xiaojie also realized his mistake and apologized repeatedly while lying on the bed. Fortunately, the discovery was timely and the child's various indicators were stable. On July 21, Xiaojie was discharged from the hospital and returned home.

"Taking cephalosporin and alcohol together can have serious consequences. This is no joke." Chen Feng, deputy chief physician at the Center for Emergency and Critical Care Medicine at Wuhan Children's Hospital, explained that when cephalosporins and alcohol are ingested at the same time, a "disulfiram-like reaction" will occur, leading to a reaction similar to anaphylactic shock, manifested by facial flushing, fever, nausea and vomiting; in severe cases, it can even lead to a drop in blood pressure and reduced blood perfusion to important organs throughout the body, causing multiple organ dysfunction and even death.

Medical staff from the Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Center of Wuhan Children's Hospital examine the condition of the child (Photo provided by the hospital interviewed)

"This is the first time we have encountered a child like Xiaojie." Chen Feng said that in recent years, the hospital has received a few cases of children who took cephalosporin and then accidentally took alcohol. The most serious case was a 15-year-old boy who accidentally took alcohol-containing drugs after taking cephalosporin and developed serious reactions such as dizziness, headache, and redness of the whole body. His condition was critical. Experts from the Emergency and Critical Care Medicine Center of Wuhan Children's Hospital provided emergency symptomatic treatment, which saved the child's life.

"This also reminds parents that when children take cephalosporins, they must avoid taking medicines or foods containing alcohol." Chen Feng reminded that special care should be taken with alcohol-filled chocolates and alcoholic sodas. In addition, in addition to cephalosporins, nitroimidazoles (such as metronidazole, ornidazole, tinidazole, etc.) or other antibacterial drugs may react with alcohol. It is recommended that parents carefully understand the contraindications of medication when giving medication to their children.

For safety reasons, experts recommend that children should not touch any alcohol-related food or medicine during medication. If they accidentally take the medicine, parents should take their children to the emergency department of a children's hospital as soon as possible, and have the doctor evaluate and treat the symptoms to avoid irreversible damage to the child's body.

(Source: Jimu News)