What You Need To Know:
Pneumonia is an infection in your lungs caused by bacteria, viruses, fungi, or parasites. You can become infected if you come in contact with someone who is sick. You can get pneumonia if you recently had surgery or needed a ventilator to help you breathe. Pneumonia can also be caused by accidentally inhaling saliva or small pieces of food. Pneumonia may cause mild symptoms, or it can be severe and life-threatening.
Are There Are Any Corticosteroids That Arent Affected By Alcohol
Since oral corticosteroids have a broader effect on your body, theres a higher chance that theyll be riskier with alcohol.
But you may be wondering if other dosage forms like topical creams, nasal sprays, and inhalations are safer alternatives to take with alcohol. Keep in mind that these dosage forms may not be able to treat the same conditions as oral corticosteroids, and they each carry their own risks, depending on how youre taking them.
There may be other treatments for your condition that arent affected by alcohol. Ask your healthcare provider for more information.
Can I Have Just A Couple Of Drinks
Alcohol affects everyone differently. Whether its safe to have one or two drinks while taking a corticosteroid may depend on many factors, such as age, underlying conditions, and the medications youre taking.
Talk with your healthcare provider about having an occasional drink while taking a corticosteroid. Depending on your specific situation, they can help you weigh the potential risks. Be sure theyre aware of all your current medical conditions and medications.
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How Alcohol Affects Your Immune System
No matter what type of vaccine you’re getting, whether it’s the flu shot or either dose of the Covid-19 vaccine, heavy alcohol consumption can blunt your immune system response and potentially prevent the vaccine from giving you full protection. This is why experts discourage drinking before getting any type of vaccination.
“Sustained heavy drinking lowers your immune system and as a result, could lower your immune response from the vaccine,” says Mariea Snell, assistant professor of nursing and the assistant director of the doctor of nursing practice programs at Maryville University in St. Louis, Missouri. “While one or two drinks a day will not have a negative impact, patients could stop drinking a few days before and after the vaccine if they wanted to be sure their immune system was at top performance.”
In a review of studies, published in Alcohol Research: Current Reviews in 2015, excessive drinking was found to disrupt immune function. The immune system can produce antibodies that help protect against bacteria and viruses that enter from outside the body, like the coronavirus.
Even worse: The review emphasized that there is a direct link between heavy drinking and respiratory illnesses such as Covid-19 and pneumonia.
What To Know About Drinking Alcohol After Getting Your Vaccine
There are lots of questions about what you should and shouldnt do before and after getting vaccinated for COVID-19and some of the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions guidelines might be surprising. For example, the agency recommends avoiding OTC pain meds, like ibuprofen and Tylenol, in anticipation of vaccine side effects prior to the shot, but says its fine to take them within reason after you receive your dose.
Why? It has to do with those all-important antibodies and how certain substances can mess with the development of a strong immune response. Understandably, plenty of people have wondered whether or not its safe to drink alcohol after vaccination, as some research shows that booze can impact the immune system when consumed excessively .
The CDC does offer some guidance for people who have been newly vaccinated, but it focuses more on the possible side effects, information about ingredients, and what we know about COVID-19 immunityno mention of booze, though.
So, whats the deal? Can you reach for that glass of wine to celebrate your step toward immunityor is it better to wait? We asked infectious disease doctors to set the record straight.
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Who Should Not Get The Vaccine
People should not get the vaccine if they have had a life threatening allergic reaction to a previous dose.
Additionally, a person should not undergo vaccination if they have had an allergic reaction to medication containing diphtheria toxoid or an earlier form of the pneumonia vaccination .
Lastly, people who are sick or have allergic reactions to any of the ingredients of the vaccine should talk to a doctor before getting the shot.
A pneumonia shot will not reduce pneumonia. However, it helps prevent invasive pneumococcal diseases, such as meningitis, endocarditis, empyema, and bacteremia, which is when bacteria enter the bloodstream.
Noninvasive pneumococcal disease includes sinusitis.
There are two types of pneumonia shots available. Which type a person gets depends on their age, whether or not they smoke, and the presence of any underlying medical conditions.
The two types are:
- Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine : Healthcare providers recommend this vaccine for young children, people with certain underlying conditions, and some people over the age of 65 years.
- Pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine : Healthcare providers recommend this vaccine for anyone over 65 years of age, people with certain underlying conditions, and people who smoke.
According to the
- roughly 8 in 10 babies from invasive pneumococcal disease
- 45 in 100 adults 65 years or older against pneumococcal pneumonia
- 75 in 100 adults 65 years or older against invasive pneumococcal disease
How Long Do Vaccinations Last
The list below outlines the usual duration of protection once the vaccination course is complete. For some vaccines, the duration of protection is uncertain.
- Chickenpox long-term
- Cholera – up to 2 years
- Diphtheria – 10 years
- Flu vaccine – up to 1 year
- Hepatitis A – Probable lifetime protection
- Hepatitis B – Lifetime
- Japanese B Encephalitis – 2 years to , depending on the vaccine used
- Measles, Mumps, Rubella – Life time
- Meningitis – new conjugate vaccines give up to 5 years protection
- Pneumonia – > 5 years, probably life time
- Polio booster – Life time
- Rabies – Immune memory persists for life booster doses needed only
- Tetanus – 5-10 years
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Avoid Alcohol While Taking Antibiotics
Drinking alcohol while taking antibiotics can be risky. Not only can alcohol interact badly with some medications and cause severe side effects, it can also potentially interrupt the natural healing process. Alcohol should be avoided until the regimen of antibiotics is completed and your body receives adequate rest and nutrition. However, if youre someone that suffers from alcoholism, this may be easier said than done. If you think that you may be addicted to alcohol, contact a treatment professional to get started on the road to recovery today.
Alcohol Consumption Can Affect Your Heart Health
Beyond the obvious connection between drinking and liver problems, alcohol can affect several other essential organsincluding your heart.
The NIAAA warns that people who drink regularly are more likely to experience cardiomyopathy , heart arrhythmias, stroke, and high blood pressure. Ultimately, these conditions can increase your risk of a heart attack.
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Can You Drink Alcohol After Getting A Covid
The purpose of COVID-19 vaccines is to help your immune system recognize the virus that causes COVID-19 as a foreign invader.
Its currently not entirely known how alcohol consumption affects your vaccine response. COVID-19 vaccines approved for emergency use in the United States had to go through rigorous clinical trials to assess their safety before the FDA authorized them. These trials did not examine whether alcohol affects vaccine effectiveness.
Its likely that drinking moderately in the days following your vaccine will not change its effectiveness.
Some early studies on macaques , rats, and people have found some evidence that moderate alcohol consumption is associated with improved cardiovascular health and possibly immune health. But much more research is needed to back these findings.
To be on the safe side, its probably best to either keep your alcohol consumption the same or reduce it for at least a few days after receiving your vaccine.
As reported by Reuters, a Russian health official released a warning in December 2020 that people receiving the Sputnik V COVID-19 vaccine should avoid alcohol for 2 weeks before their first injection and for 4 weeks after their second injection. The logic was that alcohol may reduce your ability to build immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19.
Everything You Need To Know About The Pneumonia Vaccine
During the winter months, many people think that they have a nasty cold or flu, but it turns out to be pneumonia an illness that can be life threatening in certain people. A vaccine can help lower your chance of contracting pneumonia. While the pneumonia vaccine does not prevent all cases of pneumonia, it reduces the severity of the disease.
That is especially important for older adults and if you have certain medical conditions that put you at greater risk for complications.
Now is the time to talk to your doctor about your risks and if you need a vaccine to protect you against pneumonia.
Niharika Juwarkar, MD, Internal Medicine with Firelands Physician Group, answers your most frequently asked questions about pneumonia and the risks.
What is pneumonia?
Pneumonia is a respiratory lung infection that is often mistaken for the flu. Your lungs become filled with fluid or pus that results in inflammation. Symptoms are very similar to the flu, but pneumonia can last for weeks and result in very serious complications.
While pneumonia can be caused by bacteria, viruses or fungi, most cases are due to a specific bacteria called streptococcus pneumoniae, more commonly known as pneumococcal pneumonia. This form can be treated with antibiotics. Your doctor can test to see what form of pneumonia you have. Treatment depends on the type of pneumonia you have and the severity of your symptoms. But, the best defense is vaccination.
Who is most at risk for pneumonia?
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Can You Drink Alcohol Before Or After Getting The Covid
This long year of lockdown is coming closer to an end: Scientists have done the unthinkable by developing a Covid-19 vaccine in less than a year. Before this, the quickest vaccine developed was for the mumpsand that took four years.
However, it will still be some time before we’re in the clear, thanks to vaccine shortages and limited appointments across the nation. In the meantime, it’s important to not only educate yourself on the vaccines available to you, but also how and if your lifestyle choices play a role in how effective the vaccine will be. And one question on people’s mind: Could alcohol interfere with the effectiveness of the vaccine?
You Should Be Focusing On Hydration Immediately After Your Vaccine
Instead, you should be focused on hydration after the vaccine. Experts warn that not being hydrated well enough after your vaccine can also make your side effects worse. “Inadequate hydration or, even worse, dehydration, can exacerbate the side effects of the vaccine,”Robert Quigley, MD, the SVP and regional medical director for International SOS Assistance and MedAire, told Bustle. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that you “drink plenty of fluids” if you’re experiencing discomfort from your vaccine side effectsespecially if you have a fever. And for more CDC guidance, The CDC Says Don’t Do This Until 4 Weeks After Getting Vaccinated.
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Can You Drink Alcohol On Antibiotics
- Terri-Ann Williams, Digital Health Reporter
- 8:40, 7 Jan 2022
IT’S a bummer if you’re prescribed antibiotics when you have a big night out on the cards.
Many people would have been warned by their doctor that drinking alcohol while on the medication could be risky.
But is it really true that you shouldn’t drink alcohol while on a course of the commonly used drug?
Around two thirds of adults in the UK say they drink on a regular basis.
So if you’re one of those, it’s handy to know the details of when you can and can’t get boozy while on antibiotics:
How The Pneumococcal Vaccine Works
Both types of pneumococcal vaccine encourage your body to produce antibodies against pneumococcal bacteria.
Antibodies are proteins produced by the body to neutralise or destroy disease-carrying organisms and toxins.
They protect you from becoming ill if you’re infected with the bacteria.
More than 90 different strains of the pneumococcal bacterium have been identified, although most of these strains do not cause serious infections.
The childhood vaccine protects against 13 strains of the pneumococcal bacterium, while the adult vaccine protects against 23 strains.
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Are There Any Serious Side Effects Or Risks
There are some serious but rare side effects that could happen if you mix alcohol and a corticosteroid like prednisone.
Corticosteroids can lower your bone mineral density a marker of bone health. Research has shown that chronic heavy alcohol use also causes your bone mineral density to go down. This can raise your risk for osteoporosis .
Additionally, alcohol can irritate your stomach lining and potentially result in bleeding. And corticosteroids, especially when taken with NSAIDs, can also put you at a higher risk of stomach bleeding which is serious. If you notice bloody or black, tarry stools, or blood in your vomit, get medical attention right away.
Watching Your Alcohol Intake During Covid
You’ll want to avoid heavy drinking or binge drinking for your overall health. But, Dr. Bhatt says, it’s especially important to watch your alcohol intake the week leading up to your first Covid-19 vaccine dose and a month after getting the second dose to be extra safe.
“Casual drinking won’t impact your reaction to the vaccine,” says Snell. “In fact, the participants for the vaccine trials were not asked to refrain from drinking as part of the study.” There is also no mention of avoiding alcohol on the Pfizer-BioNTech Covid-19 Vaccine fact sheet or the Moderna fact sheet.
The verdict? If you want to play it completely safe, steer clear of cocktails during your vaccination process. This will give your immune system the best chance to develop the antibodies you need to stay safe against Covid-19. For those who are otherwise healthy and look forward to a drink a few nights a week, you can say cheers to good health in 2021 with peace of mind.
Next, here are the vaccine myths you can ignore.
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How Does Alcohol Affect People With Inflammatory Conditions Being Treated With Corticosteroids
Inflammatory conditions may be treated with corticosteroids to help calm down an overactive immune system, especially with autoimmune disorders. As mentioned above, they work by suppressing your immune system, which helps alleviate symptoms like pain and swelling.
Commonly used corticosteroids include:
Lets start by reviewing how alcohol can affect a few chronic conditions treated with corticosteroids, including rheumatoid arthritis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease .
Alcohol And Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis
Some types of COVID-19 vaccines, such as Johnson & Johnson and AstraZeneca, have potentially been associated with a condition called cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in extremely rare cases. CVST is a blood clot in the sinuses of the brain.
In an , only 9 total cases of CVST had been recorded after nearly 200 million vaccines had been administered.
According to the Italian Society on Alcohol, alcohol is linked to negative platelet function that may increase the risk of coagulation disorders like CVST. Its possible that heavy drinking in combination with vaccination may contribute to the development of this rare complication, although future studies are needed to understand if this is indeed the case.
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Should Pneumococcal Vaccine Be Used For Alcohol Dependents
A dramatic rise in deaths from respiratory infections among alcoholics in the North East has led to calls for the introduction of a vaccine that has the potential to save lives.
Public health researchers at the University of Sunderland are recommending the Department of Health trials the use of the pneumococcal vaccine to treat people who are alcohol dependent as part of their prevention measures.
Alcoholism suppresses the immune system and is the most important risk factor for invasive pneumococcal disease, a serious and often life threatening infection.
Researchers argue that alcoholism should be considered an indicator condition for receiving the pneumococcal vaccine in the North East, alongside other at-risk groups including children under age two and adults over 65. The North East has the record highest rate of alcohol related deaths in England and the latest figures suggest nearly half a million adults in the North East are drinking enough alcohol to increase the health risks with the majority under-estimating their intake and most not aware of alcohol guidelines.The figures also show that it is not young people who are most likely to be drinking above the low risk guideline of 14 units per week but adults aged 45-54.
A re-think would represent a responsible evaluation of vaccination guidance and have the potential to save lives in a very marginalised and vulnerable section of the population.
It Can Also Cause Several Types Of Cancer
According to the National Institute of Health’s National Cancer Institute , alcohol consumption is associated with several types of cancer, including cancer of the esophagus, liver, breast, colon, and more. The National Toxicology Program of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has even identified alcohol as a known human carcinogen.
The NCI notes that there is sufficient evidence to indicate that the more alcohol a person drinks over time, the higher their risk of developing an alcohol-associated cancer. They estimate, based on data from 2009, that 3.5 percent of all cancer deaths in the U.S. resulted from alcohol consumptionall the more reason to drink responsibly and in moderation. And for more ways to protect yourself before getting your shot, If You Take This Common Medication, Talk to a Doctor Before Your Vaccine.
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