What are the Effects of Mixing Codeine and Alcohol?

Interactions Between Codeine and Alcohol

Various essential elements of your body could be fatally impaired by codeine and alcohol, respectively. Those hazards are much more dangerous when you use the substances in conjunction with each other. 

One cause is that alcohol makes painkillers more dangerous because it could lead to a quicker release of the drug. However, many drugs like codeine come in a form that offers the option for slow release. 

The idea is that you take the drug, and it operates on your body over a long period of time. Those pills tend to have high doses in each pill, though. That dose is regulated by the extension of the release. 

When you drink alcohol along with these drugs, it might accelerate that release and send toxic levels of codeine into your blood at one time. 

Long-Term Harm from Codeine and Alcohol

Codeine and alcohol both suppress the central nervous system to some degree. However, depending on who you are and how much of each respective substance you take, the effects on your central nervous system will vary. 

The central nervous system controls a large amount of the essential functions of our bodies—things like balance, thinking, respiratory function, digestion, and almost everything else you can imagine. The central nervous consists of the brain and the spinal cord, so most other bodily functions send messages to or are directed by the central nervous system. 

As a result, alcohol and codeine lead to systematically shutting off various essential parts of your body. Because both substances produce a similar effect, there’s a compounding effect that happens when you use them simultaneously. 

So, some people might use these drugs together to amplify their high. As the mental effect gets more intense, though, the potential risk grows as well. It is possible to have a fatal combination of alcohol and codeine that leads to an overdose. 

At the very least, the combination will make you very sleepy and impair your judgment significantly. That can lead you into dangerous situations. If you use enough of the two drugs together, though, you could vomit in your sleep without a central nervous system that produces a gag response. 

Want to Learn More about Drug Interactions?

Combining codeine and alcohol is very dangerous. In fact, mixing alcohol with most painkillers poses the chance for an overdose. There’s a lot to learn if you want to know how to drink responsibly. 

We’re here to help. Please explore our site for more ideas on drug interactions, sobriety, and options for recovery. 

Sources

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-central-nervous-system-2794981

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/gag-reflex