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Lisinopril and Alcohol Interaction: Can You Drink Alcohol with Lisinopril?

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Author: Thomas Roth

Last Updated: 10/06/2022

Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor, which is designed to treat heart conditions. The medication is used to treat high blood pressure, heart failure, and other heart problems. In some cases, lisinopril is used to reduce the risk of death in the event of a heart attack.

If you’re taking lisinopril it’s always a good idea to avoid alcohol. Alcohol causes changes in blood pressure that make the medication less effective. Mixing alcohol and lisinopril may also result in death or alcohol poisoning due to more severe intoxication.

Furthermore, lisinopril may reduce the risk of death after someone has recovered from a heart attack. Lisinopril requires a prescription from a doctor and is not available over the counter (OTC).

What are the Effects of Mixing Alcohol and Lisinopril?

Mixing alcohol and lisinopril has effects that can negatively impact your health. Lisinopril is a medication that aids your heart, so combining the substances can cause changes to your heart. Alcohol and lisinopril are also known to cause changes to other areas of the body, so mixing the substances in large quantities should be avoided. That said, mixing small amounts of alcohol and lisinopril is commonly safe as long as you’re not binge drinking.

Does Lisinopril Affect the Taste of Alcohol?

No, Lisinopril does not affect the taste of alcohol. While it can impact the taste if you use the medication before sipping alcohol, this does not last long. After a few moments, Lisinopril will no longer have a taste in your mouth. Therefore, it won’t change the way an alcoholic beverage tastes.

Does Lisinopril Affect the Effect of Alcohol?

Yes, lisinopril affects the effect of alcohol. In fact, doctors recommend not consuming alcohol until you understand how the medication interacts with your body. Because lisinopril and alcohol both impact blood pressure, combining the substances can make alcohol feel more intoxicating.

Furthermore, lisinopril makes alcohol feel more intoxicating and can cause dizziness, drowsiness, and other ailments. Ultimately, mixing alcohol and Lisinopril increases the risks of alcohol poisoning and makes intoxication more intense.

Still, if you only have one or two alcoholic beverages when taking Lisinopril there aren’t many risks.

Does Lisinopril Affect Alcohol Intolerance?

Lisinopril does not affect alcohol intolerance. That said, alcohol tolerance changes when taking lisinopril because of how alcohol interacts with blood pressure. Because lisinopril and alcohol interact with blood pressure, the combination can make alcohol feel more intoxicating.

The result of mixing alcohol and Lisinopril is often dizziness, fainting, confusion, and other systems. While lisinopril does not affect alcohol intolerance, it does impact alcohol tolerance and makes it lower.

For people who have alcohol intolerance, this makes the combination of alcohol and Lisinopril even worse. In people with alcohol intolerance, the combination of alcohol and Lisinopril becomes deadly.

Does lisinopril Affect Blood Pressure?

Lisinopril does affect blood pressure. The medication works by blocking substances in the body that cause blood vessels to become tight. In the process, this lowers blood pressure.

When lisinopril lowers blood pressure in these ways, it increases the amount of blood that reaches the heart. Blood reaching the heart is important for patients with heart failure and other heart conditions because it gives the heart more blood and oxygen. Therefore, lisinopril lowers blood pressure.

Can Mixture of Alcohol and Lisinopril Lead to Death?

Yes, mixing alcohol and lisinopril can lead to death. If large quantities of alcohol and lisinopril are consumed, the changes in blood pressure can lead to death. Death typically occurs by loss of consciousness, coma, or heart failure.

While mixing small amounts of lisinopril and alcohol is not typically dangerous, consuming high doses of each substance can be deadly. Individuals who have blood pressure problems have a higher risk of diening when mixing alcohol and Lisinopril.

Overall, alcohol-related death becomes more likely when mixing alcohol with any medication.

Who should not Take Alcohol and Lisinopril?

Lisinopril is an effective medication that opens blood vessels and lowers blood pressure to treat heart conditions. Still, lisinopril has side effects and can be dangerous for some people. Below are some of the groups that should not take alcohol and lisinopril.

  • People who have taken sacubitril
  • History of angioedema
  • Allergic reactions to ACE inhibitors (moexipril, captopril, ramipril)
  • Low amounts of sodium in the blood
  • Low white blood cell count
  • Episodes of swelling
  • High levels of potassium
  • inappropriate antidiuretic hormone syndrome

People in these groups should not combine alcohol and lisinopril. In fact, combining alcohol and lisinopril is dangerous for anyone who takes the medication because of how it changes blood pressure.

Can I Take Lisinopril with Alcohol While Pregnant?

No, you can’t take lisinopril with alcohol while pregnant. Nobody who is pregnant should consume alcohol because it can lead to medical complications. Some of these complications include fetal alcohol syndrome, changes in infant brain size, premature birth, and even increase the chance of a miscarriage. For these reasons, you can’t take lisinopril with alcohol during pregnancy.

When pregnant, lisinopril also has risks. Lisinopril causes changes to blood pressure that result in harm to the fetus. Keep in mind that this doesn’t always occur and interactions vary depending on the person.

Before taking the medication during pregnancy always consult with your doctor.

Are all Types of Alcohol Harmful with Lisinopril?

All types of alcohol are harmful to take with lisinopril. While alcohol and lisinopril are not harmful in small quantities, large amounts of alcohol and lisinopril can result in dangerous side effects. These side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, and even death.

Some types of alcohol are more dangerous than others depending on the alcohol percentage. For example, beer and wine are safer to consume with lisinopril than liquor because beer and wine are not as strong.

That said, we recommend against consuming alcohol with lisinopril in any amount. Even low dosages result in adverse effects in some individuals.

How Much Lisinopril can be Dangerous to Take with Alcohol?

Lisinopril is dangerous to take with alcohol in any amount, so even 5 milligrams of lisinopril may cause adverse effects. Even small doses of alcohol and lisinopril can make changes to blood pressure that result in dizziness, drowsiness, and even confusion.

That said, some doses are more likely to cause side effects than others. Plus, lisinopril is safe to take with alcohol in most cases as long as the doses of alcohol and lisinopril are low. On the other hand, a high dose of lisinopril like 10 milligrams can cause significant changes in blood pressure and cause side effects.

Does Alcohol Affect How Well Lisinopril will Work?

Yes, alcohol can affect how well lisinopril will work. While it doesn’t have a drastic impact on the medication, consuming large amounts of alcohol can raise blood pressure. When this occurs, people taking lisinopril become more at risk of falling, dizziness, and more.

Furthermore, mixing the substances can reduce the effectiveness of lisinopril. Both substances are processed in the liver and the body prioritizes alcohol, so lisinopril doesn’t work as quickly. Therefore, consuming alcohol with lisinopril daily is not recommended.

How Long After Taking Lisinopril can You Drink Alcohol?

You can have a few drinks every once in a while when taking lisinopril. That said, once you stop taking the medication there is a period you should wait before consuming more alcohol.

Lisinopril stays in the body for between 12 and 20 hours; this is its half-life. If you want to be safe, you should wait until the medication is out of your system. So, you can consume alcohol after about 20 hours after taking lisinopril. Following this method ensures that you’ve given your body enough time to remove lisinopril from your blood.

What Are Other Drugs That Are Dangerous To Use with Alcohol?

Many drugs are dangerous to take with alcohol because alcohol interacts with many organs in the body. Taking some drugs with alcohol can also increase the risk of overdose and death. Below are some other drugs that are dangerous to take with alcohol.

These are only a handful of drugs that are dangerous to mix with alcohol. Always consult with a medical health professional before mixing alcohol with medications. There are hundreds of medications that are dangerous to take with alcohol.