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Nearly 42% of Americans who drink also use alcohol-interactive drugs
Almost 42% of American adults who drink alcohol also report using alcohol-interactive prescription medications, according to a recent NIH study.
Moreover, nearly 78% of adult drinkers aged 65 and older report using alcohol-interactive medications, according to researchers.
“Combining alcohol with medications often carries the potential for serious health risks,” George Koob, MD, director of the NIH’s National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), said in a press release. “Based on this study, many individuals may be mixing alcohol with interactive medications, and they should be aware of the possible harms.”
In the study, Rosalind Breslow, PhD, an epidemiologist at the NIAAA’s Division of Epidemiology and Prevention Research, and colleagues collected data on 26,657 adult participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1999 and 2010. Patients identified for inclusion were at least 20 years of age, and had responded to questions pertaining to alcohol consumption within the past year and prescription medication use within the past month. Researchers adjusted the analyses for age, race/ethnicity, education, marital status and smoking status and used statistical methods to adjust for survey stratification, clustering and nonresponse.
The unadjusted analysis revealed a total 42.8% (95% CI, 41.5-44.0) prevalence of alcohol-interactive medication use. Adjusted prevalence among current alcohol drinkers was 41.5% (95% CI, 40.3-42.7). The total unadjusted prevalence of alcohol-interactive medications was 78.6% (95% CI, 77.3-79.9) among participants aged 65 years and older, and the adjusted prevalence among drinkers was 77.8% (95% CI, 75.7-79.7).
Cardiovascular agents, pain medications, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, diabetes and cholesterol agents, antidepressants and antipsychotic medications were among those alcohol-interactive medications used concomitantly with alcohol consumption.
According to Breslow, these findings only indicate potential rates, since it could not be confirmed that alcohol and alcohol-interactive medications were being used concomitantly. It is likely, however, that among the estimated 71% of Americans who drink, regular alcohol consumption and regular medication use overlap to some degree.
“Our findings show that a substantial percentage of people who drink regularly, particularly older adults, could be at risk of harmful alcohol and medication interactions,” Breslow said in the press release. “We suggest that people talk to their doctor or pharmacist about whether they should avoid alcohol while taking their prescribed medications.”
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.