Can I drink tonight?!

July 16, 2005 3:39 AM

I was recently prescribed Tylenol 3 for post-surgery pain (ankle fracture)--I've really only needed it at night. The last time I took it was last night (Friday) at about 11:30 pm. I'm going to a wedding tonight. Do I need to worry about the interaction with alcohol even though my "last dose" will have been about 18 hours prior? In other words, can I drink at the wedding?!
posted by fabesfaves to Health & Fitness (10 answers total)

The acetomenophen component isn't that much of a worry because of the time factor and we're assuming that you don't regularly pound 'em with Tylenol in your blood.

I doubt the codeine will make much of a difference at that point, either. If you feel drowsy, stop drinking and get some coffee. The narcotics/alcohol connection is mostly a worry that your body will be so full of system depressants that you'll shut down.

Someone is going to come in here and suggest that you shouldn't drink at all if you've ever been within 5 feet of an aceptomenophen caplet-- or else your liver will burst into flames. They're full of it.
posted by Mayor Curley at 3:58 AM on July 16, 2005

Mayor Curley is right, your liver will not explode, your brain will not burst and your lungs will not collapse--if you have been taking the medication as prescribed and leave a reasonable time for clearance I can not imagine there would be a problem--assuming in all cases that you drink in moderation (2-3 drinks over several hours) and you are not BSing your self about the amount of codeine you have been taking--enjoy the wedding--you are probably at more risk of reinjuring you ankle during the festivities that requiring CPR
posted by rmhsinc at 4:08 AM on July 16, 2005

I've used Gosling's to wash down Tylenol 3 on at least one occasion that I can remember. On an empty stomach. don't ask With no ill effects or damage. I wouldn't make a hobby of it, but once isn't going to kill you... unless you have a pre-existing liver condition or something like that.
posted by Grod at 4:15 AM on July 16, 2005

I wouldn't drink (more than the toast) for a couple of different reasons. First, you're more likely to fuck up your ankle some more if you're tipsy. Second, if you need the T3 at night, you might well want it tonight when you get home from the wedding. It would be really annoying to have to wait until you've fully sobered up, or to have a brain-fart and take the T3 on a belly full of booze.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 5:58 AM on July 16, 2005

Although it is medically fine to take it in the time that you're talking about, ROU raises some good reasons to perhaps limit your drinking.
posted by OmieWise at 6:01 AM on July 16, 2005

i thought getting drunk was a pretty good painkiller itself, so i'm not sure ROU's advice applies as strongly as the argument suggests.

(this is based on drawings of medieval surgery practices, and an old mate of mine who fell over as we were coming back from the pub one night and woke up next day to discover he'd broken his arm. david lowe, where are you now?)
posted by andrew cooke at 6:03 AM on July 16, 2005

Response by poster: Thanks for all the suggestions so far--ROU--I wasn't going to drink more than 1 or 2 drinks. Trust me, it's hard enough getting around on crutches sober. I just meant a drink with dinner, or whatever.
posted by fabesfaves at 6:38 AM on July 16, 2005

If I took codeine, I wouldn't worry about drinking 18 hours later. What *you* do is up to you, though.

The interaction between acetaminophen and ethanol is much more dangerous, actually. Acetaminophen and ethanol are metabolized by the microsomal oxidizing system in your liver; when that system is saturated by ethanol, acetaminophen finds a different pathway, metabolizing into something my pharm teacher called only by the ominous name NAPQI. This stuff is apparently a potent liver toxin.

However, after 18 hours acetaminophen will be gone, and it takes a lot of alcohol to saturate the MEOS, so that's not something I'd worry about in that setting either.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:36 AM on July 16, 2005

You'll be fine. I take coedeine and drink all the time. It enhances the buzz.
posted by nyxxxx at 10:23 AM on July 16, 2005

david lowe, where are you now?

David Lowe is a computer vision researcher of considerable renown.
posted by tss at 8:44 PM on July 16, 2005