Patients are nervous about asking me when they can drink alcohol after surgery. Alcohol has many effects on your surgery, including scarring, infection risk, and heart problems. When alcohol after surgery is safe depends on many factors. Show
Alcohol can make your recovery longer, and more dangerous, after surgery. Learn when it's safe to drink again. First, why is alcohol so dangerous around surgery?Alcohol effects the entire human body, including:
See my article on alcohol before surgery to learn about when to stop drinking before surgery. Also check out my article on marijuana before surgery (there's lots of cross use). Dangers of alcohol after surgery depend on your type of surgeryMinor surgeries affect the body very differently than major surgeries. For example, alcohol use after surgery with minimal sedation (like a dermatology surgery) is typically safer. Here's why: Minor surgery:
Always ask your doctor or surgeon when it is safe to drink alcohol after surgery. In general, you can drink alcohol the following day after minor surgery. In small operations, alcohol does not have a significant impact on your recovery. The lethal triad of pain medications, alcohol, and anxiety medications is serious.Why alcohol is dangerous after larger surgeriesLarger surgeries involve anesthesia, larger surgical incisions, and pain medication. Alcohol has serious interactions with these surgeries. Even though ethanol (alcohol) was used in ancient times for anesthesia, it was very dangerous! (1) The lethal combinationMy main concern for patients is the lethal combination:
Famous celebrities have died from similar drug cocktails. I never want to see this in a patient after surgery. (2) Bleeding riskAlcohol can predispose to easy bleeding after surgery. This can increase the risk of surgical bleeding, a serious complication. No one wants to have a second operation to fix preventable bleeding complications. (3) Infection riskAlcohol can weaken the immune system. This can be harmful after surgery because your body needs the immune system to fight infection in your fresh surgical wounds. Alcohol's effects on your lungs can also predispose you to pneumonia after surgery. Unfortunately, general anesthesia also predisposes your lungs to infections like pneumonia. This is like a double hit to your lungs. (4) Wound healing and scarsAlcohol can disrupt you body's ability to heal wounds. Poor wound healing can lead to unsightly scars. This is all the more important for scars in visible places. Think plastic or cosmetic surgery, or abdominal surgery. Alcohol may also worsen swelling after surgery. When to resume alcohol after surgeryAlways ask your doctor when it is safe to drink alcohol after your specific operation. Given alcohol's effects on scarring and infection, you want to wait until your body is done healing. You also never want to mix alcohol with pain medication as it can be lethal. Some patients may use alcohol for anxiety. It's important to control anxiety after surgery, but there are much safer alternatives to alcohol, especially around surgery. This timing usually comes to 1-2 weeks, but it may be longer depending on your type of surgery. Please be safe after your surgery! ReferencesSpies C, Tønnesen H, Andreasson S, Helander A, Conigrave K. Perioperative morbidity and mortality in chronic alcoholic patients, Alcohol Clin Exp Res, 2001, vol. 25 (pg. 164S-70S) Zevin S, Benowitz NL. Drug interactions with tobacco smoking. An update, Clin Pharmacokinet, 1999, vol. 36 (pg. 425-38) Tonnesen H. Alcohol abuse and postoperative morbidity, Dan Med Bull, 2003, vol. 50 (pg. 139-60) H. Tønnesen, et al. Smoking and alcohol intervention before surgery: evidence for best practice, BJA: British Journal of Anaesthesia, Volume 102, Issue 3, March 2009, Pages 297–306 Visit Dr. Kaveh in San Francisco to experience how psychedelic medicine can help you overcome depression, anxiety, addiction, and chronic pain. You can also book Dr. Kaveh to speak to inspire your association or organization. And follow his YouTube and TikTok for more medical secrets! Sign up below to keep up with new blog posts! Share on PinterestJustin Case / Getty Images Alcohol before surgery? It’s absolutely not worth the risk to your health — or your life. Drinking alcohol before surgery is taking a major risk. For your own safety and well-being, it’s best to avoid alcohol for at least 48 hours before your scheduled surgery. Alcohol consumption can lead to serious complications both during and after the procedure. It can lead to a longer hospital stay and longer overall recovery time. In some cases, it can jeopardize your life. Let’s take a look at how alcohol affects the body, what this means if you need surgery, and what you can do in advance of your procedure. Surgical complications are more likely if you have an alcohol use disorder. But even one incidence of binge drinking or a single presurgery drink can cause trouble. Problems with anesthesiaGeneral anesthesia involves powerful drugs that suppress functions such as breathing, heart rate, and blood circulation. Alcohol affects the same body systems. All these substances must be metabolized in the liver, which may not be able to keep up. In addition, both anesthesia and alcohol can cause nausea and vomiting. This may increase your risk of aspiration (inhaling vomit), which can be potentially fatal. The anesthesiologist may need to adjust the dosage if you have alcohol in your system or in the case of chronic alcohol use. If a higher dose of anesthesia is needed, it can increase the risk of cardiac events, especially if you already have heart problems. The anesthesiologist will carefully monitor your vital signs and make adjustments with that in mind. Increased bleedingAny surgery involves a certain amount of bleeding. The body responds by clotting to stop blood loss. Alcohol can thin the blood and interfere with this process, raising the risk of uncontrolled bleeding. This effect is magnified if you also take blood-thinning medications or have a clotting disorder, such as hemophilia. Alcohol consumption increases the risks of postoperative complications, admission to intensive care units, and death. Interferes with medicationsAlcohol can interact with medications you’re given just before, during, and immediately following surgery. This can result in a bad reaction or cause some drugs to be less effective. This could be a problem if you need pain medications, sedatives, or other medications. Bleeding, infection, sepsisAlcohol use increases the incidence of postoperative bleeding. It also raises the chances of infection of the surgical site, in the respiratory system, or in the urinary tract. A poor immune response to infection can lead to sepsis and septic shock, a potentially life threatening condition. Delayed healing, longer recoveryIf you lost a lot of blood during surgery, you may require a blood transfusion. This can add to recovery time. Slowed clotting can also delay healing of surgical wounds. Total recovery time may be increased if you had alcohol-related complications during the procedure. Alcohol can cause problems with the liver, pancreas, and nervous system, which can also make it harder to recover. Alcohol use is an independent risk factor for acute confusion or delirium following surgery. Cardiopulmonary complicationsAlcohol affects the heart and lungs. Chronic alcohol use disorder or even a single occasion of binge drinking can leave you dehydrated. It can also cause: Any of these conditions will complicate your recovery from surgery. Alcohol and bariatric surgeryIf you’re planning to have bariatric surgery, be sure to discuss alcohol with your doctor well in advance. You’ll want to talk about how much you currently drink and what you can expect if you continue to drink after the surgery. A 2018 systematic review and meta-analysis concluded that there’s a significant increase in alcohol use disorder 2 years after gastric bypass surgery. This wasn’t the case for those who underwent gastric banding. One reason for this may be that bypass surgery changes the way your body metabolizes alcohol. When it comes to alcohol and surgery, what your doctors don’t know can hurt you. The single most important thing you can do is to be completely open about your alcohol use. This is true if you had one drink the night before surgery, recently binged, or if you’re alcohol dependent. This discussion could save your life. Follow all presurgery instructions regarding food, alcohol, and medications. If you’re a heavy drinker, begin tapering off as soon as the option of surgery is on the table. Talk with your doctor if you don’t think you can do this safely. If your body is dependent on alcohol, stopping abruptly can lead to alcohol withdrawal syndrome. Symptoms can occur up to 5 days after your last drink but typically develop within 6 to 24 hours. They can include:
Withdrawal symptoms can make surgery and recovery very dangerous. Arm your doctors with information they need in advance. This will help them determine what steps are necessary to provide you with the safest possible surgery. Steps may include:
Discussions about alcohol use will be kept confidential with your doctor. No matter what type of surgery you’re having, there’s some measure of risk. Drinking alcohol before surgery or not informing your surgeon that you have an alcohol use disorder only adds to that risk. But what about just one little drink? Well, any amount of alcohol before surgery can be dangerous, and it’s just not worth taking the risk. Thus, you absolutely shouldn’t drink alcohol before surgery. It’s a good idea to stop drinking at least 48 hours prior to surgery. It’s even better if you can stop a week or two earlier than that. Make it a point to speak with your doctors about alcohol before surgery. This important information will help them determine how to promote a positive outcome for you. |