4 in 10 drinkers mix with medication, NIH study finds

A “substantial percentage” of people who drink alcohol regularly also take medications that could pose dangerous health risks, a new governmental study has found.

About 42 percent of drinkers report taking medications “known to interact with alcohol,” according to a study by the National Institutes of Health.

Older adults are particularly at risk, the study found. Nearly 80 percent of people over the age of 65 reported taking medications while drinking.

“Combining alcohol with medications often carries the potential for serious health risks,” said Dr. George Koob, who directors the NIH’s program on alcohol abuse.

Drinking while taking the medications can cause mild effects such as nausea and headaches but also more severe side effects, such as internal bleeding or heart problems.

Many of the drugs are widely used to treat common conditions such as depression or high blood pressure.

The study, which is the first among the first to specifically examine medication use with alcohol, included data from 26,000 adults aged 20 and older.