Ask a doctor on the topic of General medicine

Paracetamol and alcohol

September 10, 2013 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

I am a pain patient and my doctor has prescribed me 500mg of Paracetamol twice a day for long-term use due to a herniated disc. I am female, 173cm tall and weigh 70kg. Now I drink one to two beers daily. Is this dangerous?

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Good evening,

Since paracetamol is metabolized by the liver, combining it with alcohol is actually not a good idea.

By the way, for us women, beer alone in an amount exceeding 0.2 ml per day (which it does if you have two and then drink more on the weekends), is already damaging to the liver! We tolerate much less alcohol than men; unfortunately.

Therefore, it would be advisable to completely avoid beer during the week, and enjoy it even more on the weekends.

Best regards, Dr. Höllering, specialist in internal and general medicine