What is dayquil?
Dayquil is a medicine that helps in relieving and healing the symptoms of cold and flu such as headache, sore throat, fever, pain and aches. But as medicines are made up of many ingredients, dayquil is also made up of compositions which have some side effects on substances including alcohol.
The products of dayquil are composed of various compositions. Drugs that are especially not safe to use with alcohol are
- Acetaminophen, and
- Dextromethorphan
Therefore, people with alcohol addiction should avoid taking medicines containing the drug acetaminophen and dextromethorphan i.e., dayquil and alcohol side effects.
Acetaminophen dangers
Acetaminophen is sold under the brand name Tylenol. It is an effective pain reliever and helps in reducing fever but can also be toxic to our liver. Its overdose can lead to liver failure. Taking acetaminophen while consuming alcohol can increase the chances of liver damage and failure. While the body starts breaking down Acetaminophen and is metabolized by the live, it is broken down into several substances most of which is passed down by the urine. But the substance NAPQI hits hard on liver and badly affects it. Therefore, it is preferred not to take acetaminophen when consuming alcohol.
Symptoms of Acetaminophen are:
- Nausea
- Fatigue
- Vomiting
- Abdominal pain
- Diarrhea
- Sweating
- Coma
- Loss of appetite
- Malaise
- Yellow of the skin and eyes
A drug called N- acetylcysteine can help in preventing liver damage.
Danger of dextromethorphan
Dextromethorphan is an ingredient found in dayquill that helps in suppressing cough. It is also very dangerous when combined with alcohol. Side effects of dextromethorphan include lightheadedness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, dizziness which is worsened if alcohol consumption is combined with dextromethorphan.
Robotripping and skittling are the slang terms used for the excessively abusive use of cough medicines.
Overdose of dextromethorphan or dxm can cause euphoria and trigger visual and auditory hallucinations and its intoxication can result in hyperexcitability, lethargy uncoordinated moves, sweating, slurred speech and high blood pressure. It can also badly affect liver and cause liver damage. A person can also experience slow breathing.