Drug & supplement interaction

Beer + Acetaminophen, Aspirin

Acetaminophen, Aspirin brand name: Gemnisyn.

Major Interaction
The bottom line Major

Acetaminophen, Aspirin falls into 3 drug categories that Beer can interact with; the most serious is rated major. Concomitant use may increase the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMajor
LikelihoodProbable
Interactions3
EvidenceC
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Beer and Acetaminophen, Aspirin

These two interact in 3 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 3 Interactions?

Beer interacts with whole categories of medication. Acetaminophen, Aspirin falls into 3 of those categories, so it can interact with Beer in 3 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Major).

Major

NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS (NSAIDs)

1 of 3

Why this applies to Acetaminophen, Aspirin

Acetaminophen, Aspirin falls under NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS (NSAIDs) — the group Beer interacts with.

Concomitant use may increase the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.
Concomitant use of NSAIDs with alcohol can increase the risk of GI bleeding.
Severity Major Likelihood Probable Evidence C

Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Gemnisyn combines two pain relievers, and the aspirin part is the one to watch here. Aspirin is hard on the stomach lining and it also thins the blood a bit, which makes the stomach more likely to bleed. When you add beer, the alcohol irritates that same lining, so the two together raise your risk of stomach bleeding more than either one alone.

Warning signs to know include stomach pain, black or tarry stools, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, or feeling unusually weak or dizzy. There's also a separate concern: the acetaminophen part can stress the liver, and regular drinking adds to that load. None of this means you must stop your medicine. Please check in with your pharmacist or doctor about how much, if any, alcohol is okay for you.

References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
Major

HEPATOTOXIC DRUGS

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Acetaminophen, Aspirin also falls under HEPATOTOXIC DRUGS.

Concomitant use of alcohol with hepatotoxic drugs may increase the risk of hepatotoxicity.
Concomitant use of excessive amounts of alcohol with potentially hepatotoxic drugs can increase the risk of liver damage.
Severity Major Likelihood Probable Evidence B

Interaction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports..

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Gemnisyn combines acetaminophen and aspirin, and the bigger concern with beer here is the acetaminophen side. Your liver breaks acetaminophen down, and one of those pathways makes a small amount of a toxic byproduct that your body normally mops up. Regular or heavy drinking can tip that balance and make liver injury more likely, especially at higher acetaminophen doses or over time.

The aspirin piece adds its own worry: alcohol and aspirin together can irritate the stomach lining and raise the chance of stomach bleeding or ulcers. An occasional single beer with a normal dose is usually low risk, but pairing this drug with frequent or heavy drinking is where trouble shows up. If you drink regularly, please check with your pharmacist or doctor first.

References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
  2. Thummel, K. E., Slattery, J. T., Ro, H., Chien, J. Y., Nelson, S. D., Lown, K. E., and Watkins, P. B. Ethanol and production of the hepatotoxic metabolite of acetaminophen in healthy adults. Clin Pharmacol Ther 2000;67(6):591-599. PubMed
Moderate

ASPIRIN

3 of 3

Acetaminophen, Aspirin also falls under ASPIRIN.

Concomitant use may increase the risk of gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding.
Concomitant use of aspirin with alcohol can increase the risk of GI bleeding. Conversely, some clinical research suggests that beer can significantly decrease the area under the curve (AUC) and maximum plasma concentration of aspirin, indicating decreased bioavailability.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence B

Interaction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS
Dr. Brian Staiger explains PharmD, Clinical Pharmacist

Gemnisyn combines acetaminophen with aspirin, and the big concern with beer here is the aspirin half. Aspirin can be rough on your stomach lining, and so can alcohol. Put them together regularly and you raise the odds of stomach irritation and bleeding, things like stomach pain, dark or tarry stools, or even vomiting that looks like coffee grounds. There's also a quieter worry: heavy or frequent drinking plus the acetaminophen in this product can stress the liver over time.

One study suggested beer may actually lower how much aspirin your body absorbs, but that doesn't cancel out the bleeding risk. The evidence is only moderate, so an occasional drink isn't an emergency, but it's worth running your drinking habits by your pharmacist or doctor.

References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
  2. Odou, P., Barthelemy, C., and Robert, H. Influence of seven beverages on salicylate disposition in humans. J Clin Pharm Ther 2001;26(3):187-193. PubMed

What These Ratings Mean

Every interaction above is graded three ways — here’s the key to each label.

Severity how clinically significant the interaction is
Major

Clinically significant. Avoid the combination, or use only under close professional supervision.

Moderate

Usually worth avoiding or managing — may need monitoring, a dose change, or timing apart.

Minor

Generally not serious. Be aware of it and mention it to your pharmacist.

Likelihood how strong the evidence is that the interaction actually happens in people
  • LikelyWell-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.
  • ProbableInteraction has not been documented in well-controlled studies, however, the interaction has been demonstrated in some small human studies or in controlled animal studies in conjunction with multiple case reports.
  • PossibleInteraction has been documented in animal or in lab research, or the interaction has been documented in humans but is limited to case reports or conflicting clinical research exists.
  • UnlikelyInteraction has been demonstrated in animal or in lab research but has been shown not to occur in humans.
Evidence the quality of the studies behind the rating (graded A–D)
  • AHigh-quality meta-analysis (quantitative systematic review).
  • BCase-control study.
  • CConsensus.
  • DAnecdotal evidence.

These ratings are for information only. Never start, stop, or otherwise change your therapy before speaking with your provider.

Keep it in perspective

Beer Also Interacts With Other Medications

Beer has 653 major, 272 moderate known drug interactions in our database — the Acetaminophen, Aspirin one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Taking anything else?

Check Another of Your Medications Against Beer

Covers the 2,830 medications we’ve checked against Beer. Pick one to open its full report.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Acetaminophen, Aspirin

This page covers Beer only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Acetaminophen, Aspirin page lists 321 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: Activated Charcoal (major), Asarabacca (major), Danshen (major), Piracetam (major) and Siberian Cocklebur (major).

By severity: 7 major · 270 moderate · 44 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Acetaminophen, Aspirin page

“Acetaminophen with aspirin (Gemnisyn) is the kind of pain reliever people take without a second thought, which is exactly why its interaction list deserves genuine care. More than 200 of the 321 ingredients on file thin the blood in some way, and layered on top of aspirin that means a higher chance of bleeding, especially in the stomach.”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Acetaminophen, Aspirin interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Beer and Acetaminophen, Aspirin Sit Against Everything Else

Out of every supplement and medication people look up on HelloPharmacist, here is where these two land this week — and which way each has been moving.

Supplement Beer
Top 25%

#330 of 1,452 supplements looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today
Medication Acetaminophen, Aspirin
Top 25%

#345 of 2,830 medications looked up here in the last 7 days

29 days ago today

Position among everything looked up on this site, not a measure of how commonly either one is used or how important it is. A supplement can climb this list because of a news story. It counts every request to the page, automated ones included, and nothing here identifies anyone.

Supplement

About Beer

What is Beer?

Beer
  • Social and recreational drinking
  • Relaxation
  • Heart health (popular belief)
  • Bone health (popular belief)
  • Source of antioxidants and B vitamins

Beer is an alcoholic beverage that contains some minerals, B vitamins, and plant compounds from hops and grain, but it is not a health supplement. Any possible benefits come only from light-to-moderate intake, and they are easily outweighed by the well-known harms of alcohol. The safest amount of alcohol for health is none, and beer should be avoided in pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Read the full Beer monograph & all interactions
Keep checking

Other Drugs & Beer

Browse every other medication we’ve checked against Beer — both the ones with a known interaction and the ones without. Select any drug for the full detail.

653Major
272Moderate
0Minor
1,904No known interaction
Major

653 interactions

Showing 60 of 653 major interactions — see all 653 on the Beer page.

Moderate

272 interactions

Showing 60 of 272 moderate interactions — see all 272 on the Beer page.

No interaction 1,904 drugs checked — show the list
Sources

Sources & How We Checked

Interaction details are evidence-graded and sourced from the Natural Medicines database. The medication overview comes from MedlinePlus.

Content is written and reviewed by licensed HelloPharmacist pharmacists. See our data sources and editorial standards for how this information is built and checked.

Parts of this content are provided by the Therapeutic Research Center, LLC.

DISCLAIMER: Currently this does not check for drug-drug interactions. This is not an all-inclusive comprehensive list of potential interactions and is for informational purposes only. Not all interactions are known or well-reported in the scientific literature, and new interactions are continually being reported. Input is needed from a qualified healthcare provider including a pharmacist before starting any therapy. Application of clinical judgment is necessary.

© 2021 Therapeutic Research Center, LLC

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Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Beer and Acetaminophen, Aspirin Together: Common Questions

Can you take Beer with Acetaminophen, Aspirin?
This is rated a major interaction, so the combination is best avoided unless your doctor or pharmacist has specifically told you otherwise. Read the full details on this page and confirm with your pharmacist before combining them.
Why are there 3 interactions listed for Beer and Acetaminophen, Aspirin?
Acetaminophen, Aspirin belongs to more than one drug category, and Beer interacts with each of those categories a little differently. We list every one so nothing is missed — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them.
How serious is the Beer and Acetaminophen, Aspirin interaction?
We rate it Major. This is a clinically significant combination that is generally best avoided, or used only under the direct supervision of your physician or pharmacist.

Written and reviewed by the HelloPharmacist editorial staff. Our editorial policy

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This information is for education only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always check with your pharmacist or doctor before starting, stopping, or combining supplements and medications.