Drug & supplement interaction

Beer + Acetazolamide

Acetazolamide brand names: Diamox, Ak-Zol.

Major Interaction
Medically reviewed by · Updated September 2026
The bottom line Major

Acetazolamide falls into 2 drug categories that Beer can interact with; the most serious is rated major. Concomitant use may increase sedative and other adverse effects.

Read the full interaction report
SeverityMajor
LikelihoodLikely
Interactions2
EvidenceC
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Beer and Acetazolamide

These two interact in 2 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 2 Interactions?

Beer interacts with whole categories of medication. Acetazolamide falls into 2 of those categories, so it can interact with Beer in 2 different ways. We’ve listed each one below — your overall risk is driven by the most serious of them (Major).

Major

CNS DEPRESSANTS

1 of 2

Why this applies to Acetazolamide

Acetazolamide falls under CNS DEPRESSANTS — the group Beer interacts with.

Concomitant use may increase sedative and other adverse effects.
Concomitant use of alcohol with CNS depressants can increase sedative and other adverse effects, potentially through inhibition of the metabolism of certain CNS depressants.
Severity Major Likelihood Likely Evidence C

Well-controlled human studies have demonstrated the likely existence of this interaction.

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

Here's the thing about mixing beer with acetazolamide (Diamox): both can leave you feeling drowsy, lightheaded, or foggy, so putting them together tends to stack those effects. You may notice more dizziness, tiredness, or trouble concentrating than you'd expect from either one alone. Acetazolamide already commonly causes a tingling feeling in the hands and feet, fatigue, and frequent urination, and alcohol can make that washed-out, sluggish feeling worse.

There's also a fluid and mineral angle. Acetazolamide acts like a mild water pill and can shift your body's acid balance, and alcohol can add to dehydration. If you're taking this for altitude sickness, drinking at elevation is an especially rough combo. I wouldn't panic over one beer, but please check with your pharmacist or doctor about what's safe for you.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
Moderate

ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS

2 of 2

Acetazolamide also falls under ANTIHYPERTENSIVE DRUGS.

Theoretically, concomitant use may interfere with blood pressure control.
Clinical research suggests that consumption of alcohol can increase both systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, acute alcohol intoxication can also increase the risk of hypotension and additive effects with antihypertensive drugs.
Severity Moderate 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

Here's the gist for acetazolamide (Diamox) and beer. Acetazolamide isn't a typical blood pressure pill, but like many of these medicines it can nudge your blood pressure and fluid balance. Alcohol pulls in two directions: regular or heavier drinking tends to raise blood pressure, while a single bout of drinking can drop it and add to the lightheaded, dizzy feeling acetazolamide already causes.

The bigger real-world worry is overlap. Acetazolamide is a mild diuretic that flushes out fluid, and beer adds to that, so together they can leave you dehydrated, dizzy, tired, or tingly in the hands and feet. The evidence here is modest, so don't panic, but please check with your pharmacist or doctor before mixing them regularly.

Contact Dr. Brian directly if you have additional questions on this interaction
References
  1. Fraser AG. Pharmacokinetic interactions between alcohol and other drugs. Clin Pharmacokinet 1997;33:79-90. PubMed
  2. Zilkens, R. R., Burke, V., Hodgson, J. M., Barden, A., Beilin, L. J., and Puddey, I. B. Red wine and beer elevate blood pressure in normotensive men. Hypertension 2005;45(5):874-879. PubMed
  3. Potter, J. F., Watson, R. D., Skan, W., and Beevers, D. G. The pressor and metabolic effects of alcohol in normotensive subjects. Hypertension 1986;8(7):625-631. PubMed
  4. Puddey, I. B., Beilin, L. J., Vandongen, R., Rouse, I. L., and Rogers, P. Evidence for a direct effect of alcohol consumption on blood pressure in normotensive men. A randomized controlled trial. Hypertension 1985;7(5):707-713. PubMed
  5. Puddey, I. B., Beilin, L. J., Vandongen, R., and Rouse, I. L. A randomized controlled trial of the effect of alcohol consumption on blood pressure. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 1985;12(3):257-261. 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 Acetazolamide one above is among them. If you take anything else, check it against the full list below.

Major 653 Moderate 272 No known interaction 1,905 (incl. Acetazolamide)
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.

From our Q&A

Questions About Beer or Acetazolamide

These are real questions from readers, answered by the pharmacists at HelloPharmacist — written by a person, not generated from a database. Each one covers Beer or Acetazolamide, not necessarily both, but if one is close to what you were about to ask it will usually go further than a database entry can:

Not quite your question? Ask our pharmacists directly — it is free, there is no account required, and answers usually come back within 24 hours.

Everything else you take

See Every Supplement That Interacts With Acetazolamide

This page covers Beer only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Acetazolamide page lists 284 supplements it has a documented interaction with, worst first, each one explained.

The most serious there right now: 1,4-butanediol (major), Activated Charcoal (major), American Hellebore (major), American Mistletoe (major) and Asarabacca (major).

By severity: 15 major · 242 moderate · 27 minor.

From our pharmacist’s overview on the Acetazolamide page

“Acetazolamide, taken for glaucoma, altitude sickness, and certain seizure types, works partly as a diuretic and can make people drowsy, and most of the supplements that interact with it press on one of those two points. The biggest group adds to its blood-pressure and fluid effects, a second deepens sedation (alcohol and kava sit at th…”

Reviewed by 2 · Jul 18, 2026

Open the Acetazolamide interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Beer and Acetazolamide 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%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Acetazolamide
Top half

#968 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
Medication

About Acetazolamide

What Is Acetazolamide Used For?

Brand names: Diamox, Ak-Zol

Acetazolamide is used as an add-on treatment for several conditions. Across tablets and the intravenous injection, it treats glaucoma (including open-angle and secondary glaucoma, and before surgery for acute angle-closure glaucoma), certain types of epilepsy (centrencephalic seizures, including petit mal), edema (fluid buildup) due to congestive heart failure, and drug-induced edema.

Acetazolamide extended-release capsules are specifically indicated for the prevention or reduction of acute mountain sickness symptoms — such as headache, nausea, and dizziness — in climbers attempting rapid ascent. Acetazolamide tablets and the intravenous injection are also indicated for acute mountain sickness.

See full Acetazolamide drug information
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
653 Major 272 Moderate 1,904 No 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

We also checked Beer against these medications and found no known interaction in our sources. Open any page to confirm.

Showing the 60 most looked-up of 1,904 medications checked with no known interaction — see the full Beer list.

See the full Beer interactions page
See every supplement checked against Acetazolamide, ranked by severity
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

Keep exploring
Beer monograph › Uses, safety, and every drug interaction in one place Acetazolamide supplement interactions › Every supplement checked against Acetazolamide, ranked by severity Acetazolamide drug information › The full plain-English guide to this medication Supplement interaction checker › Check any supplement or product against your medications Browse medications A–Z › Every drug we've checked against herbs & supplements Ask a pharmacist › Free, personal answer from our licensed team
Pharmacist Counseling Corner

Taking Beer and Acetazolamide Together: Common Questions

Can you take Beer with Acetazolamide?
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 2 interactions listed for Beer and Acetazolamide?
Acetazolamide 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 Acetazolamide 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

Still Have a Question About Acetazolamide and Beer?

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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.