Drug & supplement interaction

Beer + Aspirin, Oxycodone

Aspirin, Oxycodone brand name: Percodan.

Major Interaction
The bottom line Major

Aspirin, Oxycodone falls into 4 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
Interactions4
EvidenceC
What do Severity, Likelihood & Evidence mean?
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Interaction report

Beer and Aspirin, Oxycodone

These two interact in 4 distinct ways. Each one is explained separately below.

Why Are There 4 Interactions?

Beer interacts with whole categories of medication. Aspirin, Oxycodone falls into 4 of those categories, so it can interact with Beer in 4 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 4

Why this applies to Aspirin, Oxycodone

Aspirin, Oxycodone 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

This combo pill pairs aspirin with oxycodone, an opioid painkiller. Oxycodone already slows down your brain and breathing, and beer does the very same thing. Put them together and those effects stack on top of each other. That can mean heavy drowsiness, dizziness, confusion, slowed breathing, and in serious cases, breathing that becomes dangerously shallow. Alcohol can also slow how your body clears the opioid, so it lingers longer than expected.

There's another angle too: both beer and aspirin can irritate your stomach lining, which raises the odds of stomach upset or bleeding. This is a well-recognized, serious pairing, so please don't drink while taking Percodan. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor about what's safe for you.

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

NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS (NSAIDs)

2 of 4

Aspirin, Oxycodone also falls under NONSTEROIDAL ANTI-INFLAMMATORY DRUGS (NSAIDs).

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

Percodan is a combo pill: it has aspirin plus the opioid oxycodone. The concern here comes from the aspirin side. Aspirin is already tough on the stomach lining, and adding beer (or any alcohol) raises the odds of stomach and intestinal bleeding. That can show up as stomach pain, dark or tarry stools, vomit that looks like coffee grounds, or feeling lightheaded.

On top of that, the oxycodone part and alcohol both slow your breathing and make you drowsy, so mixing them is its own separate danger. This is a well-recognized, serious combination. Please don't change anything on your own. Talk with your pharmacist or doctor about whether any alcohol is safe while you're on this.

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

NARCOTIC DRUGS

3 of 4

Aspirin, Oxycodone also falls under NARCOTIC DRUGS.

Concomitant use of large amounts of alcohol may decrease the metabolism of narcotic drugs.
Concomitant consumption of large amounts of alcohol can decrease the metabolism of narcotic drugs.
Severity Moderate Likelihood Possible Evidence C

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

Percodan combines oxycodone (an opioid painkiller) with aspirin. Here's the concern: drinking larger amounts of beer can slow down how your body breaks down the oxycodone part, so more of it lingers in your system. On top of that, beer and oxycodone are both depressants. Stacking them can hit harder than either alone, leaving you more drowsy, dizzy, foggy, or short of breath. In a worst case, that combination can dangerously slow your breathing.

There's also the aspirin side. Mixing alcohol with aspirin raises the odds of stomach irritation and bleeding. None of this means you've done something wrong, but please don't pair Percodan with beer without checking first. Your pharmacist or doctor can give you clear, personal guidance.

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

ASPIRIN

4 of 4
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

Percodan combines aspirin with oxycodone, and mixing it with beer is something I'd steer you away from. The main worry is your stomach. Aspirin already irritates the stomach lining and thins the blood a bit, and alcohol does the same, so together they raise your odds of GI bleeding. Warning signs include stomach pain, black or tarry stools, or vomit that looks like coffee grounds.

There's a second issue that matters even more. Oxycodone is an opioid, and beer adds to its sedating effect, which can leave you very drowsy, dizzy, or slow your breathing. Some research hints beer may lower how much aspirin you absorb, but please don't count on that to protect you. Before drinking on this medicine, check with 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 Aspirin, Oxycodone 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 Aspirin, Oxycodone

This page covers Beer only. If you take other supplements — a multivitamin, a sleep aid, something for joints — the Aspirin, Oxycodone page lists 328 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), Asarabacca (major), Danshen (major) and Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (ghb) (major).

By severity: 12 major · 281 moderate · 35 minor.

Open the Aspirin, Oxycodone interaction page

How much people look this up

Where Beer and Aspirin, Oxycodone 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%

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

29 days ago today
Medication Aspirin, Oxycodone
Steady interest

#2,020 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 Aspirin, Oxycodone Together: Common Questions

Can you take Beer with Aspirin, Oxycodone?
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 4 interactions listed for Beer and Aspirin, Oxycodone?
Aspirin, Oxycodone 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 Aspirin, Oxycodone 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.