Accidentally Took NyQuil And Drank Alcohol

Thanks so much for your question!

Although you should generally shouldn't combine alcohol and NyQuil together due to the risk of additive side effects (such as dizziness and sedation), accidentally doing this one time shouldn't cause any long-term problems.

Alcohol In NyQuil

NyQuil does contain alcohol, at a concentration of 10% (20 proof). This is about the amount of alcohol contained, on average, in wine. Some craft beers also have an alcohol percentage this high, but it's not overly common.

The usual dose of NyQuil for adults is 30mL (two tablespoonfuls). Considering the fact that 'one shot' of liquor is about 44mL (depending on the size of the shot glass of course), taking a dose of NyQuil contains less alcohol than a single shot of wine.

So, it really isn't the alcohol in NyQuil that is a concern in regard to drinking alcoholic beverages, but more so, the drugs contained in it.

What Is The Concern With Drinking Alcohol With NyQuil?

NyQuil contains three drugs:

• Acetaminophen
• Dextromethorphan
• Doxylamine

NyQuil Severe adds in guaifenesin as well (an expectorant).

Doxylamine is a very sedating antihistamine, similar to Benadryl. Since alcohol has sedating and CNS (central nervous system) depressant effects, combining it with a sedating antihistamine like doxylamine will make these effects more pronounced.

Additionally, we have another drug of concern here, acetaminophen, which is the active ingredient in Tylenol.

Acetaminophen is very well known to be toxic to the liver at high doses, and 650mg is contained in NyQuil per dose. This is well within the recommended amount of acetaminophen for a single dose though. Of course, alcohol has a concern with liver toxicity as well with long-term consumption.

You shouldn't make it a habit to mix alcohol and acetaminophen. Doing so greatly increases your risk of liver injury.

In your case, however, having a few drinks and taking a dose of NyQuil as a one-time thing, unless you have a pre-existing liver problem, there isn't much concern here. You haven't taken too much acetaminophen at one time, and as long as you are not a heavy drinker overall, you should be safe.

It's certainly true that very heavy drinking of alcohol at one time can cause acute liver injury, but most often, it is the consumption of a large quantity of alcohol over a prolonged period of time.

So, again, the primary concern with combining NyQuil and a few alcoholic drinks is the risk of the additive and perhaps more pronounced side effects, not acute liver injury for the vast majority of individuals. If you did this consistently over a long period of time though, you would be more at risk of causing liver damage.

Final Words

Thanks again for your question and feel free to reach back out anytime!