Medically you should not take alcohol after having a colonoscopy. To be safe you should wait at least eight hours before you take any liquor if you have had a colonoscopy.
Those who are sedated cannot take alcoholic beverages until after 24 hours.
Reasons Why You Can’t Consume Alcohol After A Colonoscopy?
There are some reasons why medical practitioners don’t advise taking alcoholic beverages after having this exam. And also after any other similar medical procedures for example endoscopy.
One major reason is that the procedure makes your digestive tract lining, intestines, stomach, and esophageal tube sensitive. The whole process of carrying out this procedure makes these organs very sensitive.
Hence if you take an alcoholic beverage immediately after the procedure you stand the risk of inflaming and irritating the sensitive tissues. Also, you would irritate the linings of the digestive system.
In addition, if you were sedated which is fairly common for most colonoscopies liquor can heighten the sedative effect. Most colonoscopy procedures require at least a mild sedation like twilight and alcohol can make it worse.
Doing this is prohibited because it can quickly become a very serious medical issue and can cause a lot of damage.
Colonoscopy involves a lot, those who have had it know the process is pretty demanding. And a lot goes into preparation for it.
Patients are to take laxatives and fast for at least a day before having the procedure.
You are not expected to eat or drink for some hours before you embark on it. This can be a very thirsty process and can cause dehydration.
Liquor is known to cause dehydration and taking it when you are already dehydrated can only make it worse.
So another reason why you shouldn’t take alcoholic beverages around the time you want to have a colonoscopy is so as not to become dehydrated. So you might be wondering how long you should wait before taking alcohol.
How Long Should You Wait After a Colonoscopy Until You Can Drink An Alcoholic Beverage?
After a colonoscopy how long you should wait before having an alcoholic beverage depend on some factors. The doctor would explain these factors to you before the procedure.
Generally, it is advisable to wait for at least eight hours after having this or similar treatment before taking liquor.
The hours of wait are to allow your digestive system some time to properly heal and restore itself from the effects of the examination.
If the procedure was such that you were sedated then it is advisable to wait for 24 hours at least before drinking wine, beer, or any alcoholic beverage. Not doing so would put you at risk of having a serious interaction with the sedative and other medications used during the procedure.
However, if you have had a colonoscopy you might end up waiting for 24 hours at least before having liquor. This is because most of these procedures require sedatives and it is used for most patients.
Liquor and sedative should not mix, a mixture of both could be dangerous and even deadly. Ensure you keep this in mind if you intend to have any procedures that require you to be sedated.
This exam is a very safe procedure with minimal risk involved. However not following the doctor’s recommendations and not sufficiently waiting before taking liquor can quickly cause complications.
To heal properly and not have any complications it is best not to drink alcohol for some hours before the procedure and a day after the procedure.
Your digestive system would still be delicate for a day after the procedure so try to be easy on your digestive system.
Soft meals and blended foods are the best to eat for the period. At this point, water is the best for hydration.
When you are healed enough to resume alcohol don’t forget to drink moderately.
Can You Drink Alcoholic Beverage While Prepping For A Colonoscopy?
While getting ready for medical procedures like colonoscopy you should not take liquor. This is because it has a chance of making you dehydrated while preparing.
You ought not to take food and water for some hours leading up to the procedure. Liquor would heighten the effect of your sedatives so it is not safe to have it in your system when preparing for this treatment.
Drinking liquor before or after sedation is very risky and can cause serious adverse effects. The interaction between alcohol and a sedative is dangerous.
Sedatives and alcohol shouldn’t mix.
It is best to stay away from liquor while preparing for this treatment and during your recovery, you shouldn’t take liquor as well.
How Many Days Before A Colonoscopy Should I Stop Drinking Alcohol
If you are planning to have a colonoscopy it is better to not consume alcohol for two days leading up to D-day. Alcohol depresses the system.
Doctors are usually very concerned about this because they use heavy sedatives during the procedure. The sedatives usually have strong effects and the presence of liquor would complicate things.
It suppresses the cardiac and respiratory systems.
The sedative suppresses your system and so does liquor. If both are present in your body at the same time it could result in a terrible consequence and it could be fatal.
You would save yourself a lot of trouble if you stay away from liquor before and a day after the process.
Conclusion
Taking alcohol before and after having this examination is dangerous and could be fatal. This is because the procedure makes your digestive lining sensitive and alcohol will only hurt the already sensitive tissues.
Liquor slows healing and delays the recovery process. It is known to hurt the body’s immune system.
That is why It is more difficult for alcoholics to recover from an injury.
Also, most colonoscopies require sedation. Mixing alcohol and sedatives can have disastrous consequences as well.
It is best to wait at least two days before you resume taking any alcoholic beverages. And when you do so, remember to drink moderately and responsibly.
