IN BRIEF (Page 19)

Alcohol and medicines not a good mix

Combining alcohol with prescription drugs can have harmful effects on the body. If you are prescribed a medicine consult your doctor and ask if drinking alcohol is permitted with your medication. That rule applies particularly to elderly people, according to Erika Fink, president of the German Chamber of Pharmacists.

Sleeping tablets as wells as drugs for treating depression, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy, can have powerful interactions with alcohol. A patient who drinks alcohol in combination with a sleeping tablet will feel very tired the next morning and should not drive a car. Even medicines that combat allergies can reduce your ability to drive when taken with alcohol.