{"id":305000,"date":"2025-12-08T12:43:07","date_gmt":"2025-12-08T12:43:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/305000\/"},"modified":"2025-12-08T12:43:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-08T12:43:07","slug":"urgent-warning-for-anyone-taking-cold-and-flu-medicine-or-painkillers-uk-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/305000\/","title":{"rendered":"Urgent warning for anyone taking cold and flu medicine or painkillers | UK | News"},"content":{"rendered":"

Christmas<\/a> festivities are fast approaching and the UK\u2019s medicines watchdog has issued guidance for anyone taking common medicines about how to avoid dangerous and unexpected side effects of mixing drugs with alcohol<\/a>. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is warning that familiar products can cause harm if used incorrectly.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leigh Henderson, of the MHRA\u2019s safety and surveillance team, said:\u00a0\u201cAt this time of year, people are often taking more medicines \u2014 whether for colds, allergies<\/a> or aches and pains \u2014 and may also be drinking more alcohol. The biggest safety risks often come from simple misunderstandings, including not realising that alcohol can interact with certain medicines. By taking a few easy precautions, you can keep yourself and your family safe this Christmas.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The MHRA shared five festive medicine tips to avoid mistakes:<\/p>\n

Don\u2019t\u00a0mix medicines with alcohol\u00a0\u2013\u00a0be\u00a0merry, not risky:\u00a0Alcohol can interact with many medicines, even those bought over the counter. Combined with medicines that cause drowsiness or affect coordination, it can increase dizziness, slow\u00a0reactions\u00a0and raise the risk of falls and accidents. This\u00a0doesn\u2019t\u00a0only apply to driving \u2014 using mobility scooters or powered wheelchairs can also become unsafe. Always read the Patient Information Leaflet or ask your pharmacist whether\u00a0it\u2019s\u00a0safe to drink while taking your medicine.\u00a0Don\u2019t\u00a0double\u00a0up on paracetamol:\u00a0Many cold and flu remedies already\u00a0contain\u00a0paracetamol. Taking them alongside painkillers that also include it can lead to accidental overdose.\u00a0Don\u2019t\u00a0take\u00a0expired medicines:\u00a0Clear out old or leftover medicines; expiry dates matter. Ask your pharmacist how to dispose of them safely.\u00a0Don\u2019t\u00a0ignore\u00a0the leaflet:\u00a0Always read the Patient Information Leaflet, even for medicines\u00a0you\u2019ve\u00a0used before. Guidance can change, including advice about alcohol interactions.\u00a0Don\u2019t\u00a0share\u00a0medicines:\u00a0Never share prescription medicines, even with family.\u00a0What\u2019s\u00a0safe for one person may be harmful to another.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Anyone who experiences a side effect or has a safety concern about a medicine, vaccine or medical device is urged to report it to the MHRA\u2019s yellow card scheme.<\/p>\n

This helps the agency to monitor product safety and investigate if a concerning number of reports is raised.<\/p>\n

The MHRA said: \u201cBy reporting, you help us\u00a0monitor\u00a0product safety and protect others from harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

The watchdog stressed that most medicines and devices work well and safety for most people, but no medical product is risk-free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Christmas festivities are fast approaching and the UK\u2019s medicines watchdog has issued guidance for anyone taking common medicines…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":305001,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[235,122200,3462,122202,59,102,1554,122201,35673,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-305000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-alcohol","tag-alcohol-interaction","tag-christmas","tag-christmas-precautions","tag-gb","tag-health","tag-health-section","tag-medicine-safety","tag-mhra","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=305000"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/305000\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/305001"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=305000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=305000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=305000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}