In short

  • While Nitrofurantoin and alcohol do not have any known interactions, it is still not a good idea to mix the two.
  • Moderate alcohol consumption (one glass a day for women and two glasses a day for men) has been shown to have no negative effect on Nitrofurantoin.
  • However, if you drink excessive amounts, it could cause serious health problems and may reduce the drug’s effectiveness.

While Nitrofurantoin and alcohol do not have any known interactions, it is still not a good idea to mix the two. Moderate alcohol consumption (one glass a day for women and two glasses a day for men) has been shown to have no negative effect on Nitrofurantoin. However, if you drink excessive amounts, it could cause serious health problems and may reduce the drug’s effectiveness.

If you do plan to alcohol, no matter how little, you should let your doctor know. There may be other health considerations, beyond this one drug, that need to be considered.

If you are using Nitrofurantoin to treat a bladder or urinary tract infection, you need to abstain from alcohol. Alcohol can exacerbate the infection which can alter the effectiveness of the medication, and increase the length of time for recovery.

Another reason to avoid alcohol while taking any medication is that is can delay you from noticing any adverse side effects. These side effects could be serious, so it’s essential to remain as alert as possible, so you notice if you experience any.

If you are not sure if you are drinking too much in your situation, then consult your doctor about it. Your doctor will be able to tell you how much alcohol is acceptable for your condition and what other substances you need to abstain from while your body is healing.

Sources

References

2 sources were selected to match the subject of this article. Link destinations were checked twice when added. This does not mean every statement has been individually source-mapped or clinically approved.

  1. About nitrofurantoin

    NHS · HTML · NHS medicine guidance · Link destination checked 5 September 2026

  2. Urinary tract infections (UTIs)

    NHS · HTML · NHS condition guidance · Link destination checked 5 September 2026

Reference links open the cited source pages. If you spot something out of date, tell our content team.

Who wrote this

Written and reviewed by our team

Authored by

Hywel McGlinchy - Pharmacist and Medical Writer

Pharmacist / Content Writer

Hywel has been a registered pharmacist since 2017; he started with Simple Online Pharmacy in 2020. Hywel was responsible for helping review and author accurate site content. He worked with our GPs to make sure all aspects of the medications mentioned are covered.

Read Hywel’s profile

Medically reviewed by

Karim Nassar, Co-Founder, Pharmacist & Author

Karim Nassar

Co-Founder, Pharmacist & Author

Karim is a registered pharmacist with the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and was a founding member of Simple Online Healthcare in 2015. With a Master of Pharmacy degree from Strathclyde University, Karim brings a strong foundation in pharmaceutical care and a passion for leveraging digital solutions to improve patient access to healthcare.

Read Karim’s profile

Published

Last medically reviewed

Sources cited

See 2 references

Keep reading

More Cystitis advice

View all Cystitis advice