People are often surprised at the level of alcohol in cough syrup or other over-the-counter medicines. You might also like to visit Foods that Contain Alcohol.

Alcohol is often a major component of cough syrup and other meds. Below is an alphabetical list of many medicines with a high alcohol content.

Important

It’s important to be aware of how much alcohol your meds contain. Laws against driving under the influence don’t distinguish between sources of blood alcohol concentration (BAC).

The alcohol can come from drinking alcoholic beverages. It can come from meds. Or it can come from that produced naturally in the body.

However, they’re all the same to a breathalyzer and in the eyes of the law.

Breathalyzer devices lack accuracy . So they often register falsely high readings. Therefore, it’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Always be sure to drink alcohol carefully when taking meds. Read their labels and follow them.

Here are tips for keeping your BAC legal.

• Stick with standard drink sizes. Each has the same amount of pure alcohol. So it’s easier to keep track of your intake of pure alcohol that way.
• Munch while drinking.
• Sip your drinks.
• Don’t play drinking games.
• Remember that women can’t drink as much as a man.
• Have a non-alcoholic drink between alcoholic ones.
• Pace your drinks. A general rule of thumb is no more than one alcoholic drink per hour.
• Accept an alcoholic drink only when it fits your consumption schedule.

Trivia: Alcohol is listed as medicinal in the United States Pharmacopeia.

This web site does not provide medical advice. Always see a doctor.