Alcohol + Procainamide - Drug Interactions

Alcohol may modestly increase clearance of procainamide

Clinical evidence,mechanism, importance and management

In 11 healthy subjects alcohol 0.73 g/kg,followed by alcohol 0.11 g/kg every hour increased clearance and decreased elimination half-life of a single 10-mg/kg oral dose of procainamide by 34 % and 25%, respectively. This was due to increased acetylation of procainamide to its active metabolite N-acetylprocainamide.(See reference number 1) The clinical relevance of these modest changes is probably small.

1. Olsen H,Mørland J. Ethanol-induced increase in procainamide acetylation in man. Br J Clin Pharmacol (1982) 13, 203–8.