Attention State College -- if you consume three or more alcoholic drinks a day, ask your doctor whether you should take pain or fever reducers.

Tom Miller, a pharmacist at CVS Pharmacy, 116 W. College Ave., said alcohol consumption slows down the absorption of medications into the bloodstream. Because absorption is slowed, the medication may not work as well as intended.

As allergy season heats up, antihistamines may become the over-the-counter drugs of choice. Antihistamines are drugs that combat the symptoms of allergies, such as runny nose and sneezing. Miller said when mixed with antihistamines, alcohol will add to the effect of drowsiness.

And some students prone to hangovers eat Tylenol and other similar products like candy every weekend.

Miller said the adverse reaction of mixing Tylenol or Advil with alcohol is not as bad as it can be compared to the mixing of antihistamines and cough syrups, but have harmful side effects.

"Since Tylenol and alcohol are both metabolized by liver, added stress is put on the liver," said Barbara Gallagher, University Health Services pharmacist. "Advil is very hard on the stomach, as is alcohol. Therefore it will increase the chance of stomach bleeding."

And taking Advil to avoid a hangover may instead only add to the pain.

"After a party night when your stomach feels pretty bad, a lot of times it's inflamed and irritated, and then if you take Advil, it adds to the irritation, increasing the chance of bleeding," said Thomas Weida, associate professor of family and community medicine at the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. To combat the dangers of combination, Weida talks with his patients specifically about the effects of mixing alcohol and prescriptions.

"I talk with patients on an individual basis when I'm prescribing, particularly if I'm prescribing medicine around New Year's Eve," Weida said. "I find it helpful to tell my patients when they can take their medicine, and then when it is safe to drink, because I find a lot of people won't take their medicine in order to take their alcohol."

Weida said responsible drinking is always a factor when determining adverse effects to the body, and limiting intake to less than two drinks a day will combat the negative side effects of alcohol.

Weida said some medications exacerbate the harmful effects of alcohol, such as liver damage and dilated blood vessels, and at the same time, alcohol may increase the adverse affects of medicines.

Michele Wisniewski (junior-biochemistry and molecular biology) said she has heard of the dangers of combining alcohol and medicine.

"I know alcohol reduces the effects of medicine and can easily make you sick, but I don't know why this is," Wisniewski said. "I try to stay away from mixing. I feel you just shouldn't mix pills and stuff with alcohol."

Both Gallagher and Miller agree that alcohol should not be mixed with anything. Those who take birth control do not have to worry about alcohol interfering, Gallagher said.