A study at the Alcohol Research and Treatment Center at Bronx Veterans Affairs Medical Center and Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York found that two widely used ulcer drugs, Zantac and Tagamet, can cause a person’s BAC to rise above the legal limit when accompanied by less than two drinks. C. DiPadova et al., Effects of ranitidine on blood alcohol levels after ethanol ingestion, 267 JAMA, Jan 1992, at 83.
Zantac caused peak blood alcohol levels 34 percent higher than when the same subject ingested alcohol without any medication; Tagamet produced blood alcohol levels 92 percent higher under the same circumstances.
Asthma medications, such as Ventolin, can also cause breath test results to rise above the legal limit. Recognizing this fact, the Illinois Supreme Court held that the trial court committed reversible error when it refused to instruct the jury that Ventolin was not alcohol for purposes of determining whether defendant was guilty of driving while under the influence of alcohol. People v Kamide, 254 Ill App 3d 67, 626 NE2d 337 (1993).
Zantac caused peak blood alcohol levels 34 percent higher than when the same subject ingested alcohol without any medication; Tagamet produced blood alcohol levels 92 percent higher under the same circumstances.
Asthma medications, such as Ventolin, can also cause breath test results to rise above the legal limit. Recognizing this fact, the Illinois Supreme Court held that the trial court committed reversible error when it refused to instruct the jury that Ventolin was not alcohol for purposes of determining whether defendant was guilty of driving while under the influence of alcohol. People v Kamide, 254 Ill App 3d 67, 626 NE2d 337 (1993).