Do not use alcohol or medications that contain alcohol while you are receiving treatment with codeine. This may increase nervous system side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, lightheadedness, difficulty concentrating, and impairment in thinking and judgment. Find patient medical information for Acetaminophen-Codeine Oral on WebMD including its uses, side effects and safety, interactions, pictures, warnings and user ratings. Do not use alcohol or medications that contain alcohol while you are receiving treatment with codeine. This may increase nervous system side effects such as drowsiness, dizziness, lightheadedness, difficulty concentrating, and impairment in thinking and judgment. Additionally, many of the medications that have codeine mixed in also have high concentrations of acetaminophen which is another dangerous combination when paired with alcohol. Consuming alcoholic beverages while taking large amounts of acetaminophen can lead to liver and kidney damage or renal failure. Many enzymes in your body break down acetaminophen and other drugs so your body can use them. Most of these enzymes are in your liver. Alcohol can affect the enzymes that process acetaminophen. If you're on codeine, you should be aware of the effects of mixing codeine and alcohol. These two drugs interact in a way that can be life-threatening if the amount of codeine or amount of alcohol is sufficiently high. Abusing codeine and alcohol increases the risk of liver and kidney damage. Alcohol abuse by itself is one of the leading causes of liver damage in the US; codeine, when added to alcohol, adds to stress on the liver, which spills over into kidney damage too. Codeine and acetaminophen are frequently combined in many drug formulations to increase their effectiveness, but when acetaminophen is combined with alcohol it can cause liver damage or acute liver failure, so this is just one more reason to make sure you’re never combining codeine and alcohol. What Happens When You Mix Codeine and Alcohol? When using a narcotic like codeine, it’s important to follow all warning labels and guidelines outlined by your doctor. This includes not taking codeine along with a lcohol , as this can increase the nervous system side effects like drowsiness and lightheadedness. Acetaminophen and Alcohol a Bad Mix, Study Suggests. Nearly half who drank while taking the pain reliever reported kidney disease.