Thank you Louise :)
I don’t mean to be rude, but can someone tell me why it’s necessary to have a drink while on MTX? I have not had any alcohol since I started stopped MTX years ago. I see not point in drinking unless I can get drunk. Drinking to be social? Surely your friends can understand.
Drinking with the purpose of getting drunk is one of the hallmarks of a drinking problem. Drinking socially, with food and friends is a different lightening not deadening of the mood. It is also a cultural things. Many cultures use wine/beer and special meals to mark the end of a work week and heralding in the weekend. I have one glass of wine and then switch to cranberry juice and ginger ale. It works for me and my blood work has been good for the last few years while on mtx. I use to drink wine more often, once or twice a month. Now it is a couple of times a year for special occasions.
On both methotrexate and leflunomide (separately, not together), my doctor told me not to binge drink and not to drink every day. She said that a couple of drinks occasionally is fine. But I’ve also always had really good liver test results and have never drunk more than a couple of drinks in a month; that may well have had something to do with it.
As far as why I would want to drink while on the meds? For me, it’s not to get drunk and it’s not to be social; I like the flavor and the sensation, the warmth and tingle, of a drink, especially in the winter.
I never much of a drinker. Only been drunk a couple times. During my undergraduate degree, after finals, id go out drinking. I was more upset with no antibiotics and must wear plastic clause that my doctor required before MTX. Suffering from inverse psoriasis, that statement was no sex jail sentence for me. For give me if that was too much info.
Indeed, JW, it takes guts to come out and say you need support. Having a chronic and painful disease does complicate things, especially when controlling the disease involves drugs like MTX. If AA won’t work for you (and I can certainly understand why it might not) ARF may. Check out the CAMH.ca website – lots of resources there.
sybil said:
I just really admire the fact that you've come out and said these things. That takes guts. I've seen stats that suggest that people with PsA often self-medicate with booze, but in any discussion you mostly hear from those who are on top of it. And also I've read about something called 'psoriatic liver' - the implication being that PsA and drink are bad news even without the meds. It must be extra tough addressing these issues whilst battling depression so maybe that's the main thing to focus on. The solution surely lies within you, only you can find a way out of heavy drinking as you obviously did for 15 years which is no mean feat - you can build on that for sure. Trust yourself, that's all I can suggest and it sounds feeble, I know, but I honestly believe that with your honesty and past successes you'll get there if you want to.
JW said:I am drinking too much. I drink beer, am drinking 6+ beer 3 or more times per week. I am self-medicating - I'm working through some ptsd issues. I'm also dealing with depression ( I take appropriate medication). The alcohol just kills my energy the day after, and energy is limited enough with this disease. The beer also seems to make my anxiety worse the next day.
I take Mtx 17.5 mg/week, Meloxicam 7.5 mg x 2/day, Folic Acid 4 days/week and Misoprostol. I'm worried about what I may be doing to my body.
I'm an all or nothing drinker - moderation isn't really an option for me. I had 15 years sober until about 2 years ago, and started again. It was very mild at first, but now it's out of hand. I know I have to stop completely.
I've been to AA but it's really not a good fit for me anymore. I am looking for any suggestion that might be helpful, but no preaching please - I know that I may be harming my body, I know I'm drinking far too much. I'm looking for tips or support ... I know I simply have to find a way to stop.
Thanks
Sybil,
Thank you for your post, for the nice things you said and the confidence that you appear to have in my ability to get a handle on this. I'm not sure what else to say except that I truly appreciate the suggestions, understanding and support that you and others have shared. They definitely give me a lift and help with my resolve to get this before it gets me. I'm also glad to hear that you've lowered your alcohol consumption in the last number of years, not an easy thing to do. Good job :)
Seenie said:
Indeed, JW, it takes guts to come out and say you need support. Having a chronic and painful disease does complicate things, especially when controlling the disease involves drugs like MTX. If AA won't work for you (and I can certainly understand why it might not) ARF may. Check out the CAMH.ca website -- lots of resources there.Hi Seenie,Thank you for the tips and your supportive and understanding words. These positive posts are very helpful, maybe more than I can express. Thanks again and take good care :)
The Australian Rheumatology Association recommendation is that when on methotrexate 'It is not known precisely what level of drinking is safe when on methotrexate, however there is general agreement that 1 to 2 standard drinks once or twice a week is unlikely to cause a problem....Drinking more than 4 standard drinks on one occasion, even if infrequently, is strongly discouraged. '
I take my 20mg of methotrexate on Mondays and then have 2 or 3 standard drinks on Fridays and the same on Saturdays, usually with dinner. My rheumatologist generally agrees with this. I went slightly over this amount a few Friday nights ago over dinner to celebrate my daughters engagement and felt sick all night. On Sundays at the sailing club I now drink only soft drinks. My friends have now got used to it.
I was on MTX for a couple of years and would have an occasional drink (once a week). I did ask my rheumatologist and she said once a week was fine as long as my liver enzymes were within normal range.
Have fun on your holiday!
I have been on both meds and taking my understanding of the medications, I never, ever drank alcohol while on either of these meds. For me it just wasn't worth taking a chance.
That being said, if you're not drinking regularly then maybe it wouldn't be so bad ? I don't know but you only have one liver.