How dangerous is it? The doc made it sound like I could expect to immediately experience catastrophic liver failure...which is ridiculous. Just wanted to know, with the holiday season fast approaching and the holiday parties in store if an occasional glass (or two) of wine is really something that I can enjoy or whether I should take my own Diet Coke with me to said holiday parties. (sigh).
I love me a nice glass of Moscato now and again...
I should mention that on the rare occasions when I drink any alcohol, it is after I've been off the MTX for at least 2 week (preferably a month) and then I imbibe in a single glass of wine (or maybe two if its been a REALLY bad few months). Since I'm in kind of a nasty flare, however, I don't really want to stop the MTX for any reason whatsoever....so if that means no wine, it means no wine (and no, I'm not whining...see what I did there?) :)
Depends on you, your liver, and your dose of both MTX. I believe it’s no more than 1 glass of wine every two months. Most people don’t follow or their own doctor said they can have more. I personally don’t recommend alcohol and MTX, but id bet im overruled by the majority here
This is an interesting question that has been discussed many times. Recommendations vary from country to country. Our Brit friends get one lot of advice, people in Oz another, and North Americans something else again. But I’ve never heard of one glass every two months. Where did you get that guideline, Mataribot?
Moscato is a lot easier on your liver than diet coke. (or for that matter prednisone, NSAIDS, and many "supplements") but then I have to ask WHY moscato???????
Work this out with your doctor. he has your "numbers" everyone is different as is your risk. Depending on your doctor and where you live, you will get different answers. In great Britain the recommendation is 14 - 21 units per week (depending on your wight etc:
http://www.nras.org.uk/about_rheumatoid_arthritis/newly_diagnosed/w...
That being said, MY THEORY comes from years of catholic school. Where we were told we could go blind from masturbating. My friend Vince made the mistake of telling Father O'Reiley if that was the case he'd quit when he needed glasses. I can still hear the lickin he got in the hall. I'll quit when my numbers change
Fortunatly my doc adheres to the 21 units a week theory and even down loaded an app for me that calculates it based on brand and everything. I don't drink near that much (although I may tend bank it for Sat afternoons during football season as I shoot my MTX 1:30 AM Sundays BUT i have my doctors blessings, my enzymes haven't moved a lick in 10 years. i also make my own wine (and beer) and keep my Rheumys office supplied at all times......
LOL, Lamb, I need glasses … should I be worried? Never mind, don’t answer that.
The liver enzyme tests tell how your liver is doing. I, too, have about a glass of wine a day (some days none, rarely two). My liver is doing fine. The only time it rebelled bigtime was when I was on MTX and Leflunomide together (yes, Corrin!). But catastrophic liver failure doesn’t usually happen suddenly, and if your enzymes go up, they will go down again when you change your consumption pattern.
I get bloods done every four weeks. How often do you get yours done?
My numbers are inverted; it’s 2 per month.
http://www.nytimes.com/health/guides/disease/rheumatoid-arthritis/medications.html
Uh oh...I wear glasses also....hmmmmm :D
Things are a little hinky here as far as timelines....I went without a doc for quite a while because I moved. Now I go to a free clinic where they do bloodwork and everything. My last draw was about 6 weeks ago, and my numbers were (according to the doc) fine except my WBC, which he said was elevated to 15,000. They did not run a differential, so he is assuming histimine reaction rather than infection because at the time of the draw I was completely asymptomatic for infection. His plan is to draw blood every couple of months, but if I ask him to, he'll draw them more often.
This particular doc deals with a LOT of people who are 1) drug seeking, 2) are guaranteed to be completely noncompliant with both meds and advice because many of them have mental illness/drug & alcohol addiction and/or are in severe poverty and cannot afford meds. The clinic provides many meds for free - though not necessarily the newer more expensive ones. For instance: Prednisone instead of Dexamethasone (I probably completely misspelled both of those - BRAIN FARTS lol). Ergo. he is a little dramatic when telling a patient what should/should not happen in order to impress upon them the serious nature of his advice. I get that. Just wanted a little more level-headed advice from the group.
Lamb: Moscato is YUMMY, that's why! If I'm going to be bad and drink something I'm not allowed to have, I ought to at least like the taste, right? HATE beer, dry wines give me that feeling in the back of the jaw like I'm going to puke, and I only like sweet reds with steak, which I no longer eat (sad face). Oddly I also love Tequila, but I figure I'm not going to push my luck with hard liquor. Besides, the clothes-falling-off-after-drinking-too-much-Tequila effect would not ingratiate me to the other people at the aforementioned parties.
Thanks for the response. I've learned in life that moderation is the key, and I just wanted to ask my favorite sounding board if I was on target with this one as well. Thanks for your help!
My first rheumy, who put me on MTX at the dose I still take, never mentioned alcohol. Perhaps the fact she was raised in a former Soviet country (and went to med school there) had something to do with that! Neither the second or third has mentioned it, either. Does that mean I get a free pass, as long as I keep it under the level expected of a citizen in a former SSR? Or does that just apply to vodka?
Good to know. My ex-husband's wife got put on MTX for something unrelated (fibro and back pain, I think - which is weird because that is NOT what MTX works on), and they didn't tell her about alcohol at all. When she told me she drinks a 6 pack every night to help her deal with pain and sleep I told her she needs to mention this to her new doc. Her doc was appalled that the old doc didn't mention anything about alcohol consumption with MTX. Did a bunch of blood tests and her liver panels were all over the place. They took her off the MTX and put her on something that is actually working for her.
I think it's better to avoid it. Not just with Mtx but other medications too. Anything where the blood has to be monitored and can threaten your liver. It will accentuate the negative effects of the alcohol on your liver at least that's how I understand it. When i was on Mtx my doc said 1 drink every so often was ok but not regularly. I know now that i am on Leflunomide....no alcohol. No doubt about it.
I have a special case. I almost died from liver toxicity in 2000. For some miraculous reason, I made a full recovery, and I have normal enzyme levels every time they are drawn. Seriously, I should have died or so the doctor treating me said repeatedly. So, I don’t drink with the MTX. My doc said I can have a glass every once In a while, but i don’t miss it that much so I stay away from the drinks. Sometimes, if I plan to do vacation, Like in cases of romantic vacations where the hubs and I like to share a glass or two in the hot tub, I will stop MTX for a week. I’m too frightened of hurting myself, and liver toxicity/ failure is pretty awful.
For other people, if the doc says its okay, then follow their guidelines, get your labs drawn and you should be just fine. It’s my personal choice to not risk it.