alcohol and GPA/WG

[stephwest]

I have not read much about alcohol and the drugs we are taking (I know all pharm-makers in massive lists of warnings say no to booze) but my Chemist says a couple of cans Guinness is not a concern and may help relax, or a couple glasses of red wine may be good for other reasons, but to avoid the hard stuff like gin and whiskey.
Is it the pred or MTX that is the best to avoid alcohol, eg; MTX on Tuesday Guinness on Friday or pred at 9.30am red wine at 9.30pm .
From diag on 7th July 2013 I have not had an alcoholic drink but the pain of the torn back muscles I am tempted to have a glass of beer, is this ok.

[Pete]

Mtx has the greater impact on the liver. USA protocol is no alcohol while on mtx for first year, and very little thereafter. European protocol was 1-2 drinks a month.

I have an occasional beer or glass of wine (maybe one in 6-8 weeks). However, I have discovered some pretty good non-alcoholic beers (label says less than 0.5% ABV) such as Kaliber (made by Guinness), Clausthaler, Buckler (Heineken), etc. I'll drink maybe a six pack of these over two weeks. It satisfies my desire to enjoy a beer without messing up my liver. I take my mtx on Wednesday night and don't drink alcohol for at least 36 hours following.

[NikkiNicole]

Recently, my liver function tests went a little wonky and my doctor immediately reminded me that I need to completely obstain from alcohol while on MTX. I've only been on it for 3 months now and recently switched to the more potent injection style.
I like to enjoy a glass of wine with dinner on "date night" so it's a little bummer that I can't have that.
MTX is hard on the liver ... and I don't want to take any chances.

[SpaceflightAddict]

My Wegs doc said the same thing, no alcohol while on MTX. He did say a beer or two a week on CTX is fine though, and if i'm real good, my remission drug might be something a little less harsh on the liver, Mycophenolate I believe.

[stephwest]

My Hospital team never warned me not to take alcohol with Methotrexate, what dose are you all on, maybe my dose of 20 mg per week is low and not a liver problem?

[NikkiNicole]

I'm at 20mg per week and it's made my liver get a little cranky at times. Everyone is different though.

[Tom]

I asked about a beer or whisky on occasion and the Dr just shook his head and said don't drink any alocohol. But I think it was just his personal reply because he never explained why and I didn't ask,but I do have a whiskey sometimes 2 a week. But they did put me on Cellcept(mycophenolate) because it was easier on the liver or wasn't processed thru the liver of something like that. Cellcept is a transplant med.

My Wegs doc said the same thing, no alcohol while on MTX. He did say a beer or two a week on CTX is fine though, and if i'm real good, my remission drug might be something a little less harsh on the liver, Mycophenolate I believe.

[annekat]

I think it is mainly the MTX that is a medical issue with alcohol because of its potential effect on the liver, especially over time. If we aren't taking MTX, that wouldn't apply, unless there are specific issues with other meds and alcohol. Many of us who take MTX still enjoy an occasional drink, and if nothing negative is showing up in our blood work as a result, it is probably OK, or that seems to to be the consensus.

I can understand a WG doc making a blanket statement not to drink alcohol, since we have a serious disease and needn't complicate the issue with what is essentially a recreational drug. But I do think of it as something of a personal opinion. I think there are a lot of people who abuse alcohol or drink more than they need to, since after all, it is legal. I'm not saying anyone here is in that category. But these warnings may be given with that fact in mind. If people think it is OK to drink with WG or while on MTX, some may overdo it with negative effects. That is the way I interpret it, anyway. With MTX, one should exercise more caution and make sure to get the bloodwork regularly.