Methotrexate and Alchohol

By Stephanie Saturday, November 08, 2008

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I have RA. I have just seen the Rheumotogists for the first time a week ago. He prescribed Methotrexate, Prednisone and Plaquenil. My concern is with the Methotrexate. I am supposed to take it every Friday, twice in the morning, twice at night. But I haven't taken it yet, because I like to drink. Not a lot, but I do like a beer or two at night before bed. I am scared to take something so strong, and I don't want to change my lifestyle for this disease, but I also need to take care of my RA the best that I can. I have heard it makes you feel tired, and just overall yucky. I have four kids and a job 25 hours a week. I'm not sure if I should take this, or ask for something else. I need to make a decision soon, the Ra has strongly affected my hanks, wrists, and knees, to the point of deformation. If anyone has any insight, I would appreciate your advice or experience. Thanks so much.

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Comments (17) | Add comment

bucko27

11/ 9/08 3:36pm

Stephanie- It is very important for you to prevent joint damage with RA. Once your joints are affected, you cannot reverse any damage. Methotrexate is a powerful drug but a basic tool used in fighting the effects of RA. It takes a number of weeks to begin working so the sooner you get started the sooner it can begin to help. It is all about preserving your quality of life and metho has really helped me over the past 7 years.

Perhaps you can switch the night you take your medication to Tuesday. Then you would be farther away from friday when you are most likely to drink. You need to be very careful about comsuming alcohol as methotrexate affects your liver. If your liver starts to act up then you will have to stop the meds and lose the joint protecting effects it provides. Not a good option. For me I limit alcohol intake as I value being able to continue my meds.

By the way, I take 5 pills a week...all at the same time right before bed on tuesday night. I never drink anything for the next few nights while I process this stuff. If you take all of your pills right before bedtime, then you will sleep through any side effects like nausea. Drink lots of water.

Guess that is all I can think of for now. I hope that methotrexate can help you and that you have success using it. Let us know.

Steve

Carol

11/10/08 11:27am

This seems to be my problem also. I am use to having a few drinks in the evening with my husband. It is our way to wind down with the day. I also wonder how I am going to get through some of the holiday parties. I also go to Las Vegas about once a month. It is hard not to drink in Las Vegas. I won't pretend that I just have a few. I have had lots of practice drinking. So far I have had one day I did drink to excess on Methrotexate. Over all I just watch my husband and daughter boyfriend drink. I get mad that I can't join them. I was wondering if I can go off the Methrotexate if I know a speacial occasion is comming up. I also know I need to get serious about my health and lose weight, get my blood pressure and heart risk under control. RA just added one more thing to my to do list. I do know Methrotexate is the medication that is mostly recomended. It is what most studies are on. It is called the gold standard and is used with most other medications. I do want the best treatment.

bucko27

11/10/08 8:01pm

Carol- Once you screw up your liver you won't be able to take methotrexate any more. Then how will you prevent joint damage? Perhaps a biologic will help but there are no guarantees. It is easy for me to sit here and tell you to lay off the alcohol, I know. But believe me, you need to do everything in your power to maintain the best possible health you can starting right now. I wish you good health and pain free days.

Steve

PS: I smoked cigarettes for about 30 years. I finally decided I wanted to live and gave them up 10 years ago. It was the smartest thing I ever did for my health! I do OCCASIONALLY have a drink but never near my metho day and always in moderation. They say Pinot Noire is a good choice if you like wine.

Vince

8/19/09 9:16pm

anyone ever hear of all around eyes breaking out in rash to the point you look like raccoon....my wife is on MTX and drank 4-5 glasses wine and next day all around eyes got red.....worse next day....this ever happen to anyone else?....V

Anonymous

11/12/08 9:30pm

I myself do enjoy a glass of wine at night. I know how you feel. The main reason that they don't want you to drink is because the methotrexate can affect your liver. The alcohol puts an additional strain on the liver. My dr. poo poo's this but I take a capsule of Milk Thistle once a day. This is an herb that supports liver function. But so far so good on my liver function tests!!! I have been taking methotrexate for about 3 years. My dr. has raised the dose slowly because of the yucky feeling you get from it. I take it in liquid form which is much cheaper. You mix it with some juice. I take half one day and half the next. Please watch the prednisone. I started with that and it was miraculous! Except I became a diabetic from taking it. The Plaquenil can make you sicker than the Methotrexate! It is so joyous dealing with this disease!!! NOT!!! Hang in there...things will get better. Exercise helps alot...if you can do it. Good luck to you! Just a note...I have had this disease for 37 years!!! Just to let you know I get what you are going through!

Cleocat

1/30/11 4:55pm

Thank you so much for this advice and encouragement. I will be getting some milk thistle to avoid any liver damage.

cheryl

12/ 5/08 12:32pm

Stephanie, I understand about the battle of giving up things you like. With the medication you are on alcohol is very risky. The medicine is very strong drug. It

doesn't mix with beer at all. perhaps you can wein yourself off beer, cut way down

on consumption. Follow it with a tall glass of water. Myself I had a bad reaction to

Methotrexate. I broke out with sores on my arm. Every time the sun would get exposed

to the sore, I would get another one. I now have a trail of scars on my arm. It only

got expose to the sun from driving my car. Best of luck

JolieJac

12/ 8/08 10:39am

I felt the same way bout the Methotrexate. I too enjoy my drinks... I have been on and off it for 5 years. the concern is the liver damage it can cause. So far so good for me. I have my blood work done once a month to check everything.

I strongly recomend that you try taking the metho. at night when you go to bed. I found that by doing so i avoid most of the effects of the med. The next day i am usually just a little tired. Good Luck

Stephanie

12/ 8/08 12:44pm

So do you drink while taking it at all? Do you think it would hurt me to just have a couple of beers at night? They have done blood tests at the doctor every month. But I am afraid to take the medication.

Anonymous

12/27/08 11:33pm

I have a severe case of RA as well and was diagnosed 2+ years ago. I too enjoy drinking a few glasses of wine per night and was told by my doctor that I could not have any aclochol except the occassional glass maybe once or twice per month. This made me very nervous about what the effect of methotrexate on my liver and my body. But I did begin taking it and stopped drinking for a month or two. The daily side effects from the methotrexate was worse than I could have imagined- extreme fatigue, stomach ache, diarraeah and my pain was not subsiding. Without telling my doctor, I stopped taking the methotrexate. I was unwilling to put that kind of stress on my liver and not have any positive side effects. I was actually able to get more pain relief from drinking wine than I ever did with the methotrexate. I did not inform my doctor that I went off the methotrexate as i knew then that I would no be approved for a higher level drug. He then presecribed Enbrel for me and immediately I felt so much better! He has reccomended methotrexate in conjunction with the Enbrel but I refuse to take it. Not only for the restriction of drinking but my thoughts are that if something is that bad for your liver, why put your body at more risk for liver damage from the methotrexate if it doesn not even seem to make a difference. I would not want to have cirrois of the liver from this awful drug and I refuse to take it. Again, my doctor assumed that it was ineffective and prescribed the Enbrel which made a world of difference. I still have pain but it is much better than it was. I hope this helps. I have also been told by a chemist to stay away if possible from the methotrexate- it is one of the most poisonous drugs he has ever worked with and does not reccomend anyone taking it. You may have to work the system a bit for your advantage and to get on a biologic. Good luck!

Anonymous

1/15/09 7:08pm

I have Psoriatic Arthrits and take 20mg of MTX per week. I love to drink beer and advised my doc I refuse to stop drinking. He decided MTX was still the best option. I take my MTX on Tuesdays and drink plenty of water the next few days after I take it. Then I drink a few beers on saturday night (4-5) and drink as much as I want on Sundays (between 8-10). So far, blood tests have been fine. Also, changes in the liver are reversable once MTX is stopped. And once your liver returns to normal levels, you can begin taking MTX again. Good luck.

melanie

5/19/09 4:16am

wow, i can't believe all the people who are choosing alcohol over pain control and stopping joint damage. does alcohol have that much control over you guys? i don't get it. i love beer and i drink one every great now and then, but i surely don't think i have to have it every day or night. there's one person on here that had a reply where it was said he/she didn't tell her doctor about quitting the MTX and continued to drink. also, they had talked to a "chemist" that said MTX was extremely dangerous and no one should take it......well, i bet that "chemist" doesn't have RA!! all of you talk like the MTX is the only thing to worry about. i'm sure every one of you take one or more other drugs for RA and i can't think of one that is totally, completely safe to take with alcohol. your liver metabolizes everything you put in your mouth, everything that is absorbed by your skin, everything that goes inside of you. your liver can be killed with one tylenol and one beer, did you know that?? you guys better get way serious about your health and get your families to understand that you can't go on trips to las vegas and places where most people can't keep from drinking. you just don't let yourself get put in a situation that you can't control. and for the guy that drinks 4-5 beers on sat nights and "all he wants" on sundays, you are just playing russian roulette! y'all need to take a serious look at your priorities. thanks for listening.......ml

p.s. if you just can't get your priorities in order, at least get your will updated.......

Stephanie

5/20/09 9:49pm

I think that maybe you are letting RA run your life. Your so critical of someone wanting to enjoy life with RA. I have found other ways to stabilize my pain, and I am living a wonderful, very fulfilling life with RA. Would you really want a disease to stop you from taking a trip to Vegas? I found your comment to be extremly rude, and not the kind of support anyone needs.

Anonymous

8/ 5/09 4:48pm

I have been on 20 mg's of MTX for over 10 years for PSA. I've drank beer every single week for those last 10 years and my liver test have been perfect. I guess everyone is different. Also, one must remember that your liver WILL return to normal levels once MTX and booze is stopped. And then MTX can be be safely resumed. Everyone seems to think that once your liver goes wacky you will never be able to take MTX again. Thats just simply not true.

bucko27

8/19/09 10:34pm

I am glad that you are doing so well and yes, everyone is different, but do not assume that your liver is a rubber ball that will bounce back if you take a few weeks off. Alcohol damaged my brother's liver and it did not bounce back. I sure do miss him!

Steve

brandy

9/20/09 1:22am

i was thinking the same thing,,, you hit it on the head,,,,, and then they complain when they are in paiin or their tests come back with negative levels,,,,, unbelivable!!!

chey

5/19/11 10:05am

re read Melanie's post again. She was not rude at all - rather, she was expressing amazement that anyone would CHOOSE to compromise a proven treatment option rather than amend their lifestyle. The bottom line is ; it is a CHOICE. Please be aware of that when you post, as medical science has already documented the facts of treatment verses non treatment. If you truly have RA, you are damaging your joints if you choose no medication and you are endangering th rest of your body (liver, etc) if you CHOOSE a lifestyle which includes drinking and not getting enough rest...

Methotrexate and Alchohol

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