Enbrel and Alchohol

By AmyAria Thursday, July 16, 2009

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Ok my peeps, talk to me! I'm off the arava and mtx, my hairloss was clogging the vacuum. (Wish I was joking....!?!) I'm now on my second week of Enbrel. Can't claim I've experienced a miracle yet. In fact I've had to dig out the old heating pad the last couple of days. I'm hoping that's just cuz I'm "transitioning" off the arava. Yeah, that's what I'm going to call this....."transitioning".

But then, I had a brain storm!!! Can I have BEER?! Can I?? Can I pleaaase? I promise to be responsible and all. I just...*sniff*....miss having a beer. How can you watch the Cubs have such a crappy season without a cold frosty consolation?!! The blood test thingies were for Arava and Mtx, but I don't have to do it for Enbrel. Right? So how bout it?? Can I?

Porcupine!

Comments (13) | Add comment

bucko27

7/16/09 5:34pm

Of course you can have a beer! (I bet you already had one!) And good luck to the Cubs in the 2nd half. Since I am a Mets fan, I guess I need a beer too!

Steve

AmyAria

7/16/09 5:39pm

Ok....you got me there! I've had one.... or TWO!!! Gosh I feel so NAUGHTY!!! *snort*!! I just didn't know if I was being "bad" or really being BAD, you know? So really? It's ok now? It's just been the forbidden fruit for SOOOOO LOOOOOONG!! Yeah and from one baseball fan to another, condolences. Ugh!

Lene Andersen, Health Guide

7/17/09 10:18am

I checked on drug interactions/cautions and alcohol wasn't on the list and this page goes as far as saying "you may drink alcohol while on Enbrel". If you feel like triple checking, you can always ask your doctor.

Enbrel can take several months to really kick in - you're trasitioning alright. A small dose of prednisone may help bridge the gap until it starts doing its magic.

AmyAria

7/18/09 8:29pm

It's hard to wait for "the magic". When I was on the mtx and Areva it was mostly the fatigue and other side effects that I found bothersome. The pain was really under control. Now that the heating pad is back out it's kind of a reminder like "hmmm, yeah I guess I really DO have RA."

Thanks for the info on the alcohol. It hadn't occured to me to ask the rhuemy at my appointment and none of the literature I looked at about Enbrel said anything about having a drink. I didn't want to "assume" since assuming makes an ....well. You know what I mean.

Lene Andersen, Health Guide

7/19/09 7:14pm

I hate that stage, triple checking your joints on an hourly basis to see if it's kicked in yet. It's terrifying.

In terms of your doctor... don't forget, dude probably has a phone. It's completely acceptable to call in between appointments if your question.

Let me know when the magic does happen?

Gridiron Granny

7/17/09 5:51pm

I can understand the need for beer with your Cubbies baseball (I've been a Dodger fan for 40 years and a 49ers fan for 30, so I understand pain, as if the RA wasn't enough ).

I've been 'shooting up' since the beginning of the year and just avoid drinking within a day of my enbrel 'cause I get abdominal pains. Blood work perfect though (still on mtx so I get vampired every 60 days whether I have any blood left or not!) - so far so bueno!

Enbrel can take a while but it's a good med and the side effects are minimal. Good luck!

BTW - were you taking extra folic acid while on mtx? That slowed my hair loss a lot!

AmyAria

7/18/09 8:42pm

Oh yeah, did the folic acid. Twice the typical dosage as a matter of fact. I just turned out to be one of the unfortunate minority who experiences that side effect. My husband has already been through the balding angst, but I think it's a more surprising look for us womens. There is some vanity there to be sure, but mostly I just hate being reminded of being sick every time I look in the mirror.

Ahhh sports! Why do we put ourselves through it? More importantly, why couldn't my ancestors have picked a different team to pledge their loyalty too? Oh well, if I picked a different team I would never be invited back home so Cubbies it is! Good luck to you in the second half. God knows WE are going to need it.

Gridiron Granny

7/19/09 1:46am

I tell ya, if it weren't for sports what excuse would we have for screaming at the TV? I can't wait for football (I have no illusions about the Dodgers maintaining the best in baseball thing, 'specially with Manny the #%$*&%$ back in the lineup).

Too bad about the mtx. I had the worst stomach problems with the pills then started the injectable kind last month (I shoot up meth ha ha ha) but the folic acid (2 times normal dose) works for me. Still lose some hair but nothing comparable to the male patern thing...have you noticed you don't lose leg hair?

Enjoy your beer, good luck with the Enbrel, and I hope the Cubbies don't break your heart forever!

AmyAria

7/20/09 12:59pm

Haven't noticed on the leg hair, but the other place hair loss has been working my nerves.....EYEBROWS!!! Hadn't ocurred to me that my brows would thin, although I'm not sure why. I've even started penciling them in a bit. But since I don't really know what I'm doing I'm scared I'll end up looking a bit "drag queen-ish" if I'm not careful. Hopefully the switch to Enbrel will clear this up, but if it doesn't I'm considering getting them dyed. I know....that sounds potentially dangerous, doesn't it? I may end up looking all neanderthal! Uff da!

Nancy Johnson

7/20/09 2:25pm

Do not take extra folic acid while on mtx, it interfers with the mtx working to it's maximum , that's probably why your hair stopped falling out. And as for the drinks, I've been on Embrel for over a year and the onle down side about drinking is it affecting your liver, which is what the mtx does also. EVERBODY deserves a drink or two once in a while. Cheers

AmyAria

7/20/09 2:36pm

Just to be clear, I'm no longer taking the mtx. When I was taking it or the Arava, I almost never drank. Maybe one beer a month or something. For the same reasons you mention, I wanted to be kind to my liver. *wink*

Brad, Health Guide

7/18/09 1:24am

I like having a beer or two now and then! I asked my rhuemy and he said there are purists out there that say you cannot have ANY alcohol. BUT, as long as you dont' over do it, he did not see any issue with having a few beers now and then! SO HAVE ONE! I did tonight! :)

AmyAria

7/18/09 8:50pm

Heh heh. I just did too!!! I don't drink much, or even all that often but I have really missed it over the past year or so. Maybe it's just having a sense of returning more to "normal" that makes it feel so good. Well, anyway....CHEERS!

Enbrel and Alchohol

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