Drinking Alchohol and DMDs

[seeuinct]

Hi everyone-
I wanted to put a question out to everyone about drinking while on any of the DMDs.
When asked the question at the dr's office, "how many alcoholic beverages do you consume per week?", my answer is less than 1. I drink occasionally. Last night I consumed 3 pints over the course of 4 1/2 hours, which to me is very reasonable. But now I'm taking avonex and there is a concern about my liver (what exactly-I'm not sure). I have quit smoking altogether but do I need to give up drinking also?
I understand there are people out there that do not drink at all for various reasons. I would like to drink occasionally. Is it going to mess up my liver? The last time I drank was over Christmas when I had a glass of wine. I am not a big drinker, but I really don't want to give it up. I like drinking socially from time to time. I made myself give up smoking-because it has an impact on exacerbations. Do I need to consider giving up my glass of wine or beer once a month too?

[Bob698]

Did you just start your DMD?
They keep an eye on liver functions when you're first starting out on interferon, that's just a CYA kind of thing.
My Doc said (social) drinking was fine as long as I didn't have issues with depression. I'm on Beta, BTW.
One thing to watch out for, though, is if you have fatigue as a secondary symtom to your MS. Having a drink might not do anything or it might make you feel really tired. Just plan ahead if you're not sure.

When in doubt, ask your Doc.

[Justsayyes]

I've been on Avonex 8 years, have not changed my drinking habits and my liver enzyme tests are good. As long as my tests are fine, I still drink alcohol in moderation. I get blood tests every 6 months.

[ladibabe]

3 pints in 4 hours is a lot for an occasional drinker. It takes me a week to drink a pint of tequila not 1.5 hours I would be under the toilet. I think the first thing you should do is be honest to yourself about your drinking. I am not judging just saying. Be careful

[SilverLinings]

3 pints in 4 hours is a lot for an occasional drinker. It takes me a week to drink a pint of tequila not 1.5 hours I would be under the toilet. I think the first thing you should do is be honest to yourself about your drinking. I am not judging just saying. Be careful

I would be feeling terrible with 3 pints of tequila too but maybe the person above was referring to beer? There's much less alcohol content in the same amount of beer than that in hard alcohol (ie. 80 proof)

tc
Silverlinings.

[KatieDidNOT]

3 pints in 4 hours is a lot for an occasional drinker. It takes me a week to drink a pint of tequila not 1.5 hours I would be under the toilet. I think the first thing you should do is be honest to yourself about your drinking. I am not judging just saying. Be careful

I think the original poster meant 3 pints of beer.

Katie

[Bob698]

..which over four hours makes the bartender very unhappy.

[ladibabe]

I don't usually measure beer in pints, its bottles. Guess that's the disconnect.

[seeuinct]

omg i just fell over in a fit of laughter!
It was definitley 3 pints of beer. And Bob the bartender is a friend and I left him an outstanding tip so I think he's ok with it.

[BigA]

omg i just fell over in a fit of laughter!
It was definitely 3 pints of beer. And Bob the bartender is a friend and I left him an outstanding tip so I think he's OK with it.

20oz or 16oz pints?

I would find out if the Avonex is affecting your liver or not. Give it a few months. After than, i wouldn't recommend drink 1 day before or after. The meds are hard on the liver. And don't take Tylenol (paracetamol) with Avonex.

[TLC_31]

I’ve taken a two-pill dose of acetaminophen (sometimes the Tylenol brand of it) prior to each of my 401 shots of Avonex. And I usually have another dose at least four hours later. Sometimes there’s a third dose involved the next morning.

I will drink in moderation two dozen times a year, and a few of those come within a day of a shot.

My annual liver tests all come out fine. Others’ results my vary, and I’m not recommending any particular routine for others … but no need to be alarmist, either.

[KatieDidNOT]

Hey See--

Just ask your doc what they think is right for you. As you can see, everyone is different.

Good luck with your Avonex.

Cheers--Katie

[golfwidow]

Thanks for posting the drink question........I am on Betaseron and not willing to give up my glass of wine........liver test have been fine so far...........Beta nurse even said --have a glass of wine before your shot if it helps with the needle anxiety !! I don't have a glass every night as sometimes I think it makes my fatique worse