Does anyone notice how alcohol affect... - ITP Support Assoc...
Does anyone notice how alcohol affects platelet count. I'm talking about 2 glasses of wine every other night and not a lot of alcohol.
Hi, I have had ITP for about 9 years. When I was in hospital for the first time with this illness my doctor told me :no alcohol, no cigarets, no hot bath. Though during this time I have used a little alcohol like wine but very seldom. Nothing bad has happened.
Hello ...I have had ITP since 2006, in remission following Rituximab treatment in May this year. I have never found that my ITP has been adversely affected by taking a glass or two of alcohol. As usual with anything ITP it has to be pointed out that we all react in different ways so what is ok for one ITP sufferer may not be for all ITP sufferers. The best advice is to just check with your own ITP specialist or the person treating you as each case is different. BUT in my own case I have a glass of wine with my evening meal 3 or 4 times a week and have no adverse reaction and my specialist confirms this is ok to do. Obviously drinking in moderation is what we are talking about here but if in doubt talk to your specialist.
I agree with Anthony. I have had ITP for 20 years, always enjoyed a drink or three, smoked until 4 years ago and traveled extensively and have not taken regular medication with a count of 10. Now a days I find a bath troublesome so enjoy a shower more. My consultant said to me last week, so long as you do not fall over and bang your head - enjoy in reasonable moderation. I agree whole hartedly with that so go on enjoy life but as ever, be aware of the danger of trauma.
wow, that's amazing. A count of 10 and no medication? Have you EVER had medication - like prednisone? I have a count of 30 and have not had medication yet and I dread taking prednisone if I ever need meds.
hmmm, I haven't lived any single day without prednisolone during these almost 9 years. Not very many variants of treating this illness is offered by hematologists in my country. Two years ago I wanted to give up this medicine and lived without it 3 days. The result was pains in joints and weakness, a lot of bruises. Count was 0. So my doctor told me never do the experiment like this.
OMG 9 years of prednisone. In the U.S., that's unheard of. If I were you, I would get a second opinion regarding medical therapies because I think its unconscionable to treat ITP with prednisone for NINE years. There are other treatments, like Rituxan and N-Plate. Long term side effects alone cause diseases. .
I know it causes a lot of side effects. Some years ago I found in internet information about N-plate. I told about that my doctor. Unfortunately it was under some kind of medical programe in Latvia and it costs a lot here. My country is very small and I guess we don't have specialists in ITP and patients with this illness are also just not so many. During these 9 years they also tried globulin but it didn't work. So thanks to GOD grace I can still live and work.
In what country do you live?
I live in Latvia. Some years after they discovered my illness I went to Snt.Petersburgh (Russia) to get other opinion about treatment of this illness but they adviced me the same. I also consultated with my acquintances in the USA about that. And they said the same. So I stopped looking for anything variant. By the way happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you! have a healthy 2014 with lots of platelets. smile. I still think you could get off of prednisone and take another form of medical therapy like Rituxin but I guess you would have to find a doctor in Latvia who would have to agree with that. What is your count now with the prednisone? And if you ever did get off of prednisone, you would have to do it slowly, not all at once, but you probably know that. Cheers. It is only 9:49 pm here in my part of the U.S. and in Latvia, you have already brought in the New Year.
Thanks. I wish you the same, enough plateles and no medicine. Here is 9.30am, 1st of January already.Sure I have been trying to get off the prednisolon all the time. I know that.I am not sure about the count right now.I am going to visit doctor on the 3rd of January.
When you visit the doctor, find out what your platelets are and then ask him if you could switch from prednisone to a TPO agent like Nplate. It's regularly used in the U.S. with success on most ITP patients. There is also a product called Rituxin that works for a lot of people. Prednisone ruins your bones and so many other organs. From my point of view, it is terrible that your doctor is OK with giving it to you for so many years. How old are you? Right now, it is 7:50 a.m. New Year's Day. I'm about to take the dog for a 4 mile walk in the freezing cold, so I bundled up with three layers of clothing. smile.
Thanks, I will try.Though I really would like to stop taking any medicine. Somehow GOD has protected my bones till now. And every day I eat large portion of village cheese which is rich in calcium. 4 mile walk? It's a long distance. I also love walking. Which part of the US do you live? In Latvia there are usually nice winters, with snow and cold but this year neither cold nor snow. Hard to say if it is late fall or early spring. I am 50. I work in school. What about you?
I live in what is called the Pacific Northwest, and more specifically in the state of Washington. North of California. I am retired from a graphic arts business that my husband owns and basically all I do now is play a lot of golf and walk the dog. Not too stressful. ha ha. I am 72 years old but feel about 42. I used to be a long distance runner so walking 4 miles is not very far for me. I'll be interested in what your doctor says about some other form of medical therapy. I don't blame you for not wanting to take any medication. Neither do I. My platelets hang in there around 30,000. As I may have said before, I have not had to have any medical therapy as yet. I suppose I will eventually though.
Lucky you! When I was hospitalized for the first time my count was 20 and I was all in bruises. Immediatelly I was given prednisolon in a huge dose. It worked. I told my doctor that I knew what kind of medicine it was and asked if they had another variant. She became angry. We have only one hematological clinic in Latvia. And nearly all specialists work there. Before that I was very active, worked with scouts and guides, danced in Folk dance group. But due to that illness and medicine I have become much weaker. But at least I can walk. 
Yes, I do think alcohol in even small amounts lowers platelets. Sorry to say since I,too, enjoy a glass of wine with dinner. I have had ITP since 2007 and that's been my experience. When my platelets are somewhat "up" I allow myself a drink and when on vacation it's a real bummer------ as one tends to not want to be worrying constantly about their platelet count! If mine are over 45000 I will allow myself a drink.
I have itp ever since I was six years old so going on like 16 years now question does drinking affect you cause alcohol already a blood thinner?
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