Have any of you noticed more difficulty drinking alcohol with PV - or with hydroxyurea?
I don't drink a lot but in the past have enjoyed an occasional glass of wine. Lately I seem to notice, at least once or twice, feeling completely wiped out the next day. We're not talking large amounts, a glass, if that much. Not sure yet whether it's coincidence or not.
I have ET using hydroxycarbamide. I haven’t notice any difference when I have an alcohol drink.
Hi there. This isn’t the first time someone has reported something similar on this forum. On the other hand, plenty of people have also reported waking up and feeling completely hungover despite the fact they haven’t had a drop to drink! All kinds of conclusions might be drawn!
Hi Souplover,
I drink !!
I go out once a week and the Doctors call it binge drinking, I have 4-6 pints and do feel it the day after, but life is for living and I have some good friends to share it with,
On the days where I have the odd glass of wine at home it makes no difference to how I feel the day after, and some days when I haven’t had a drink I feel wiped out.
I have concluded that if I am going to feel like I have a hangover without drinking and not much worse when I do why give it up?
You are the expert on you and you know your limits, pace yourself drink plenty of water and experiment to find your best balance.
Good luck and have fun.
Ourlife
I have been diagnosed for 8 years now ET Jak 2+ and take hydroxy. I can only drink 1 glass of wine, if I drink more I wake up the next day with a very bad headache. This has gotten progressively worse over the past 8 years, so I am assuming it is the medication. I think maybe dehydration has something to do with it. I always drink water after the wine and that seems to help. Not giving up my last glass yet though.
We are all different and our bodies change with time, with or without an MPN. Listening to what our bodies are telling us is an important skill in coping with an illness. As is asking for advice.
Try having a break from alcohol for a month and see how it goes. Have fun exploring non alcoholic alternatives.
If you go back to alcohol you could try making a change in what you normally drink. I find red wine is much more likely to have after effects than white.
IMO two issues
1. Is alcohol increasing or reducing your QoL? For me, a significant increase in QoL! I drink c. 30 units red wine per week, double on holiday. No hangover, drink slowly over course of evening with food and stay well hydrated (with water!).
2. Is it damaging your health? My opinion is that the health risks increase exponentially with number of units. Hence my 30 units may increase my risk (of alcohol related) cancer by say 50% but this is off a low base. ie assuming base risk is say 2%, I’m not going to have sleepless nights about 3%.
And my illustrative 2% covers multiple other factors such as weight, healthy diet and exercise. My view is eating well, staying at an optimal weight and exercising when combined more than offsets my 🍷 excesses. 🤞
This is exactly what happens to my husband now.
If he has a drink the next day he's really exhausted .
He's completed dry January and has had a few drinks in February.
His Liver function blood tests have all come back lower so he's happy to only drink occasionally now .
Tracey
Alcohol in moderation with HU is OK - so long as it is in moderation. There is no issue with PV per se that I am aware of; however, alcohol can dehydrate you. Dehydration is an issue for those of us with PV. Suggest trying to hydrate a bit more whenever you are going to consume some alcohol and see if that makes any difference. I do drink alcohol in moderation with PV and did so when I was taking HU. Had no problems whatsoever. Emphasis is on moderation and staying hydrated. In my view life to soo short and having a MPN can have significant impact on quality of life. It is really important to enjoy life and live every day to its fullest. If that includes a glass of wine, then by all means enjoy it. Just enjoy it with a bit of common sense.
All the best. As our Italian friends say "
il vino è vita
!"
Thanks, everyone! To sum up, what I'm hearing from you all is somewhat inconsistent since some people do notice an effect and others not at all.
But I'm also hearing a them here, that life is too short to give up enjoying an occasional glass of wine! Also to drink lots of water to compensate. But also to listen to my body and if it really is the alcohol that's wiping me out, even in small quantities, to think about giving it up.
Thanks, I wasn't sure whether it was completely obvious to others. Sounds like not a clear result here, but the feedback was helpful!
I haven't noticed any differences
Yes I think I take longer to recover x
Hydroxyurea or not?
Phlebotomy or Hydroxyurea 
Hydroxyurea induced pneumonia 
ET or PV 
Hydroxyurea or Busulfan
