How bad is a drop of wine for your kidneys?

[Love101cats]

I haven't had any alcohol for ages but felt a bit pale so bought a good red wine which last me 8 days so just a tiny amount with my lunch. Now it appears that I have gout in the toes of my left foot. My g.p. wanted me to go to surgery yesterday afternoon but I couldn't bear the pain. He said over the phone its hard to decide if its an infection or gout but gave me a prescription for gout which I'll get on Monday. But does this mean all alcohol is out?

[Bassetmommer NKF Ambassador]

HI Love, A small amount of wine.... usually does not bring on gout. Gout is brought on with high uric acid in the blood. It is a form of arthritis and is painful as heck. The thing about alcohol, it raises the uric acid level and hence the reaction. BUT, it requires a couple of glasses or more. Having CKD can change blood levels so that is something to have checked out. You will also be surprised in the foods that have high purines, which is what causes uric acid /gout. Things like turkey and cauliflower all have it. Do a good search for high purine foods.

As far as having wine, not while you have an attack happening. Afterwards would depend on your acid levels. There are other diseases such as psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis and metabolic acidosis which raise blood acid. So make sure your doctor tests your blood levels.

As far as wine goes, it all depends on your stage, tolerance and other comorbidities. I love wine and would have a small glass once it a while and I had permission from my doctor. We have small sample or tasting size wine glasses so a glass for me would be about 4 ounces. Articles I have read say that one small glass of red wine is good for you. But check with your doctor.

[Hidden]

Alcohol is not your friend if you have both CKD and Gout. I take a daily maintenance dose of allopurinol for gout. Occasionally, after a bike ride, long walk, or a game of paddleball I'll get a flare-up. There is an OTC topical medication called Capsaicin that has worked well for me and with no side-effects. It's better than popping a second pill. Check with your doctor or pharmacist to see if it will work for you. If you do have gout the topical is not a substitute for the medication, just in addition in case of a flare-up.Best of luck.

[Love100cats in reply to Hidden]

Thank you. Ive never had gout before but my husband did. I found a very small glass of red wine settled my tummy so I had it at lunch time. No effects for the first 6 days but yesterday when I got up it was so painful. So I shan't drink any alcohol at all. So the mantra of just this once is dangerous. Im learning!

[Panda68]

Hi, I don’t think that little amount of wine would do it, I think it’s more beer and grain alcohol that triggers gout.

It could simply be your uric acid level. If you are on meds to maintain your uric acid it’s important to take your meds around the same time everyday. Keeping the level stable is what is critical in management.

Food is a huge trigger, shrimp and other shell fish are triggers as well as too much red meat. I take allopurinol as a preventive med which works well and watch my diet.

I learned from a gout patient group years ago 2 things that helped me immensely.

- Cherry juice (100% ) helps cut down on how long an attack lasts. It cuts the uric acid level. It really works for me. Just don’t drink too much at once because of the potassium. I drink a glass a day during an attack.

-see a rheumatologist. My pcp was managing my gout. Turns out it made a huge difference when I went to a rheumatologist instead.

Good luck and enjoy your wine. I’m a cat lover too!

[Love100cats in reply to Panda68]

I was surprised when I got gout as I have never had it before but I stopped drinking my red wine when I was diagnosed with kidney failure stage 4. But I was very pale and suffering nausea so I decided to try the red wine again bearing in mind a bottle lasts 8 days it was a small amount and after 6,days I have gout. So thats it I'm afraid. Its the same with red meat. My kidneys dont like it so I dont eat it. I am eating the cherries and I also douse the foot in very strong lavender cologne and it takes all the heat out of the joint.

[rabbit01]

No a glass or two of red wine won't bring on gout and won't do any harm to your kidneys. In fact beer is worse than wine and even spirits. This is assuming moderate consumption. Obviously you don't want to go on a drinking binge but the odd glass of vino is fine. With gout there are things to avoid such as pate. Red meat especially lamb is not good and even shellfish can start a gout attack. Cherry 🍒 juice always helps me when I have had it as I believe it helps dissolve the crystals in the joints.