I know the whole subject of alcohol whilst on B12 injections has probably been debated to death but is it really that bad? Can it actually do any real harm to have a couple of glasses of wine. Yes, it may slow down the recovery process slightly, but surely it wont cause the healing to stop altogether. I find it helps me to relax which is a good thing for me. It doesn’t affect my sleep. I have been feeling rotten the last few weeks, fatigue, and all the other reversing out symptoms, but then it appears nearly everyone goes through this phase, especially where I am at 3 1/2 months into protocol.
Interested to hear everyone’s thoughts on the subject, and I’m sure there will be a few! 🍷 🍷😬 🐝 🐝!
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Chickens44
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At the start of my B12 recovery journey I avoided alcohol for a couple of years. The reason for this is that alcohol depletes B12, and it just made me feel worse. It seemed pointless to me to stick rigidly to a protocol that was working for me, only to then ruin it by having alcohol. But this was my personal experience. Many people say they cannot tolerate alcohol, whilst it has no affect on others. I am 7½ years into self injecting and, for the whole, I am now symptom free. I do allow myself alcohol sometimes, but I can go months without. It still affects me if I have it too regularly, especially wine: I get some symptoms returning. But I do love a glass of prosecco or a cocktail or two. I just have to limit it, which is no bad thing.
As Nackapan says - it’s a good sign that you fancy a glass of wine . Yes it’s said that it depletes B12. But we are all different . And by the looks of it you don’t suffer from having the odd glass . So I wouldn’t worry too much
I've only stopped drinking red wine when i don't fancy it (my husband and i often share a bottle of an evening, but not every evening!). I just make sure he has the lions share otherwise i feel ropey the next day. Who knows whether that's a hang over or the B12. I've always been known for my limited alcohol tolerance (by which i mean i couldn't cope with drinking gargantuan amounts when i was university) which could well be a life long b12 deficiency.Lots of things I've assumed are "just me" turn out to be "my B12 deficiency" instead!
So in short, if you fancy it and it doesn't make you feel ill, it's unlikely to be causing a significant problem.
Beauty clinics that offer B12 injections suggest that you don’t drink it in the first 48 hours to not limit the impact of the injection. However, I don’t know how evidence based that is, and IMO it’s a bit different if you’re having an injection every 48 hours. I might have a glass of white wine up to 2-3 evenings a week (sadly red is a huge migraine trigger) and I don’t think it makes any difference to when I don’t drink at all. But when I’m finally ready to decease my injection frequency, I might start avoiding alcohol on injection days.
I have always been a lightweight and would only have 1 or 2 ciders, 1 cocktail etc. but even that now, I can’t tolerate. I feel so ill the next day, it’s not worth it. The most I will do now is share a beer (1/3) with my husband.
I have also had the worst time recovering from a recent procedure - the anaesthetic also gets processed by your liver. So I wonder if my liver is just throwing temper tantrums every time it has to get rid of my “natural” B12 🤷🏻♀️
Wine isn't a problem for me. I share a bottle every night with my partner. Have done so for over 40 years. But spirits are another thing. I stay away from them.
I know I am going to get people telling me I drink too much. But I have a very healthy lifestyle. I exercise a lot and maintain a good weight. IMO the good things in my lifestyle outweigh the bad. I have yearly blood tests and my liver is fine.
I wouldn't get worked up about the effects of a couple of drinks per week, especially in relation to B12 status. While it is true to say that there is completely safe level of alcohol intake, it is also true that there is no completely safe amount of time that can be spent driving.
It is best to take an approach that suits you, bearing in mind that good mental health is an important part of recovery.
The taste of many non-alcoholic drinks are improving a lot, even in the last year, although for wine I am not so sure. Limiting drinking to the weekend or giving your body some days off between drinks can be another approach.
I never knew it was even a thing! I have continued to have a drink - wine, beer or spirits, whenever I fancied one, since being diagnosed with PA over 15 years or so ago. I self inject (or my partner does it) once every 2-3 months depending on when I feel I need a top up. Apart from the odd hangover which is probably due to drinking more than I should have, I have never noticed any specific issues with the B12 and alcohol - more just issues with general aging and alcohol tolerance which diminishes as I get older.
If you enjoy a glass or two of wine, then go for it. We all deserve to have a little guilty pleasure now and then.
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