Hello all
Does anyone know if you can drink alcohol with Pbc? As the party season is upon us and I'm going to my first Xmas party tomorrow night I wondered if I could have even one glass of wine without doing more harm? I am still waiting for my official diagnosis with a biopsy even though the consultant said I have Pbc.
Although I was not a drinker I had PBC, I have never consider having any alcohol at all. My thought is I have a new lease of life and I will not ruin it. Go to the party but just don't drink..
Find the related post" I have not seen alcohol mentioned anywhere" and read Robert`s
(PBC Foundation) post .
If you do have PBC join the PBC Foundation (link at the top) and get the facts.
I honestly think that no one can answer that question for you. I think you should talk to your doctor about it. If you are early stages, he will probably tell you that it's okay. I talked to my doctor and he said that's should live a little, but know that I have to be smart about everything I do.
I went to a conference run by the PBC foundation & the very qualified professional liver specialist said if you want a drink have one but just don't over do it. An odd one will be fine. I personally went t total 18 months ago by choice. Because alcohol even one small glass makes me feel so I'll & sends me to sleep while the liver deals with it. So I choose not to give it any more hassle. I'd rather get up the next day. I was spending 3 days in bed. I don't miss it. X
Hi, my consultant told me that having one or two on special occassions did no harm at all. However, when I do I tend to water it down quite a bit or it goes to my head very quickly indeed. I also make one drink last for ages. Most of the time I dont bother and have a soft drink instead. Enjoy your party. X
I asked my hepatologist this question and he told me that I can drink but shouldn't have more than 3 drinks in one sitting. I am sure that it has do with a lot of factors. Just call and ask your doctor. Mine is really good at answering my questions when I call. Good luck!
I was a drinker and at one point in my life pre diagnosis I would say I was a heavy drinker. I was very relieved to learn that PBC was NOT caused by alcohol. However because alcohol is an irritant and really not good for the liver let alone our little struggling bile ducts I gave up drinking completely for about 2 years. I am old enough not to succumb to peer pressure but I did around a dinner party table one night. I enjoyed the wine that night with a beautiful meal but the following day I felt awful and it took me about a week to get back to what is now normal. Quite a few years on the same people have just visited for a week (gone now) and although I have had the occasional glass of wine during the week I managed to be the designated driver and avoided most alcoholic moments! Those couple of glasses of wine over a couple of the dinners at restaurants were really enjoyable but with all the activity and entertainment of visitors I am now exhausted. People in certain social circumstances do not understand or wish to understand the nature of PBC and its impact on lives so the decision of drink or not to drink must be yours. For me personally I prefer to avoid drinking but will have the odd glass of wine in social circumstances where it is difficult and where I am weak enough to be persuaded that it will not hurt.
My consultant told me at the moment an odd drink would be fine, I am early stages. I can tell when I have had a drink so I very rarely do, for me I don't want to put any added stress in my liver. This has to be a personal choice, speak to your doctor and make the right choice for you. Nowadays I like the fact I don't
have to hang around for a taxi, I wake up without a hangover and I no longer get the horrible morning after what did I say/do feeling plus your the one who remembers what people did/said (depending on how my memory is!) Since diagnosis I have found my body lets me know if I have eaten or drank the wrong things, it's a funny old illness. I hope you adjust well to your PBC (I know it's a lot to take in) and hope you find a way to enjoy the festive season and keep well.
Pbc has nothing to do with drink. I have had this for 20 years and i do have a drink.It wont hurt you.Enjoy christmas.
PBC is not caused by alcohol I agree.
PBC affects the liver (I am sure you agree)
The liver is tasked with clearing out alcohol (fact)
So there is a inter relationship!
If your liver is compromised drinking alcohol can and will hurt you unless you take care.
The odd glass of wine should be OK, do not let this slip to become the more than odd glass of wine! (you do not have to have a "alcohol problem" to get "into" a few glasses!)
Unless you consultant says otherwise, 2 glasses on odd occasions should be OK. For me 2 glasses gets me quite tiddly (now that I have moved from moderate drinker to very rare drinker.) just out of practice! (a cheap night out, me!)
PBC is not caused by alcohol correct. But you can't say a liver condition isn't irritated by drink. Alcohol is a poison and the liver will have it to deal with. My liver doesn't like having to deal with it so I don't drink. But some people are at a different stage & don't have an issue. Your body will let you know I found out my limits by a process of elimination. I stopped beer/ lager first then dark drinks eg red wine then went on to white drinks ie Martini or white wine. It took 6 months & I ended up not being able to tolerate any at all. It is a personal choice my body sent me to sleep whilst it processed the poison. It could take three days. I now choose to get up & do something. It did do me harm!
I went without any alcohol for 4 -5 years after diagnosis, always wondering the same thing as you, whether it was safe to do so. Throughout this time I didn't feel any different and my bloods didn't change at all. I am fortunate I don't have any symptoms and was a coincidental finding when I was pregnant. Now 10 years later and only age 41 I am enjoying life, having a drink on social occasions and not letting pbc take over. If drinking doesn't agree with you, don't do it.
Have a merry Christmas 😊
I used to drink a fair bit then gave up completely on diagnosis for a few years and it made no difference at all - I drink now on the odd night and on special occasions and feel ok but I can't drink very much at all and have waters in between - it's your choice and it's how you feel
Hello Bellalou10.
As I understand it the odd glass of alcohol isn't apparently of much significance if one is in the earlier stages of PBC. That is what I have read anyway.
I wasn't that bothered about alcohol pre-early 2010 when I started to itch so after my first abnormal LFTs that set me on the 9 month road to being diagnosed with PBC (Dec 2010) I chose not to have any alcohol. Doesn't bother me at all. I did feel a bit conscious in the earlier days if I even found myself in a situation with a few others (ie a quick meet up with my husband's friend(s) in a pub or meal out with family/friends) but over time I just don't bother now. I find I can easily just state I dont' want anything in the way of alcohol if asked. I haven't actually told anyone outside the family except a few select friends I have PBC. Last xmas I did have a bit of whisky in a cup of tea due to living in a very cold house and it being frosty outside but that has probably been my only since 2010.
In my view any alcohol could probably make the LFTs rise slightly and for PBC it might mean it could take longer for them to come back to where they were at perhaps pre-alcohol even if a little. I think it's a personal choice though I choose not to bother with alcohol.
There are some good alcohol-free drinks on the market. I have had the odd half bottle of a non-alcoholic beer with family of a rare occasion over the last year. I only have half as I can't drink the amount of liquid in 500mls and pre-PBC was never partial to drinking half pints of lager, etc anyway.
I think if you were to have a drink of wine, it might be wise to make sure you consume it with food perhaps?
I normally only drink a very small amount such as to toast an event on a special occasion.
However, on holiday this year I had a glass of wine every day with dinner and I felt no ill effect at all. I feel unwell if I don`t eat healthily but a little alcohol does not seem to make any difference.
I guess you need to try it for yourself and if it makes you feel bad, don`t do it. Moderation in everything.
I am not a drinker, but once in a blue moon if I go out to hear a band, I limit myself to one or two drinks, but one night I went a little too far 3 drinks, and I could feel the efeect on my body. I felt absolutely sick and in bed the next two days..... I am sure it was bc the alcohol has to go through the liver. I have never had this reaction before PBC...however If I stick to my one drink or two maximum I am fine. But I'm talking about going out maybe twice a year, as like I said I am not a drinker, ut I would definitely check with your Dr. ....
In 2000 I was diagnosed with PBC. My consultant said an occasional drink was OK. I have never been a drinker but enjoy a (1 -2) social drink if at a party. However for the last couple of years at my 6 month check Liver specialist nurses have told me not to have any alcohol. Apparently this is because it wouild go against you if you ever needed a transplant.
It's a personal choice and I choose to enjoy this time I have on earth... we only live once. I enjoy hiking, cycling, climbing those beautiful Rocky Mountains from my backyard and smelling the roses! I love to travel and doing silly things and... I also love and enjoy a nice wine! ....... 
Everyone is different, on that we all agree. I feel it is up to each individual. Personally I have a max of two alcoholic drinks on special occasions. I feel fine the next day, I had no alcohol at all for 4 years but my consultant advised me that it was fine in moderation.
PBC 
