Red wine and Pred

[Rosina1871]

Hi,

I’m on 15mg of Pred. Diagnosed beginning of Jan 19. Any opinions on 🍷 having a couple of glasses of red wine in the evening? Do other people on the forum drink wine whilst on Pred? If so any side effects

Thanks

[fmkkm]

Hi Rosina,

Most people are fine with it. I can no longer tolerate it, 2 glasses sends me into a flare but that is just me. I did find that it did not take much to reach my brain so pred head probably makes the effects of the alcohol more intense.

[Rosina1871 in reply to fmkkm]

Thanks for your reply. Appreciated

[alvertta in reply to fmkkm]

My rheumatologist said No Booze. Then my naturopath said no gluten, no sugar. So I do that. I sip my husband’s drink ... just a little sip... once a week or so.

[Rosina1871 in reply to alvertta]

I’m already on a low carb, low sugar diet. It’s the glass of wine in the evening that I look forward to and keeps me going. Just wanted to know others experiences. Thanks for replying

[Hidden]

Read my post 'Something to smile about on a snowy day'

I suggest it's important that you read it 😂

[Rosina1871 in reply to Hidden]

Read it. Excellent

[Hidden in reply to Rosina1871]

On the serious side, I do enjoy a glass of wine in the evening. Sometimes red or sometimes white. A bottle will last me a week. My philosophy is everything in moderation. None of the doctors I have seen over the last 4 to 5 years whilst I have been on pred have said 'do not drink alcohol. However I have not seen many doctors. It would seem they have left me to self manage.

Happy days, Not 😎

[Jen47 in reply to Hidden]

I always enjoyed red wine but found that it tasted very bitter once I started pred. My husband assured me that the wines we were having tasted no different to usual. It wasn't worth it, so I stuck to white, which tasted as normal. As for ill effects from red, I never got the chance to find out. I gladly report, however, that on lower doses of pred - after five years - everything is back to normal. Jeno

[Hidden in reply to Jen47]

That's good news then 😋

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Has never stopped me - though it is now more often white wine. My tastes changed with PMR and I can't drink heavy reds at all, our local light reds are fine though. In the 5 years of PMR without pred I really noticed how much better I felt after a glass of wine.

[Hidden in reply to PMRpro]

Interesting, I went off all kind of food when on high doses of pred, now on 3mg things are back to normal, tast wise that is. 😋

[markbenjamin57 in reply to PMRpro]

I think the clue is in 'heavy' (more sugar-loaded?)...

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to markbenjamin57]

Probably more tannin-loaded. They are usually dry - maybe a bit more alcohil as well these days...

[markbenjamin57 in reply to PMRpro]

I remember you mentioning this before.

[alvertta]

I have a case of Vouvray waiting for me in the basement. French White. Sad.

[Hidden in reply to alvertta]

There will come a time etc. .......

[alvertta in reply to Hidden]

I hope so.

[EdithWales]

I don’t drink red wine because it makes my heart go bumpety bump especially at night. However 5 years on I have happily drunk white wine, gin and champagne very happily. Not good for the weight of course but I enjoy it and it doesn’t seem to have done any harm 🥂🥂

[Rosina1871]

May try the white cos I’ve had a few bumpety bumps . Thanks

[Soraya_PMR]

I swore by red wine and heat pads pre pred. I still do both on pred. No discernible problems here 😁

[Mary63]

Red, white, rose...love them all. No ill effects!

[Rosina1871]

Great to hear that Mary

[Bronni]

When I admit to a nightly glass of Chardonnay to my gp, her response is “wow, you must really like inflammation”. It doesn’t seem to affect me adversely though, so I continue on. I must say that 2 glasses, however, are too much. I don’t know if my lack of tolerance is age, pmr or pred related 🙄

[Rosina1871]

Thinking of asking my doc but she msy not give me the answer I want 🤔

[Cyclegirl54]

I’ve found it doesn’t agree with me at all, sadly🙃

[Rosina1871]

Could you drink it before you had PMR?

[Laurapc]

I went on Methotrexate for the first time about 25 years ago and the doctor said under no circumstances was I to drink alcohol of any description. About 6 months later I was going to a wedding and asked if I would be able to have a glass of champagne. He said " I didn't hear you ask that". I knew right there it was nonsense. All medical professionals are told to assume everyone is an alcoholic or drug addict.

Consequently, I went back to enjoying a glass or two at the end of the day and I have never had any adverse reactions. My liver enzymes are perfect and considering the drugs I have taken over the years, that is remarkable.

[Rosina1871 in reply to Laurapc]

Thank you. That’s very reassuring.

[piglette]

A day without wine is like a day without sunshine!

[MhairiP]

Strangely, I went off wine when I was first diagnosed last summer. During the very hot spell we had last July/August I started drinking a chilled beer each evening. I'm pleased to report that I'm now back to normal - wine each evening! Red, white or rosé, depending on my mood and what needs using up.

[Rosina1871 in reply to MhairiP]

Love it

[markbenjamin57]

Greetings Rosina

If it helps.. I read somewhere in the Tabloids that every glass of red wine shortens your life by about a minute. As a result, I've given up. (Reading the tabloids, that is..)

For myslef personlode, Yo de ho de ho. I can honeshtly shay that a wee drinkly or 7 of the red relakshing stuff in the eveningd with binner gieves me noooo 111 effectives on my moooood. YIKES!! WHO PUT THE BLINKING CAT OUT!!! Hang on a mo, I haven't got a chat. I'm like Duuggghhh ;-/

Seriously (!): I, too, enjoy the red stuff in the evenings with dinner. But I stick to the dry reds (French best) as I'm convinced that the much higher sugar content in some of the sweeter, 'tasty' reds can mess around more with blood sugar levels and also give you a thumping hangover.

That said, it all depends on how much you drink / how regularly vs. your tolerance for it. And, of course, in conjunction with how the Preds affect you personally (the usual health warnings apply).

So, everything in moderation..?

Best wishes and bottoms up

'Uncle' MB

[Oxford8 in reply to markbenjamin57]

Great laugh MB! 🤣😂

[bright-horizon]

My GP has never wanted me (or her other patients) to have more than 2 small glasses of wine in a week. I have never been able or willing to follow that advice, though I try to have several wine free days in a week. That’s before I was diagnosed with GCA and started my prednisone tango in December 2018. I found early on that a glass or two of red in the evening makes me feel close to “normal” for a few hours, both physically and emotionally.

After about six weeks I had a flare at 35mg prednisone went back up to 50mg and was also started on methotrexate. The no drinking warnings from GP and rheumatologist were unequivocal and about half the time I follow the rules. So my regular blood tests are the guide, both for managing the pred tapering as well as checking on my liver health. I’ll have another blood test tomorrow and if the liver enzymes are up that will be it for me and my Shiraz for a while. I’ll let you know how that goes.

[SheffieldJane]

I stopped drinking for 4 years, initially thinking that I felt awful because of lifestyle issues. This ecompassed most of my time with PMR. At Christmas ( in an effort not to be a drag) I had the odd glass of champagne or wine. I found that it gave me an incredibly dry mouth and disturbed sleep, later. I have to say that at the time it lived up to its history as the oldest anaesthetic in the world and I felt nice for about an hour.

[PMRnewbie2017]

I drink anything that's offered or in the cupboard! I haven't noticed any I'll effects, in fact it relaxes me on those occasions I feel wound up about something. Initially when I was unwell I couldn't face it but once I stabilised, no problems. IMHO medics blame all sorts of issues on the dreaded alcohol and actively demonize those of us that drink. It's a good get out clause for them when they don't know the answer to a problem.

[Hellyowl]

I too drink pretty much what alcohol I like with a couple of drink free days a week. But I do think that red might make my aches and pains in the morning worse than white wine or G & T.