SULPHITES

[Anieand]

Someone suggested that my Polymyalgia could be caused by the sulphites contained in wine. I was wondering if anyone else had heard this or had similar experiences. Thanks, Steph

[Koalajane]

I have never seen that suggestion!

[123-go]

Must have been written by a teetotaller 🙂.

[Seacat30]

I hardly ever drank wine (or much alcohol at all) so it wouldn't be a cause for me.

[Bcol]

I've never seen it mentioned anywhere

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Been on this forum for 10 years, never heard that before!

[Poshdog in reply to DorsetLady]

Phew! xx

[Omakaat]

As a very limited drinker, I would say: Cheers! If it had any effect, my husband would have PMR &GCA, not me. Only restriction is MTX, you can seriously damage your liver permanently by drinking and using that drug at the same time. Otherwise: just don’t overdo it.

[Gottarelax]

My mum is a teetotaller and has PMR and GCA

[JanetRosslyn in reply to Gottarelax]

Me too

[PMRpro Ambassador]

If that were the case the incidence would be far higher in Spain, France and Italy - but the further south you go in Europe, the less it happens.

There is no single cause of most autoimmune illness, it is generally agreed it is the accumulation of various insults to the immune system over the years and eventually something is the straw that breaks the camel's back and the immune system goes haywire, turns on the body which it can't recognise as self any longer and attacks it, causing inflammation and tissue damage. No two people have the same history - vaccines can trigger it, including the Covid ones but the flu vaccine is more likely to do so but most of us developed PMR before Covid was a thing, and lots of us had never had a flu jab either. It can be environmental, chemical, illness, injury - but there is also a good dose of genetic predisposition that makes it more likely. Women are more likely to get it than men and aging is also a factor - rare in under 50s but it does happen. The older you are, the more likely it is you will have had it or will get it.

[ShadyLady165 in reply to PMRpro]

That bit about it being less as you go further south would seem to speak to having healthy levels of vitamin d3, no? Is there any research on that?

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to ShadyLady165]

Not necessarily - we don't go out in the midday sun unless we have to and do tend to wear more covering clothes and vit D deficiency is as common here when I live as it is in the UK! Fewer Vikings I think ...

[Twopies]

I have a pronounced intolerance for sulfites and salicylates, my diet is extremely limited as a result. Many many foods contain sulfites (one of my worst enemies are the soaker pads used for meat), and chemicals and meds as well. I thought I read long ago that sulfites in food was banned in Europe….?? Anyway, I don’t my pmr on my food and chemical intolerances, no idea what caused that. I have severe environmental allergies as well…combined all together, I have a lot of bad days.

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Twopies]

No, not banned, used quite a bit in wines too. Some preservatives are banned and sulphites must be declared above a certain level.

[HeronNS in reply to Twopies]

Sulphites occur naturally in a fair number of foods.

[Twopies in reply to HeronNS]

Yes, I’m intolerant of them.

[Longtimer]

Have had PMR over 10 years....teetotaller......

[Songbird69 in reply to Longtimer]

Me too

[Kendrew]

Oooo...that's news to me too. Bearing in mind how many people enjoy more than a splash of wine....that would be a lot of people with PMR!

[piglette]

That sounds rather a far fetched idea. Where on earth had they heard that? Were they muddling PMR up with some other illness? Perhaps they were thinking about the Victorian idea about gout?

[fmkkm]

Hi Anieand,If I eat certain things I don’t feel good after and sometimes it lasts into the next day. If you want to get better you need to identify what that is for you. I have had flare ups after eating out, eating too much processed food, food with histamine, and of course too much stress.

In my case, I had a bad diet, an overload of stress, the right genes, my body had enough and something flipped.

If wine doesn’t bother you, enjoy it!

[Exhiker]

I'm a teetoller, have had PMR for nearly 2 years

[Pr0jection]

I'm allergic to the sulphites in wine and most of the Cypriot wines contain a hefty dose. However, I discovered this quite a while before I developed PMR and stopped drinking it. Earlier this week I was out with friends and decided to have a small glass of rose. Big mistake, felt awful the following day. In fact for about 4 days. Slightly off topic but a friend was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. She was in hospital for quite a while having had an operation. The main thing she stopped eating were crisps (apparently she did eat a lot of them). Her fibromyalgia symptoms disappeared. However she may have been wrongly diagnosed in the first place. Who knows?

[Bridge31]

Blimey. I’ve drunk more than my fair share of wine over the years. Is 3 years (and counting) of PMR my punishment ? 😂😂😂😂😂

[Supertiger303]

All I know is that they have blamed everything else and the medical world do not really have a clue as to what causes it

[Hidden]

When I was finally diagnosed with PMR I was overjoyed to find that I suffered a disease where alcohol was not totally banned! I have high BP, high cholesterol, overweight, gout, heart attack survivor, gastric bloating et all. All of which tell me I shouldn't drink. I now ignore all those and drink my beer without a trace of guilt! Thank God for PMR! 😂😂😂Cheers, make mine a pint, thanks🤭🤭

[Flutterbies57 in reply to Hidden]

I took up wine when covid shut us down . I don’t feel any worse for it so I will continue getting a little joy at sunset

[KASHMIRI1]

I wouldn't touch alcohol with such a serious illness and all the prescribed drugs

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to KASHMIRI1]

I think many of us find it is the pleasure that gets us through the week when we can't enjoy other things. I don't drink much - but no doctor here has told me to stop altogether.

[KASHMIRI1 in reply to PMRpro]

I think it's probably a personal decision.

[Sophiestree]

Well that's not good to read... 😂 ... Aldi do a very nice organic Pinot Grigio and Organic ProseccoI'll stick to that along with the gin

😆

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Sophiestree]

Doesn't mean it is sulphite-free though - sulphites are present naturally, they just don't have added sulphite.

pullthecork.co.uk/is-organi...

[Sophiestree in reply to PMRpro]

Urgh

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Sophiestree]

Nowt simple in this world

[Flutterbies57]

Never took up wine till long after diagnosis .

[Viv54]

I don't drink now as it does not agree with me atm! It's a shame as I enjoyed the odd glass or two😉 I wouldn't worry as you can see by other people's reaction, didn't do them any extra harm.! Best wishes Viv🌹

[Harrywogan]

Never heard of it,and sitting in sunshine having a large glass of white Anieand and enjoying it very much I may even have another. ENJOY YOUR WINE, we deserve a treat. HARRY X

[Karenjaninaz]

I’m a teetotaler; nooo it’s not the wine.

I think it’s rather mysterious as to PMR’s cause but my mom’s cousin in Estonia, who is 3 years older than me, came down with PMR after me. Suggested a genetic component discussed here before.

Sulfites really bother my asthma though.

[iblue]

So many different stories as to how PMR could possibly begin even in many relatively healthy people. We would be so relieved to know the true cause of this agonizing and debilitating painful life changing disease. Self blame of diet, lifestyle and stress management is often the easiest answer. Vaccines, chemicals are perhaps toxic triggers. Before diagnosis I believed I had a nasty bug/virus that wasn’t going away. Regular pain medication didn’t help, nor the usual self care treatments. It seems to be similar to Lyme disease which was once a complete mystery, it’s cause progression and remission unknown. The research doesn’t seem to be a priority as healthcare providers around the world fumble in the dark, mismanaging diagnosis and treatment. I truly believe that sharing our stories and supporting each other is keeping us all connected to the harsh reality of steroids and the illusive remission of PMR.

[Coffeebeans]

I don't think PMR can be caused by sulphites but I do find that alcohol can affect the amount of pain the next day. Not always, but it can do.

[Bea61]

I've cut out Pinot Grigio my fave wine and my colon feels much better and have lost weight!

[PMRpro Ambassador in reply to Bea61]

[zealand]

I don’t drink and I have had PMR for about 8 years. Managed to get down to zero prednisalone in March 2020 but it flared up again so back to 15 mg. At the moment I am tapering and am down to 3mg

[HeronNS]

Never heard of sulphites causing PMR! However they can affect some people in other ways:

asthmaandallergycenter.com/...