I only ask as I have not had a drink since I was diagnosed, over a year ago and I use to like having a drink with friends and family. I am a bit wary of having it again as I don't think I was very well just before diagnosed and I had some wine, and I had palpitations, shakey and it just brings be right back to that moment.
Merry Christmas! just a quick question, does e... - Thyroid UK
Merry Christmas! just a quick question, does everyone drink alcohol? does it effect the thyroid at all?
I think one or two small glasses of wine are ok but as we get older our liver cannot cope with a large amount of alcohol and thyroid disease does have an impact on our liver. I add soda water or ice to a glass of wine which dilutes it and makes it last longer.
Francisneat, In theory, there's no reason not to drink alcohol simply because you're on thyroid hormone replacement. However, many of us find we cannot tolerate it as much as before. One glass of red wine with dinner is my limit now. More than that and I don't necessarily feel typically drunk, but I do feel unwell.
I enjoyed any amount of wine, a few spirits the odd cider or beer from teens to my early sixties. All with hypothyroidism, it didn’t seem to be a issue at all. Now at close to seventy I couldn’t care less whether I have a drink or not having had a long spell on tablets where alcohol was a no no!
I couldn’t handle alcohol when I was under medicated as, like you, it made me jittery and my heart race. Now I’m better medicated/ vitamins more optimal, I can have a few drinks with no palpitations. Like others have advised, dilute your alcohol with mixer or drink a glass of water between alcoholic drinks. Hope all goes well!
I drink about once a week and I dont think it makes much difference. It can dry your mouth out a lot though in combination with levothyroxine and other meds.
That is good to know, (apart from the dry mouth part ) maybe I can build up to it again.
Thanks IamWearyLetmeRest. I know this question is hardly high priority in the big scheme of thyroid issues but sometimes a bit of normality makes things better.
Glad I could help🙂
Hey Francisneat.
I drink wine, prosecco, cider and the odd cocktail (not in one go of course 😂) and it has no impact on my thyroid whatsoever as far as I know. I don’t feel any different when I do or don’t drink. I do make sure I drink water now where as I didn’t before. I know people who can barely tolerate more than a glass who don’t have thyroid problems so I think it’s more about what suits you and your body. Perhaps now you’re medicated you may feel different. If you don’t then maybe it’s your body’s way of telling you no thanks.
I think for us it’s particularly sensible to limit it and have days off but for me personally I don’t see the difference at all that day or the day/s after a prosecco brunch with friends. Well back in the days we could see our friends!!! But we are all different 😊. Xx
Hey Cat013, that is great news! I was not a big drinker before all this but still liked some, so I am happy that you enjoy it and it has no effect gives me a lot of hope. This makes me happy and I have hope for some nice drinks in 2021 with friends and family .
I hope you are having a nice drink tonight to bring in the New Year x
I guess trying it is the answer. Just go slowly and see how you feel, hopefully great ☺️.
I have just opened a bottle of prosecco so I shall raise a toast to you all. Best wishes and good health to you in 2021 xxx
I will go slow fingers crossed. Thank you! that is so lovely, best wishes and good health to you as well x I will also raise a toast to you (later when I am brave enough)
Francisneat If you tried it as a toast last night I hope it went ok for you and you feel ok this morning xx
Well I did pour a glass of prosecco and had a toast, but I only had a very small amount and I stopped as felt a bit funny but it was a start xx I watched the London fireworks and light show it was very good.
I hope you had a lovely evening. xx
Well that doesn’t sound great if it was only a small amount. Perhaps it’s wine. I hope you manage to get to the point where you feel ok.
I watched it too. It was so lovely and really got 2020 across perfectly. Made me a bit emotional! Xx
The biggest problem I have when I drink more than a glass or two is poor sleep - I wake at around 4am and can’t go back to sleep. That said, I regularly enjoy aG&T or two, or a couple of glasses of white wine with no problems. If drinking Red I keep that to a glass as I find it harder to tolerate
Hi Jacs, you would have thought the drink would make you sleep like a baby eh so that is a bit of a shame for you. Thank you! again you can enjoy it with no problems then I think I may be more tempted not to be so scared about it. I found too previously red wine was always a bit of a headache one for me.
I like a nice glass of red in the evenings. A woman has to have one vice.
I have forgotten what the other vices are though.
I used to cheat , (so i didn't have to deal with people knowing i was drinking very little, because actually ,they often act like you are spoiling THEIR fun and keep insisting you should join in)
I used to be able to drink properly, but can only handle only a VERY little amount nowadays before i feel dreadful and regret it the next day.
So i'd have half a bitter when i arrived somewhere, take my time about it, and then have tonic water in a gin glass with ice and lemon all evening.... nobody could tell the difference, i didn't feel left out , and if i felt up for it later i would maybe have one 'real' one, and if i didn't.. i could still drive home.
I found i could have just as much fun as everyone else as long as i fooled everyone (including myself !) that i was drinking like the rest of them. And felt really smug the next day when i woke up feeling fine , having done nothing more than increased my water intake and sucked a bit of vitamin C from the lemon. And only spent a fiver.... what's not to like.
I think the last time I drank too much was in Ibiza in the 80s. I was in a club and there was all these foam bubbles being squirted everywhere and I hated it .... several years later I went to a Killers concert and they started to squirt the same foam bubbles out again! I hate getting wet or covered in stuff lol I am too old to go to concerts now thank goodness.
Lora7~pissedandrollingaroundinpinkbubbles~again
What a picture.
I once got called a nuisance by some pretend pirates having a party on a ship in Whitby Harbour... i only suggested we nick the boat....
That tattybogle is a brilliant idea for going out! x I must admit when people 'used' to come to the house I did do that myself (so great minds but when I go over to there houses this is when it gets awkward as they do the drinks and there is no way of pretending. but hey we can't get away with everything can we. But it is a shame like you say when people feel like we are spoiling their fun as it really is not the case.
Definitely can’t drink as much as previously. It makes me feel pretty unwell after a point before factoring several days of hangover (made the mistake of thinking I was capable of drinking as much as I used to early on in my treatment and regretted it)!
I now take the opportunity to order something much more expensive from the drinks list knowing it will be my only glass of wine or cocktail. If I’m only drinking one or two, I want them to be the most enjoyable drinks possible! 🥂
Sorry to hear you feel quite unwell after having drinks.
But I do like your style hjh88 for getting an expensive drink as it is most likely to be the only one. You know I am going to adopt this. Cheers to you x
I’m optimally treated and have a glass or two most nights. I rarely go overboard cause I don’t like feeling drunk or hang overs.
A bit off topic but when I wasn’t well treated I used to be such a chocoholic! Huge bars of chocolate and many of them a week. Now I rarely ever eat chocolate, if I do it’s a little square of dark with a coffee after dinner. My sweet tooth just vanished.
I am going to have a couple of glasses of champagne tonight and hope that next year things will be a lot better for all of us.
I’m going to make a mojito and a strawberry daiquiri 🥳 I used to absolutely love spiced rum and coke but I can’t for the life of me tolerate caffeine and sugar like that! I’d be awake all night and feel like I was on a come down the next day. Such a shame as I was hilarious after a ‘fun Bobby’ (our nickname for spiced rum and coke) 😂
Love strawberry daiquiri, enjoy! maybe you might be hilarious after your mojito and daiquiri