Meds and drinking

[tommy246]

I am not yet on meds but not to far off i think , so my question is this ,are there many of you out there on meds that still have a good drink now and again.I really enjoy a drink i only drink beer and wine for the last twenty years (now 48).I have cut back since i was diagnosed dec 08,but miss it. i used to drink maybe 3 or 4 beers a day and 2 or 3 glasses of wine at night with my evening meal,and once a week on a saturday night normally might have double that.Excessive ?

[bear60]

I hate to resort to a tired phrase that pops up here a lot.....but.....If you think you have a drinking problem, "talk to your doctor".
I think 7 drinks a day....whether its beer and wine or scotch and vodka....is on the side of excessive. If you have cut down to 2 a day, then in my opiniobn its not excessive.
But only a qualified medical professional can evaluate this in terms of YOUR medical condition.  My partner, for instance, is unable to drink at all due to his liver function and Lipodystrophy. Zero ....NONE.... NADA.  We buy a non alchoholic beer for him and on occasions when the rest of us are having a drink he can join in.

[Miss Philicia]

i used to drink maybe 3 or 4 beers a day and 2 or 3 glasses of wine at night with my evening meal,and once a week on a saturday night normally might have double that.Excessive ?

Err... so you're saying you used to have potentially 6 drinks a day as a minimum, and 12 on a Saturday night?  And you were doing this on a daily basis every week?  And you're really, really asking us if this was excessive?  Or am I getting what you wrote incorrect?

My concern is that, if as written, is so utterly excessive that even if you "cut back" to half that it would still be excessive for someone on HIV medication.  It's all well and good to have one glass of red wine with dinner each night, but drinking all day long and then doubling that on the weekends is asking a bit much from your body.  You might as well have a meth habit frankly, except one is legal and the other isn't.

[David_CA]

I am not yet on meds but not to far off i think , so my question is this ,are there many of you out there on meds that still have a good drink now and again.I really enjoy a drink i only drink beer and wine for the last twenty years (now 48).I have cut back since i was diagnosed dec 08,but miss it. i used to drink maybe 3 or 4 beers a day and 2 or 3 glasses of wine at night with my evening meal,and once a week on a saturday night normally might have double that.Excessive ?

Yeah, I'd say so.  I also like a drink or three or four.  Pre-diagnosis, I used to drink a bit... at least a couple of drinks each evening.  After diagnosis, I cut it way down.  I don't drink unless it's a special occasion, the weekend, or we're camping (which is generally on a weekend and is def. a special occasion).  If a friend comes over during the week, we'll have a glass of wine or two.  When we go out for dinner, I'll allow myself a couple of drinks.  The thing is now I don't drink much, and I don't drink often.  That's not to say I don't get pretty trashed every now and then, but the day-in, day-out drinking is what I avoid.  I know HIV meds and alcohol are tough on one's liver, so it only seems sensible to cut back on the unnecessary things to give it a bit of a break. 

[dixieman]

A few drinks here and there in moderation will probally not hurt you.... but, alcohol taxes the liver and your meds are hard on your liver... so.. to get the best benefit from your meds... you'll have to plan on drinking a more moderate level... try smoking weed... I rarely drink now and its 420 at my house 24/7. best of luck... John

[newt]

Well I think we need some evidence or sommat....

Both alcohol and weed affect the liver, alcohol more so, but not exclusively.

There is no indication that either makes your health worse if you have HIV compared to people without HIV.

But both do affect your health in excess. Surprise surprise. Plus your adherence may well go off if you's drunk/stoned.

Moderation is the key (as is having a good time)

- matt

[SoSadTooBad]

Like most people here, I cut back after diagnosis.  2 drink limit most of the time, and even then, only a few times a week.  I like being able to monitor my liver function quarterly when I visit the Dr, makes me feel like I know what is going on in there.

[PozBrian]

I was never a big drinker, well recently anyway. 2-3 beers, 1-3 times a week. As I When I started INH my doc scared me about the risk to my liver. She made it seem that if I sniffed some booze I'd need a liver transplant.  OK I'm exaggerating a bit, a lot, but she did say only one and only at special occasions. I haven't quite met that but I certainly have cut down from relatively low level where I was.

I've started atripla and plan on keeping my alcohol intake low to give my liver a break. At least until the INH in done in another 8 months. I don't want to have yellow eyes and piss cola.

[tommy246]

Err... so you're saying you used to have potentially 6 drinks a day as a minimum, and 12 on a Saturday night?  And you were doing this on a daily basis every week?  And you're really, really asking us if this was excessive?  Or am I getting what you wrote incorrect?

My concern is that, if as written, is so utterly excessive that even if you "cut back" to half that it would still be excessive for someone on HIV medication.  It's all well and good to have one glass of red wine with dinner each night, but drinking all day long and then doubling that on the weekends is asking a bit much from your body.  You might as well have a meth habit frankly, except one is legal and the other isn't.

A METH HABIT come on thats a bit over the top.My liver is ok actually as i only ever take a drink after food (makes a big difference).I am only talking about small beers half pints docs say we can take 3 or 4 a day no probs  and then wine with a meal at night well thats a religion here in spain.i do see your point and realise its to much but i was a social drinker(not an alcoholic) i enjoyed it i have never been the type to drink in the house apart from meal time,like i said i have now cut back by 50 % and dont drink everyday but i agree its not ideal and it should be just a couple of glasses of wine with the meal and special occasions.

[littlefire]

Bud (scuse the pun). Treatment naive patients usually have Stocrin/Sustiva in their first regimen and trust me that stuff is gonna put you on a trip that will make you forget all about your need for a drink. See it as a chance to stop because as the others have said, your liver is vital - to you, and to your HIV treatment.

Alcohol in and of itself won't be harmful in smart quantities. The problem with excessive drinkers is that they drink to get drunk, and then you might forget to take your meds and THAT is a BIG problem.

HTH