It's ok to have ONE glass of wine every now and then I'm assuming. My liver levels are awesome and I'm handling it very well. I don't think a single glass of wine could cause damage, do you?
All my doc said was, "I would be very cautious about drinking alcohol with rifampin".
One glass is cautious, right?!
Posted by Dogsandcats (Member # 28544) on :
One drink could cause issues, are you on any other meds or treatments that the alcohol could react with?
When a medication specifically says not to mix with alcohol, it means there could be a problem.
When I was pregnant I would have a glass of half glass of cranberry juice and seven up. Wasn't fine wine, but it tasted fun.
Sorry to be a downer, but it is usually listed for a reason.
Is there a special occasion coming up?
Posted by lostlyme (Member # 38561) on :
Well it's your body , your money for buying meds and paying doctors.
If you want to risk it and maybe prolong treatment and torture of this disease .
Well I would guess it's your call.
I would guess in a roundabout way your doctor is saying no to alcohol , as in being very cautious.
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Not a good mix.
Moving to Medical Questions for more feedback.
Posted by GretaM (Member # 40917) on :
No.
One glass is not being cautious.
It's a bad idea.
Being cautious is trying to evaporate alcohol of herbal tinctures before taking, and avoiding mouthwash.
If I recall correctly, rifampin and alcohol don't just tax the liver, it also does something funny to the brain.
Believe you me, I'd like nothing more than a drink of wine, or a gluten free beer, but it is a BAD idea.
What's the point of even taking abx, if you're taking a risk like that?
Posted by chaps (Member # 25286) on :
Never mind that you're not supposed to drink "with Rifampin." You're not supposed to drink with LYME - period! Not in moderation, not in any form or fashion. ZERO TOLERANCE!
If you have lyme and you want to continue drinking alcohol, start writing your obituary TODAY. Stop wasting your money on doctors and antibiotics. You're going to kill yourself with the booze anyway!
Alcoholism kills healthy people, let alone people with lyme.
Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
It was an early symptom for me - I almost passed out at a wedding from drinking some wine. Of course I didn't understand. Our liver is not prepared to deal with processing alcohol when we have Lyme.
Posted by nefferdun (Member # 20157) on :
It is just denial about how serious this disease really is. After years of treatment you finally realize, no alcohol, no sugar, no processed refined foods and for me low fat, no meat. It is like that EVERY DAY and I expect it will continue for the rest of my life. Might as well get used to it.
Posted by TF (Member # 14183) on :
These quotes from Burrascano say absolutely no alcohol if you want to get rid of lyme disease:
"There are three things that will predict treatment failure regardless of which regimen is chosen: Noncompliance, alcohol use, and sleep deprivation." (page 17)
"If treatment can be continued long term, then a remarkable degree of recovery is possible. However, attention must be paid to all treatment modalities for such a recovery- not only antibiotics, but rehab and exercise programs, nutritional supplements, enforced rest, low carbohydrate, high fiber diets, attention to food sensitivities, avoidance of stress, abstinence from caffeine and alcohol, and absolutely no immunosuppressants, even local doses of steroids (intra-articular injections, for example)." (page 20)
"CERTAIN ABSOLUTE RULES MUST BE FOLLOWED IF LYME SYMPTOMS ARE TO BE PERMANENTLY CLEARED: 1. Not allowed to get behind in sleep, or become overtired. 2. No caffeine or other stimulants that may affect depth or duration of sleep, or reduce or eliminate naps. 3. Absolutely no alcohol! 4. No smoking at all. 5. Aggressive exercises are required and should be initiated as soon as possible. 6. Diet. . . ." (page 27)
Alcohol weakens the immune system. To get rid of lyme, you have to stop doing everything that weakens the immune system and start doing everything that strengthens the immune system.
Posted by pooldog71 (Member # 21722) on :
This is another example where this disease is not the same for everyone.
I can enjoy wine occasionally and have no side effects. None.
But I understand that this is not for everyone. It appears to be a bad idea for most lyme patients.
I have my doctors approval & all labs, including liver and kidney are good.
I am getting better after being in treatment for 4+ years, and the quality of life is important to me.
So something that is very critical to you, may not be critical for everyone.
Posted by happydaychick (Member # 37799) on :
Your doc and everyone else are correct - you need to be very cautious with drinking and rifampin and lyme in general.
But, with that being said, after 6 months of not drinking after starting rifampin, I could not stand it anymore. I was at a special occasion and drank 2 glasses of wine. I was fine the next day.
I've been out of treatment for a while now, and I am still careful... but I will have an occasional glass of wine. I know I will never, ever be able to go a wine tasting with friends or enjoy it with dinner on a regular basis, but like you, I believe quality of life is important.
Posted by Dave6002 (Member # 9064) on :
Now I drink one beer everyday. It seems to help my stomach and my sleep dramatically with other stuffs. I am not on any meds. I was thinking I was heading to complete recovery.
Posted by steve1906 (Member # 16206) on :
If your liver counts are within range I see no reason not to have a couple of drinks.
With that said, if you’re on medication it’s definitely not okay, unless approved by your doctor.
We all react differently to alcohol just like we do food.
Taking Rifampin and mixing alcohol can damage your liver, we all know that.
Mamasmith33, I assume you’re an adult, use your best judgment.
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