Alcohol Use and Crohn's Disease

[steelek5]

Hello Everyone!!!
I have been diagnosed with Crohns for about four months now. It is still hard for me to beleive that I have it as I have NO symptoms. Luckily they have caught it early enough.
I have been on endocort for three months and then start IMURAN. After two week on Imuran I had a horrible allergic reaction to it that basically put me out for over five days. Fever, Vomiting, Joint Pain, Stiff Neck. If I wouldn't have noticed that it was the drug causing it I would have been in the hosipal in the next day or so for sure. After this reaction they put me on Remicade. I start the infusion in the next few weeks. Somewhat nervous about the expense. I guess what I want to know though....

Has anyone noticed an increase in flare ups after drinking? Does anyone notice anything different the day after. I never used to really have a hangover when I was younger but in the past two months I have been experieincing a lot of vomiting after a night out having some drinks... could the crohns be causing some additional hangover symptoms? Anyone know anything about Alcohol and Crohns?

 

[ginny44]

i have crohns and cannot drink alcohol at all,The last time i had a drink was 2yrs ago and afterwards i was so poorly and the day after my stomach problems were 10 times worse than normal,so i suppose it can affect everyone differently.

 

[chrisnsteph1022]

You know, I used to have more diarrhea the day after consuming any alcohol. However, I drank Saturday night and only had diarrhea 4 times Sunday (average for me lately). So I'm not sure. I only had two drinks, though. I have noticed that I'm more prone to nausea while I'm drinking, though.

 

[littlemissh]

I believe alcohol is thought to be an irritant if you have active disease. There is a small amount of evidence it may cause a flare but how reliable it is , I don't know.
I haven't drunk since my symptoms started in august 2009...daren't. If I ever achieve a remission I might consider it, but I am lucky enough not to have been a big drinker anyway. I do crave a bud or a baileys at times though!

 

[Terriernut]

Just a thought, if you are on Aza is it possible your liver didnt like anything else to deal with on top of what Aza is doing to it? It can still be in your system.

I've just started 6MP which is sortof the same drug. A couple glasses of wine and the next day...hangover!

But yes, certain types of alcohol can irritate us. Some people find alternatives to drink instead, white wine instead of red, etc. Alot find they cannot drink at all. Shame with xmas and new years coming up!

 

[bobbycable]

i luckily never had much of a problem with alcohol although i have been warned it can be all fun and games at my age but a few years down the line it could be a different story, the only time i can't drink alcohol is when my body is getting abit run down (sometimes hard to tell as it creeps up on me so i think i'm fine) i'm currently abit ill with fatigue and i do think it was due to a heavy night on saturday without giving myself a rest from the week before, it all depends on your case of crohns disease to be honest i know i'm going to have to back off to about one drink every two months soon

it's hard when it's all your friends do on weekends, they work to play

 

[chrisnsteph1022]

I've wondered if it was ok to drink while on aza. I just started it a couple weeks ago and my doc didn't mention anything about avoiding alcohol. I'm not a big drinker, though. A couple hard drinks on a night out once a month or so. Maybe a glass of wine in the evening once a week or so.

 

[steelek5]

I actually did not link it to the Imuran but I guess it could have been that. My liver emzynes or whatever they monitor while on the drug were elevated... maybe the med was making my liver work harder and even after I stopped it these were high.... but my last test (two weeks ago) they were normal..... That drug really screwed up my system... not a fan.

 

[bobbycable]

maybe give it a few weeks so everything is deffinately out of your system and try to have a small drink or two? (obviously nothing too strong) and then see how it goes then on?

 

[JMC]

I definitely have worse hangovers than the average person and tend not to drink much at all these days because it can leave me feeling physically unwell and depressed for a couple of days. My liver function (Gamma GT) tests have also always been slightly off and they are clearly worse if I drink alcohol regularly.

 

[mollyf]

I've actually had no Crohn's-related issues with alcohol. Being in university--I'll be honest--I consume a lot. I'm on Mesalamine Mezavant, which basically permits me to eat/drink almost anything (though lactose is limited, and I occasionally still get a lack of appetite). I do wake up with an upset stomach or lack of appetite, but then again, it's hard to tell what's just part of a hangover and what's part of a flare up. I hear that it's best to at least avoid sugary drinks, which I do anyway.

 

[shamrock15]

I was on 6MP about 20 years ago, and was told explicitly to stay away from booze. When I was prescribed imuran, I asked and was told it was not an issue at all.

I will admit to being paranoid - if I puke, I want to know what causes it, so I rarely drink to that level anymore.

Also, when I had a temporary ostomy, I was told that alcohol would get to me faster. That was true, and it didn't reverse after getting rid of the bag.