Ok.. Help me out here..

You would think I would know the answer to this question, but I don't.. What happens if you take methotrexate and you have an alcoholic beverage.. or two?  I know everything you read about it says NOT to do it.. but why?  Because of the impact it can have on your liver?  Or because of the interaction between the MTX and the alcohol?  Or both?  The reason why I ask, is 'cause my rheumy just put me on methotrexate today.. and I am due to take it tomorrow.. so as I sit here and indulge in a bud light, I say to myself "Oh crap.. I don't think I'm supposed to be doing this!"  Sheesh!  So any help from those of you that know or those of you on MTX would be great!  I didn't even think of it when I was at the rheumy's office.. I don't drink that often, so it didn't even cross my mind.. Thanks guys!

hey duck congrats on the mtx! i too start this week and had myself my last kahlua for a while just before i went online. i do not think it is a reaction between the alcohol and the mtx-i think it is our liver. i was told do not drink if i want to keep my liver for a while. an occasional drink is ok but not on a reg basis. i myself hadnt had a drink for almost 3 years on the mtx i could count the drinks on one hand in three years. of course off the med this holiday i did go a bit wild which probably made no sense but hey when does life make sense?
so as far as i know that is why i dont drink anymore as i start the mtx and enbrel again this weekend! whoohoo!!!!!

folic acid is a must to feel good ducky, without it you will have a greater risk of feeling some of the side effects which occur from a lack of folic acid. nausea and fatigue being some of them i believe. i myself forget the folic acid daily so i take lucovorin? once a week which is like 7 days of folic in one pill. for me i take the mtx firday night and feel it a bit on sunday but genrally do ok with it. i hope i will again as i have been off for over 3 months and am starting off at 20 mg again so i hope i do ok?! how much are you taking? also why are you taking mid week? will you be ok at work if you feel sluggish? of course that might be better than ruining your weekends feeling sluggish like i do???? but i couldnt work and digest it too. i have to be too dang chipper at work as i relate to depressed people daily and try to make them feel good about themselves, hard to do if i feel like doggy do. so for me my weekends go blow with mtx. not bad but i am a tad tired from it. if i recal correctly??? been a while. let you know this weekend.....

call me if you wonder anything we can talk...... i hope it helps you .... for me the combo with enbrel was great! i am liking the pred right now but i know i cant stay on it. well lata toots hugs~ yally

Hey Ducky - good luck with the methotrexate.

I think it's because of your liver they want you to avoid drinking. An occasional drink is fine, but I would avoid - for sure - drinking on the nights you take it...maybe even a couple of days afterwards. However, you may find that the alchol affects you worse with the mtx, make you more sluggish the next day, etc. I know I can't drink now...1/2 a glass of anything is IT for me. I'm on Arava (same family as mtx) and plaquenil.

Take folic acid, take a good b vitamin/b complex and drink LOTS of H2O daily!**

oh, i forgot to mention, i think doctors often dont' Rx folic acid because it is usually cheaper thesedays to buy the otc vitamin than most Rx copays. however, if you start showing a deficiency, they will Rx...gosh, what is it called....? Lecuavorian?

Hi Ducky...

Okay as far as a drink, one or two should be fine but don't have them on the same day that you take your MTX!!! I made that mistake but only once! and the next day I was sick sick sick!!!! On many occasions I have had one drink the night before my MTX dose and it has never been an issue as far as side effects or with my labs coming back strange.

The folic acid is over the counter in the vitamin section and I take two each night including the day I take my MTX, and if it isn't enough to counteract the MTX, you can get a script for the Leucovorin from your doctor and that is taken with 24 hours of your MTX dose, I have taken that the day after, and when I do that I don't take the folic acid.

Someone also mentioned water? Please drink a ton of it! I have noticed that when I don't I get a burning sensation in my hips.

Good luck to you!

Hi Ducky,

Good luck with the MTX, and when I first started out on it, I found I was in the minority for the side effects that I had like the sleepiness and flu like symptoms..mine started within 4 to 5 hours of my first dose but most people when I asked seemed to do great on it

I hope it helps!