I have idiopathic PN, maybe Sjogrens. I'm taking 900mg/day Gabapentin, 25mg/day Lyrica, 40mg/day Baclofen & wear 5mg Butrans patch. I find that when I have 3-4 beer I feel way better.
Does anyone else drink while on their meds?? What do you all think of this??

While some of us do drink moderately sometimes.... with PN that is a toss up. Alcohol can be a serious trigger.

In your case with your medications it is absolutely not safe to do so!

Drinking makes anyone feel better...so yes, your PN will feel better, and when the alcohol wears off you may be worse than before. Alcohol depletes thiamine in the body, and when that gets low, PN gets worse.

All of your meds should have DO NOT DRINK stickers on them.

Since alcohol is a diuretic and can cause dehydration, it would certainly be contraindicated with Sjogren's.

I would think it is increasing (in effect) the dose of medicine you're taking.

I understand the desperation to get by by taking a drink, but it will just make things more difficult. I went on line for support today as I had such a ad night and am. I was desperate. I want you to go online and post for help and support. I have faith that someone will care and help you. Caring can be therapeutic for both parties. I m glad I stayed on to support you.

I have been tempted with wine on occassion, and with my medications it is a no no. so, I have had just one glass on superbowl sunday. I don't want the drink to interfer, so I really try not to. I am too afraid of the interactions, so I hold my self back from drinking very much. I had been use to one glass of wine on occassion, but since the meds started, I have complied for the most part. ginnie

Hi Jigger, I do on occassion have a glass or two of wine but that is about it. You really do have to be careful with meds. The alcohol tends to increase the effect of many meds. I also do understand the desperation but please do not get caught up in the drinking cycle.
I generally don't share this but I will in hopes it helps you out. I had a sister who had severe RA and possible lupus who suffered terribly with pain. She started to drink because she said it was the only thing that helped with the pain. After a while she was drinking all the time. Then when that did not work she took narcotics with the alcohol. I believe we have all heard of people doctor shopping to get the meds they want.
Well needless to say it all was a downward spirle and my sister took her life on 12/9/2011.
It has been a tradgey for our entire family.
So, I am not saying this would ever happen with you or if you are even interestsed in alcohol at all. As I said I don't think there is anything wrong with a drink every now and then. All I am saying is be extremely careful using it to cover up the pain.

I think it's a bad idea. Aside from all the reasons given so far (all of which I agree with), alcohol impedes one's judgment and short-term memory. With the multiplicative/potentiating effects of the other medications, it would be easy to forget what else you've already taken, and inadvertantly taking multiple doses could be catastrophic.

Though it wasn't mentioned specifically, alcohol with acetaminophen (tylenol) or medications containing acetaminophen can also be a potentially lethal combination.

http://www.agingincanada.ca/dangers_...taminophen.htm

Doc

This is in this week's Science News:

http://www.sciencenews.org/view/gene...z_in_the_brain

No surprise that alcohol reduces pain.

It is what alcohol does to the body, that is not good for PNers.

What about the combination of alcohol and the meds affecting the liver??

Quite an article of the effects of booze. Thanks for posting it. ginnie