Hi all,
I am new to RSD. Can I drink coffee? Can I never drink alcohol again?

Thanks,
Kris

Chris,

I hope coffee is ok, because I drink a pot every morning. I've had rsd for over 5 years. I don't drink alcohol anymore, but that is due to the fact that I take a lot of pain meds, and I don't want to mix the two.

Hope that helps
mary

Hi Kris,
Here is an extract from an article about coffee and RSD:

Coffee should be avoided altogether in patients suffering from RSD/CRPS; to consider coffee as a simple conveyor of caffeine is naive.

1. Coffee has an acid-based oil that is an irritant to gastric mucosa. It stimulates the secretion of gastric acidity. Secondarily, the high gastric acidity results in secretion of adrenalin. The secretion of adrenalin stimulates insulin secretion with resultant secondary relative hypoglycemia. The end result is tension, a mild rise in blood pressure, and 2-3 hours later craving sweets because of the relative hypoglycemia. Obviously none of the above is helpful in RSD/CRPS. The rise in plasma epinephrine will undo whatever good medications are doing to counteract the hyperactive dopaminergic system in RSD/CRPS.

2. Coffee is more harmful than caffeinated soft drinks or tea.

3. Mild tea does not cause reactive hypoglycemia and a rise in blood pressure.

4. Tea, if prepared in mild form (not too strong), contains less caffeine. It has no acid-based oil as does coffee. It contains tannin. Tannin or tannic acid curbs thirst and results in less demand for further consumption of tea or coffee.

5. Coffee and tea both temporarily raise the body temperature. A few minutes after drinking coffee, the stimulation of the dopaminergic system causes colder extremities and a simultaneous rise in systemic temperature. Tea has a much milder effect in this regard. The cold extremities aggravate RSD/CRPS.

6. Iced tea seems to be the mildest and safest of caffeinated drinks.

7. A patient with high fever is harmed by coffee and helped by tea and lemon juice. As is the case with home-made chicken soup being helpful to the sick(in contrast with factory-made red meat type of soup) for unknown reasons, mild tea has a healing effect and coffee has an aggravating effect in patients suffering from stress and fever, including stress of complex chronic pain.

Here's the link to Dr Hooshmands website:
http://rsdrx.com/four_f's_diet.htm

Again it is different for everyone though
Hope this helps
Alison

I drink at least 2 cups a day but am going to drink more than that. It has helped keep me "regular". It's very painful to get backed up because of the pain med. I've had no problems with coffee and the rsd.

I haven't drank any alcohol for many years now, since before I got rsd. Since RSD I haven't dared drink any alcohol because it doesn't mix with any meds period and isn't a good idea.

Hugs,

Karen

I'm a tea drinker, but not a tea tottler.

I don't drink alcohol as often, no more glass of wine with dinner each night , but I still drink when I socialize out with friends. I'm not going to tell anyone here that it is okay to do.......there are obvious risks of mixing alcohol and narcotics. I totally understand those risks. My "justification" is that I cannot be comfortable enough on my current doses of meds to socialize after showering and dressing without adding alcohol to the mix

I won't comment too much about coffee. I am a real sinner on that one. I drink more coffee than anyone should, even without any extra condition or medication. Most of my drugs make me sleepy and the coffee helps me get through the work day.

As far as alcohol, my thoughts are similar to many others. Alcohol does not mix at all with a lot of medications. The pharmacist will always add a sticker to the bottle that warns against using alcohol. Some will warn to “be careful” and others will say “DO NOT MIX”.

Many of the drug-related car crashes that have made the news, both locally and nationally, seem to have one thing in common. In addition to the prescription drug, the driver also had alcohol. Sometimes it was not even very much, but the combination was enough to really intensify the effects.

Ambien is one example that comes to mind immediately. This drug works well when used as directed, but will totally knock you out with just one drink.

I am on eighteen different drugs, many of which warn against using any alcohol. The added risk of putting another intoxicant into the mix is not worth it. I have been off of alcohol for this reason since I developed RSD in 1986.

My campaign is to get more non-alcoholic choices offered. The market drives everything. If you like beer, ask for a non-alcoholic beer when you are out, even if you know they don’t have it. At nicer restaurants, ask for de-alcoholized wine (this is made exactly like regular wine, and then processed to remove the alcohol.) After a while, the liquor managers will get the idea that people are willing to buy this stuff. You don’t need to totally give up the taste, just the “buzz.” (You can get the buzz from your drugs, I guess. )

As the baby-boomer generation ages, more of us need to avoid alcohol for many reasons. Hopefully, more “good” choices will become available, not just cola.

It can work, I promise.

Good luck,

Mike