Rheumatoid Arthritis Support

Rheumatoid arthritis comes with a whole set of problems all its own, and it's understandable that many patients may have some arthritis rheumatology questions. One of the most common of these questions is whether or not one can drink alcohol if one has rheumatoid arthritis.The arthritis rheumatology answer to this question depends largely on the type of medication you're taking. Many arthritis medications are irritating to the stomach, and are not recommended for use with alcohol, as the acidic nature of alcohol increases the risk of gastric ulcer when combined with those drugs. The mot common type of drugs of this nature are non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS).If you're on a disease modifying anti-rheumatic drug (DMARD), then it's important to be aware that these drugs are processed through your liver, and so is alcohol. Therefore, combining the two may be difficult on your liver. This does not mean that you can't drink alcohol while on these drugs, just that you should keep your drinking to a minimum.Some studies have shown that moderate alcohol consumption may be beneficial in preventing rheumatoid arthritis to begin with, but so far, these studies have only been done in mice. It's not known when, if ever, any similar studies may be done in humans, due to the potential for alcohol toxicity. However, the basic arthritis rheumatology answer to the question of whether you can drink alcohol if you have the disease seems to be yes, once in a while as a treat, and only if you're not taking medications like anti-inflammatories, that would potentially harm your stomach if you combined them. Otherwise, the occasional drink shouldn't hurt you, if you take it in moderation. As always, though, be sure to  ask your doctor first.