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Author: Admin | 2025-04-28
As if learning you’ve been diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis wasn’t enough of an adjustment, finding out that you need to cut out alcoholic beverages while you take methotrexate, a commonly prescribed disease-modifying drug, can also be a bit of an aftershock.Diseases like psoriatic arthritis and rheumatoid arthritis are lifelong — does this mean after-work wine or a cocktail during your Saturday night dinner plans is off the table?For its part, the American College of Rheumatology says “methotrexate should not be taken if kidney or liver function is not normal. Alcohol significantly increases the risk for liver damage while taking methotrexate, so alcohol should be avoided.”But how this plays out for individual patients can vary based on your own risk factors, as well as your doctor’s judgment.For example, according to a RheumNow survey of nearly 500 rheumatologists (both U.S. and non-U.S.), about half of those surveyed will allow one to three alcoholic drinks a week for patients on MTX. A quarter allow only one to three drinks per month; 15 to 20 percent don’t advise no alcohol use. Six to 7 percent don’t restrict patients’ alcohol intake, as long as there is no underlying liver disease.Here’s what you need to know about alcohol consumption while taking methotrexate.1. What Is Methotrexate?Methotrexate is one of the most effective and commonly used medications in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other forms of inflammatory arthritis, says the American College of Rheumatology. It can be used by itself or with other medications. Here are the
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