Hi I have recently been diagnosed with CML and luckily it was caught quite early. I have now just completed my first month on Imatinib and have got great results from my treatment. I have looked on line and found conflicting advice on mixing alcohol and Imatinib and am not sure where I stand. obviously I know that the medication puts a strain on the liver and too much alcohol with it will obviously put further strain, but will a couple of beers once a week be acceptable? I asked my nurse and she said that most people prefer not to drink as the medication affects the taste.
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From personal experience, the medication never affected the taste of anything for me. For you, I guess there's an easy way to find out!
Alcohol and imatinib (or other TKIs) is fine so long as your liver is in good shape. Your doctor will be able to advise you on that as liver function is routinely checked as part of your regular blood tests. The caveat to that is, of course, to keep it in moderation - as it is with any person whether they have CML or not. As my mother says "Everything in moderation, including moderation".
I wouldn't advocate going out on regular benders, but if you're talking about a couple of beers watching the football or a few glasses of wine then I really don't think there's a problem - again, subject to that point about liver function.
David.
Dharmesh, for the 10+ years I have been on imatinib I have kept to the UK guidelines for alcohol consumption - no more than 14 units/week and at least three days per week with no alcohol at all. I've not found it a problem. My sense of taste generally has been dulled a bit, but nothing that put me off a beer after exercise or a couple of glasses of wine with dinner. There have been a few times when I have got involved in a more serious drinking sessions (e.g. when a friend who was terminally ill with cancer of the oesophagus came to dinner about 8 weeks before he died) but I've not been aware of any additional adverse impact of the imatinib. I have reduced my dose of imatinib recently and I think my sense of taste is improving. But I won't be consuming more alcohol than before.
Thanks guys, I purposely avoided drinking for the first few weeks to give the treatment a chance to work and make sure that there were no major side effects from it. Whilst I don't intend on going out on any benders I did enjoy a couple of pints a couple of times a week in the pub. I had an appointment today and the doc has given me the go ahead to carry on as such (obviously in moderation).
Hi everyone,
I’m from France. My hematologist does not worry about liver issues as long as my alcohol consumption is not regular but he told me that TKI’s could be inhibited by regular and excessive alcohol consumption.
Therefore i try to limit to 2 or 3 glasses once or twice a week and it seems to be OK.
Thanks for all your replies
Mike.