32 replies to this topic

[jmoorhou]

Does anyone know if it is possible to have a glass of red wine a day while taking 400 mg of Gleevec without becoming anemic?

 

My Onc's handout on CML says no alcohol while on Gleevec.  She said the reason is it might cause anemia.  Sorry folks if this is news, just wondering if it's really true.   

 

thanks

[Widgeonus]

I have a few beers and a margarita or two a week and I haven't had any issues. I did go about a year before I worked up the courage to try.

[gerry]

I didn't drink every day, but I had one or two glasses of wine three or four times a week. Only trouble for me was it increased the fluid retention.

[PhilB]

I've been testing that rule to destruction for the last 6 years and can report no significant anaemia despite a frequently excessive alcohol intake (I blame Herodotus for leading me astray).  The interaction I do seem to get is worse / more regular hangovers since I started Gleevec, but that may just be part of growing old.  I actually feel so much better in the morning if I haven't overindulged the night before that I am now seriously contemplating mending my ways.

[Tedsey]

No issues. As a matter of fact, I did not drink when I was first diagnosed (but really should have). I was horribly anemic for years after. When I started drinking (red wine), the anemia went away. Curious. Anyway, sometimes I wonder where the docs get this "material". Was there a large study done linking anemia to TKIs? Likely not. I think it is all of the mindset that "you are a person with a serious disease, so you are not allowed to have any fun. You must now suffer. I don't know who needs a stiff drink more. But seriously, if you can handle alcohol and TKIs, GI issues to be considered if you deal with that, moderate drinking (at least) won't hurt you.

[TeddyB]

No problem for me during the holiday season 3-4 weeks at a time. (1-2 glasses each evening)

But i also think its about the size of the glass

 

Using this glass would probably not be okay:

 

 

While this will probably be fine:

 

 

 

During most weeks, i drink maybe 1 glass, 3 nights pr week on average now, and i have no problem with 1 glass.

Its when i get to my third or fourth glass the trouble starts, luckily this usualy doesnt happen more than once pr month

[PhilB]

In my experience the problem is not so much the size of the glass, but the number of times I refill it!

[Marnie]

But if you have glass #1, you won't have to refill it.  If I used that glass, I could stick to the recommended no more than 1 drink for women. 

 

Sadly, I have recently cut way back on alcohol because I was having some weird heart stuff going on.  Cutting back has helped.

 

Even so. . .I still want the wine glass in the picture.

[hannibellemo]

Marnie,

 

Weird? How do you mean, weird? You know I always do CML things after you try them first so you must keep me informed of what I may have to look forward to.  

[Marnie]

Skipping beats, very erratic, racing heart rate, pounding so hard at night it feels like it's going to explode.  Very uncomfortable. 

 

Also been having an odd chest pain, but it may be a strained muscle somewhere, because it is more pronounced if I turn my head a certain way or move my arm to certain positions.  On the right side of my chest, not the left.

 

I still feel like I'm breathing through a cheese cloth, but my chest x-ray showed clear, so no pleural effusion, or at least not one that's detectible. 

 

I did a full battery of lung tests and an echocardiogram and nothing shows up.  Maybe it's all in my head.

[Billie Murawski]

Skipping beats, very erratic, racing heart rate, pounding so hard at night it feels like it's going to explode.  Very uncomfortable. 

 

Also been having an odd chest pain, but it may be a strained muscle somewhere, because it is more pronounced if I turn my head a certain way or move my arm to certain positions.  On the right side of my chest, not the left.

 

I still feel like I'm breathing through a cheese cloth, but my chest x-ray showed clear, so no pleural effusion, or at least not one that's detectible. 

 

I did a full battery of lung tests and an echocardiogram and nothing shows up.  Maybe it's all in my head.

Marnie, did the doc put you on a holter moniter for 24 hours. What about your new bike I'm sure that tosses you around a bit or in your case miss daredevil it's probably beating you up.  Ron was dx with atrial fibrilation he has an eratic heartbeat, in the er his hr was 180, he takes a pill a day now and he is fine, My sister has it Rons daughter was dx with it 10 years ago, and his brother was just dx with it this month. Rons brother in Fla. was told by his doc that it can be stress related. Maybe you have 2 different things going on perhaps a pinched nerve or pulled muscle. I've had all kinds of tests for my heart and it is fine in my case it's anxiety and that can be hell until you find out what it is. Now I just keep reminding myself that I get checked every year and my heart is fine, it's my vascular problems that I worry about but now I know the symptoms so it's a lot easier to live with.

I named your new bike Sling Shot,  It's the sling that shoots you anywhere it wants to. Your new nickname is BB.

[Billie Murawski]

No problem for me during the holiday season 3-4 weeks at a time. (1-2 glasses each evening)

But i also think its about the size of the glass

 

Using this glass would probably not be okay:

 

 

While this will probably be fine:

 

 

 

During most weeks, i drink maybe 1 glass, 3 nights pr week on average now, and i have no problem with 1 glass.

Its when i get to my third or fourth glass the trouble starts, luckily this usualy doesnt happen more than once pr month

Teddy, I'll put you in my will if you find me a glass like that. You can have all my Barry Manilow and Barbra Streisand cds.

[Trey]

Now that's a two-fisted drinker.  Why waste time with two glasses?  Girls don't make passes at men with two glasses....or something like that.

[TeddyB]

Now that's a two-fisted drinker.  Why waste time with two glasses?  Girls don't make passes at men with two glasses....or something like that.

 

I will remember that if im ever single again

 

 

Teddy, I'll put you in my will if you find me a glass like that. You can have all my Barry Manilow and Barbra Streisand cds.

 

[hannibellemo]

Marnie,

 

How about an echocardiogram to check for cardio pleural effusion. Have no idea what the symptoms might be but I had a small amount of fluid around my heart when I had the pleural effusion. On the other hand, I also had some of those symptoms during peri-menopause. Glad you're trying to get to the bottom of it anyway. Very frustrating not to be able to find anything when you have very specific sensations!

 

Take care!

[Marnie]

Interesting. . .I'm definitely in peri-menopause, so it's helpful to know that might be the culprit.  One good thing is that this has forced me to look at my drinking habits.   Job stress had sort of pushed me past what was healthy.  Cutting back on alcohol has pretty much stopped most of the heart issues.  Fluid around the heart sounds like something worth looking at.  I see my onc next week, so I'll have a discussion with him.  It is interesting that at my last appointment (3 months ago) I was 100% convinced that I had a p.e. that would soon need draining.  It doesn't feel like that now, though there is certainly something going on with heart/lungs. 

 

Have a great day. . .you seem to be an early riser, like me.  Today I am playing hookey.  We were actually planning on driving 2.5 hours southwest to watch them pour the foundation in our new house, but the weather is not looking great, so we decided to bag it and stay home instead.  So I have a bonus day of relaxation. 

Marnie

[hannibellemo]

What fun, building a new home! Nothing like adding a little more stress to your already topped off stress!  When it gets to the interesting stage we need photos! 

 

I've had a viral plague for the last 3 weeks! I've been just one huge mucous producing machine - not to get too graphic. Starting to get back to normal - finally! Evidently, it's been going around.

[Marnie]

So far we have a great big hole, footers, and stem-wall forms that were supposed to be filled today, but the incoming snow put the kibosh on that.

 

This picture is from a couple of weeks ago. 

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[rcase13]

Wow look at that view! This must be your dream home!

[jrotella]

I'm new to the forum....My take on the drinking is that I abstained for three years and gradually started drinking 5 to 6 beers only on Saturday afternoons. Now two years without a problem with my Saturday indulgence.  My Onc discouraged any alcohol. Gleevec is metabolized in the liver, as is alcohol, which competes for the livers function. As Gleevec  has a half life of 18 hours, I believe that the earlier you take Gleevec in the morning and drink in the evening, the less strain there is on the liver with little interference on the Gleevec potency.