Alcohol: Impacts on the Body & Risks with Lupus

Alcohol and lupus medications: Unwanted interactions The benefits that alcohol can provide are completely negated at more than moderate consumption, and drinking comes with many risks. One of the biggest risks of alcohol is its interactions with many lupus medications and the stress that it puts on the liver. The liver processes many medications used to treat lupus. As a result, medications may not function as desired when combined with alcohol. The following medications are known to negatively interact with alcohol: NOTE: This is NOT an exhaustive list. Check all labels before taking medications and speak with your lupus treatment team to minimize risks. Some interactions can be fatal, especially when using pain medications. Exacerbating lupus health issues with alcohol If you eat a diet full of rich and fatty foods, alcohol will also increase your risk of developing gout. Gout is an inflammatory condition that causes painful, needle-like crystals to form in joint tissue. In addition to joint pain, the inflammation can make many of the other symptoms of lupus worse. Alcohol can also cause inflammation by interacting with the gut microbiome. You can read more about the gut microbiome and how it interacts with lupus, here. Alcohol contributes by feeding some of the microbes in the gut with sugar, and killing others with ethanol. This changes which microbes are present in the gut. It also interacts with the membranes in the intestine. Between microbiome changes and gut changes, alcohol can contribute to increased gut permeability, also known as “leaky gut.” As particles from the microbes in the gut leak into the bloodstream, they cause inflammation and many health problems for people with lupus. Next, alcohol can impact the brain and is linked to fatigue and brain fog. It may also contribute to premature aging and many stress-related health issues. Finally, alcohol interferes with proper organ function and can cause issues with how the body regulates the immune system. Both lead to more problems for people with lupus, including flares and organ damage. Heavy drinking increases these risks and negates any potential benefits.

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