So, I know every kind of alcohol is not good to HRT (don't know exactly why), that's why I am not even talking about the "hard core" stuff like whiskey, vodka, etc.
But as a social "drinker", I was curious how a couple of beers or glasses of wine weekly affect HRT and how much is too much?
I am pretty sure, there are lot of people here, which are interested in the topic about the "safe" quantity, so it will be good if you share some thoughts, experience... maybe research and statistics...

Quote from: Aquarelle on May 08, 2014, 03:32:21 PM
So, I know every kind of alcohol is not good to HRT (don't know exactly why), that's why I am not even talking about the "hard core" stuff like whiskey, vodka, etc.
But as a social "drinker", I was curious how a couple of beers or glasses of wine weekly affect HRT and how much is too much?
I am pretty sure, there are lot of people here, which are interested in the topic about the "safe" quantity, so it will be good if you share some thoughts, experience... maybe research and statistics...

Okay, medically speaking, it's probably not the best thing to do frequently. HRT can be hard on the liver and adding alcohol into the mix likely won't help.  And the best person to ask is your doctor as they know your entire medical history.

That being said, I never had a problem with drinking and hrt.  I don't drink often (it's quite rare in fact) but I sort of go all on in when I do drink.  Not good at all, but I always woke up the next morning, lol.  In all seriousness, drinking is probably not the greatest thing in general; however, it's probably going to be okay to occasionally indulge responsibly.  I will say this though.  I've noticed that I get much more hung over with hrt for whatever reason.  It's the worst. 

I'm beginning my fifth week of Doctor ordered sobriety.  My liver function tests:  ALT and AST were high and in a ratio that indicated too much alcohol.  I get tested again after two more weeks, and see if I can drink again.

Elevated liver enzymes can be caused by many factors:  Obesity, Lipitor, Alcohol, HRT.   They all stress the liver.  The only scientific way to find the culprit is to eliminate one factor and test several weeks later.

My doctor thinks my liver will recover shortly and I can have a couple of drinks a week again.  Of course if eliminating alcohol doesn't fix things, I guess I either lose 50 lbs, stop taking Lipitor or give up HRT.

Randi

I never had any issues with drinking and HRT. But I also drank rarely and in small amounts by the time I started taking HRT. Once I was on anti-anxiety drugs and anti-depressants, that created a much larger problem and I had to stop drinking altogether. (Which was easy to do since my drinking was far and few in between and, again, in small amounts). But I soon found that those meds didn't like it when I hung out with Al Kee Hall so I had to say, 'later, dude' and I haven't touched a drop in 10 months. (and I never will again)

It probably not healthy but when was beer ever considered healthy in general?
it also saying it's not good to smoke and being on homones but smoking without HRT arn't healthy either.
so
I think if you just drink moderately then it shouldn't be a problem, I been on T for around 3 years and alcohol haven't been an issues with our without T for the matter.

I think you probably need to stop drinking before the booze-fueled haze causes you to forget to take your medication.

Rosie

Beer has estrogen in it!

Prior to HRT, I was a real junkie - I was drinking every single day up to 10-15 beers and sometimes almost a full bottle of whiskey, smoked 2-3 packs of cigarettes, a lot of weed and other drugs... When I started my last HRT (it was my 4th attempt), I stopped everything and only occasionally drank 2-3 beers or glasses of wine. There were periods of 2-3 months of no drinking at all - only water and tea.
The last month I started to drink socially again - 1-2 times a week with friends - just a couple of beers or glasses of wine. I can't even handle more, because since I am on HRT, I am not that alcohol-thirsty freak anymore and I drink much slower and much smaller quantities - just like my girl friends. I was always wondering how they manage their will to not drink so much like me in my male years, until hormones did their work to me. Now I can't imagine drinking even the half of what I did before, which is good

I have noticed that I can't hold my liquor now, mostly from losing weight, but might be from H tinkering. 

Plus is that I'm a cheap drunk now. 2 glasses of wine and I get happy and sleepy. 4 and I'm out the door. lol.

It is mainly the liver part.

If you have a healthy liver, and many of us get ours checked during regular blood tests, moderate drinking will likely be no problem. Also, if you take your estrogen in a way that bipasses the liver, you are at less of a risk.

A slower metabolism on e does change tolerance.

And, of course, as others have said, drinking too much is bad, mmmmmkay?

I'm not a big drinker, but this was still good to know...
i plan on starting hrt soon, & never even thought
about alcohol consumption..
thank you ladies

Well HRT aside, most doctors say that a glass of redwine a day is good for your heart. Now they claim that a beer or two a day is actually healthy, for what I can't remember. The best thing to do is ask your doctor and find out what is safe enough to drink without negative consequences.

This is only my opinion though and depends upon how healthy your liver is but 1-2 drinks especially beer or wine a week even on HRT I think your liver can probably handle it. But still check with your doctor especially if you have ever had any type of illness that is specific to the liver. Also if it would make you or your doctor more comfortble have them do a test since your previous intake was quite high and if that may have done damage.

Good for me, I don't like strong alcohol, so my intake is limited to my weekly pizza & beer movie night, which amounts to one 33cl / 50cl imported beer. Since I am on ciproterone acetate, it's better not to go over it.

My last mass heavy was maybe a month ago, two consecutive judas, although I was getting wasted on purposed in one of my worst dysphoric days (they've gotten worse). Oddly, nearly no hangover, just a lot of dehydration.

Yup, alcohol is my occasional GID coping mechanism in really bad days, and on those days I don't give a damn about my health. Still, perfect over the media bloodwork, as it is been since starting HRT.

I drink for about 360 days per year. Mostly mild, fermented traditional rice wine (5% alcohol) here. Sometimes, one bottle of red wine per night. Occasionally, I drink tequila, whiskey, vodka, and cognac. I avoid beer and Sake, which my body does not assimilate well. But, I love ale beer, which I drink every night when I visit any European country.

And I smoke....

These are probably a part of reason why I do not get HRT 

I am not quite sure how much my liver can endure.... Until now, no problem.

And, I think the following article is plausible:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2551059/South-Koreans-drink-TWICE-Russians-five-times-Brits.html

barbie~~

Quote from: barbie on May 15, 2014, 01:15:27 PM
I drink for about 360 days per year. Mostly mild, fermented traditional rice wine (5% alcohol) here. Sometimes, one bottle of red wine per night. Occasionally, I drink tequila, whiskey, vodka, and cognac. I avoid beer and Sake, which my body does not assimilate well. But, I love ale beer, which I drink every night when I visit any European country.

And I smoke....

These are probably a part of reason why I do not get HRT 

I am not quite sure how much my liver can endure.... Until now, no problem.

And, I think the following article is plausible:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2551059/South-Koreans-drink-TWICE-Russians-five-times-Brits.html

barbie~~

I was involved in a college program that helped foreign exchange students practice conversational English and my partner was from South Korea.  Before meeting her, I assumed South Korea wasn't like that, but I was shocked to hear how common drinking is among the population.  It's funny how often we can misinterpret different cultures without actually having direct knowledge of what it's like.

Quote from: learningtolive on May 15, 2014, 01:29:24 PM
I was involved in a college program that helped foreign exchange students practice conversational English and my partner was from South Korea.  Before meeting her, I assumed South Korea wasn't like that, but I was shocked to hear how common drinking is among the population.  It's funny how often we can misinterpret different cultures without actually having direct knowledge of what it's like.

Yes. I also experienced it. When I arrived in the U.S. in 1995, my colleagues at the work place initially assumed that I do not drink well, because I do not like beer. After they saw me drinking red wine as much as their drinking of beer during a festival, they no longer thought so.

Stress from the extremely competitive society of S. Korea is probably the major reason why Koreans drink so much. Fortunately, there are very few alcoholics as most Koreans drink together, not alone. Drinking alone can easily lead to alcoholism.

barbie~~