Alcohol

My new main set for next few weeks: 2 x 200mg ibuprofen 1 x gin and tonic Repeat till sleepy

I'm knocking back a few shots of scotch at night to try to kill off the stomach virus (before it startson me) that my kids brought home... So far so good...but perhaps it's just the placebo effect... ...who cares... Bottoms Up!! :)

I just had an interesting conversation at a swim meet. I was told that a local college/masters coach recommends 48 hours of constant NSAIs every 4-6 hours (or whatever the directions say) to zap inflammation quickly. I was also told that NSAIs do not mix well with alcohol and that the combo could hurt your liver/kidneys. :eek: Still haven't heard whether alcohol itself causes inflammation. Where is Gull?

I was just told some scarey story about someone loading up on NSAIs and having to have dialysis. Ugh.

I believe it is because your liver processes both, so combining them can overstress your body. Then again, the caution on the bottle is no more than three drinks per day, so I don't think one will kill you.

Fortress, I heard that too about the NSAIs. And what do you mean hurt our livers? Alcohol doesn't do that? It needs help from NSAIs? DB

I work in the pharma industry and my understanding is that acetaminophen can cause liver damage if you are drinking more than a couple of drinks. All the other NSAIDs carry a risk of stomach bleeding that goes up when you drink. Strangely, acetaminophen is fatal to cats. That's why I take ibuprofen with my G&T.

I'm a bit late to the party, but thought I'd resurrect this thread and a shot at this question. CC, if you're asking for a general answer, I think the best response is simply no. Alcohol does a lot of things, and of course the amount and speed at which you consume it can have a huge effect on the end result. But assuming that you are consuming modest amounts (less than 3-4 drinks at a sitting) you aren't going to worsen inflammation in the musculoskeletal system. I am not a physiologist (I'm a general internist) so if you want a very specific logical argument I can't give it to you. What I've laid out is pretty much common sense. For most of us with healthy kidneys and livers, it is going to be very uncommon to experience significant side effects from tylenol or NSAID's. That is, if you take them in recommended doses. You can put yourself at risk from NSAID's if you are severly dehydrated and then take a stiff dose. And you can easily kill your liver with tylenol- if you take about 10-20 grams at once. BTW, the labeled doses for ibuprofen and Alleve are very cautious- if I ever really need help I double the recommended dose. So since our beverages aren't going to aggravate our shoulder symptoms, lets have some fun this weekend! All I have to say is, thank god!! :drink: As I sit here sipping my wine and reading posts because everyone else is getting their recommended dose of sleep. It's good to have another doc on the forum. We all seem in constant need of advice. Now, another interesting question is: how many posts on this forum have been written under the influence?:rofl:

But, I'm wondering, does alcohol increase or exacerbate inflammation? I'm a bit late to the party, but thought I'd resurrect this thread and a shot at this question. CC, if you're asking for a general answer, I think the best response is simply no. Alcohol does a lot of things, and of course the amount and speed at which you consume it can have a huge effect on the end result. But assuming that you are consuming modest amounts (less than 3-4 drinks at a sitting) you aren't going to worsen inflammation in the musculoskeletal system. I am not a physiologist (I'm a general internist) so if you want a very specific logical argument I can't give it to you. What I've laid out is pretty much common sense. For most of us with healthy kidneys and livers, it is going to be very uncommon to experience significant side effects from tylenol or NSAID's. That is, if you take them in recommended doses. You can put yourself at risk from NSAID's if you are severly dehydrated and then take a stiff dose. And you can easily kill your liver with tylenol- if you take about 10-20 grams at once. BTW, the labeled doses for ibuprofen and Alleve are very cautious- if I ever really need help I double the recommended dose. So since our beverages aren't going to aggravate our shoulder symptoms, lets have some fun this weekend!

Leslie- all too many, I'm afraid. Hoppy New Year (hic!).