Hemochromatosis Support Group

Hemochromatosis is a hereditary disease characterized by improper processing by the body of dietary iron which causes iron to accumulate in a number of body tissues, eventually causing organ dysfunction. It is the main iron overload disorder. Hemochromatosis is notorious for having symptoms that are often initially misattributed to other diseases.

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Gastrointestinal System
/ Hemochromatosis Support Group

new hh patient alcohol effects

Petango
Petango

hello i am a 33 yr old male just diagnosed waiting to meet with my blood doctor and had a few questions i hope maybe can be answered here.... ive been recently noticing huuge changes in how i get drunk, been fairly regular beer drinker for a few years (12-15 per week avg) and over the last 6 months or so i have been getting faaar more drunk after 5-6 beers even though this amount would previously hardly affect me, is this a common among hemochromatosis patients? thank you for any help, adam

Brinski
Brinski
The first thing I would tell you is to stay off the alcohol. If you are HH then you have enough problems without the alcohol. That is the quicker way to send your liver and you to the grave. This will accelerate your iron levels. I don't know if it causes you to get drunk faster, but I would stop right now if you want to get through this and live a long life. The pain and other symptom's that comes with this is more than enough to deal with. Just read some of what other HH people have been dealing with. It is painful joints that can be crippling. Some days when you can barely walk because of the pain. Fatigue when you can hardly get through the day. Psoriasis, Arthritis. all linked to this. Look up Hemochromotosis.org.au My levels were 2003. It says when you are 1000, this is extremely serious, imagine what it feels like when you read yours is double that. Those levels are enough to start attacking your liver, spleen, heart and other organs it feels like attacking. It has taken me 2 years to get to normal levels, now having had 19 litres of blood taken. This is serious, stop drinking...........
WrCainy
WrCainy
Just to add to above comment, which I agree with totally, alcohol will also have a serious negative effect on Liver Enzymes and because of the disorder will kickstand cirrhosis. Stay away from the booze till your numbers reach maintenance levels!
Iron_Man
Iron_Man
You may be an alcoholic. Look AA up in google.
Iron_Man
Iron_Man
i took my doctors advice and don't drink. Everything I read about hemochromatosis indicates we shouldn't drink with our iron problem.
Cap6
Cap6
I drank one or two, glasses of wine every evening. A social thing as my partner and I read the paper and discussed the day. I quit. Period. An mri showed no damage to my liver but I am not taking any chances. period. I did try a quarter glass of wine and it went straight to my head. Bam! So, no thanks. I have celiac as well and am not interested in pushing my body through any more diseases. Just my thoughts!
orcasgal
orcasgal
You might also be celiac, and if you are, you can't drink beer, as it is has gluten, and this might be why you are feeling unusual effects of beer consumption. Get celiac checked out. I see two of us on here have both, celiac and hemochromatosis.
Cap6
Cap6
orcasgal ~ I think celiac is easier. I hate those weekly blood lets. !!!!
ReverseVampire
ReverseVampire
My doc said in moderation it is fine if your liver isn't damaged or at risk (ie: you caught the hemochromatosis before iron buildup could cause any damage to your liver) - if you're drinking heavily it can exacerbate already present liver damage/cirrhosis. It can also make you absorb more iron but that's if you're drinking a LOT. In terms of being less tolerant of alcohol, I've had similar experiences especially in the weeks after a phlebotomy. I'm assuming it's probably because of a decreased blood volume & therefore higher concentrations of alc in the bloodstream than normal but that's just a guess. Best of luck to you :)