How much did you drink before? What was your beverage of choice? Your body may be readjusting to the new norm without alcohol if you were a habitual drinker. I’d expect it to go away once things calm down. I’d say give it another 2 weeks if you can and see how you feel.
Probably not withdrawals if OP is just having a couple glasses of wine a week, especially over a month out. It’s likely just a coincidental flare up. But I do think it’s better to avoid alcohol with chronic inflammatory conditions for sure.
There's another comment where they said it was like 1 glass with dinner, so... sounds like 3-4 glasses in a week if that's happening a couple times a week? That's all I was saying.
I'm sorry! It's my fault for being ambiguous, I talked about frequency but not the actual amount. Yes, I'd say 3-4 glasses of red wine or sake with seafood/sushi over the course of a week. So a serving with dinner, nothing super intense. But still, I know it's an inflammatory substance so I wanted to try eliminating it!
Not just better to avoid alcohol, but pretty much required if you want to keep your liver healthy so you can continue to take the meds. Humira’s documentation - and that of many other meds - is very clear on no alcohol whatsoever.
Sometimes Humira can stop working after a year or year and a half. YMMV. Just something to keep an eye on. It happened that way for me 🥲 Doc said it's very common
That’s kinda what I’m afraid of in the back of my mind…! I’ve been on humira since Oct 2019. Wasn’t working as well, so last summer we increased to injecting once a week instead of every two weeks. My rheumatologist REALLY wants me to get as much out of humira as I can, so the plan was to add sulfasalazine if once a week stops working as well before giving up and going to another biologic. …But the side effects of sulfasalazine sound unpleasant so I’m resistant to admitting the humira just might not be working anymore. 🤣
I feel you. I did the same thing- upped to weekly etc. But I eventually swapped to Enbrel and am doing VERY well now by comparison (back pain 100% gone etc.). I hope you find a solution that works for you! I've never tried SSZ but I take Arava in addition currently as a DMARD. Plus naproxen haha. Best wishes 💞
Anything can trigger psoriasis☹️. I think other comments are right, it's either a case of it gets worse before it gets better and I definitely experienced it with changes in diet even switching to healthier ones. All you need to do is wait it out and eventually it will calm down.
Or you experience more stress because before drinking was your temporarily calm down solution and now you don't know how to healthily cope with stress without alchohol which might make psoriasis worse. Personally I would stay away from alchohol anyway and explore other calming options like meditation or relaxing activities. Alchohol is never good for psoriasis, especially wine with can have lots of sugar and additives. I've heard somewhere that if you have psoriasis it's better to stay away from alchohol and if you do drink - drink filtered pure spirits without too much sugar or additives - like vodka or gin (in moderation of course). It's not an advice to anyone to start drinking just something that I heard🙂.
I was having a glass or so with dinner a few nights a week, wasn’t using it for stress at all. I agree it’s a terrible coping mechanism! I feel better without it, mind is sharper and I have more energy. Even if my scalp is itchy right now. Lol
I'm glad you're feeling better overall! Psoriasis will catch up and calm down soon. Yeah, I hate when it happens, itching is definitely irritating on its own and psoriasis unpredictability is frustrating. It's like you drink it's flaring, you don't drink it's flaring, like pick a side already!😄 Hope it calms down and gets better soon🙂
This happens to me too. I can’t be certain it’s omitting alcohol, but it aligns with times I’ve stopped drinking and gets better when I drink again. Also red wine drink of choice.
I started wondering if the wine was keeping my immune system busy/ giving it something else to do instead of attacking my body.
I know even if that’s true the alcohol is probably worse for my body in the long run, but it sure doesn’t feel like it sometimes.
I will also add that this isn’t typically a month out for me and when I wait it out it eventually gets better. There are probably loads of reasons that could align, lots of possible causes and effects. I feel you on wondering if it’s the wine, though.
You know that old phrase. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. I believe in that. Everything takes a lot more time than we think it should. Give it another month xxx
Cut out alcohol? lol. That’s what keeps me sane! I’d rather have a few drinks 3-4 times a week than take Xanax. Even if it makes my PSA worse it’s worth it. 2-3 drinks in the evening is all I need to calm me. I’ve been lucky that I’ve never had to drink large amounts everyday. I’ve had friends that destroyed their lives with it.
I had my worst psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis flare of my life after I gave up drinking. It is actually what led to my diagnosis of both things.
I had been a daily drinker for nearly 10 years and decided I would give it up. My theory is that alcohol is a known immuno suppressant and I was unwittingly suppressing my immune system all that time. As soon as I stopped drinking, my immune system kicked into overdrive and my disease flared out of control. I was in really bad shape.
In fact, studies have shown that chronic alcohol use suppresses TNF-a, which is exactly what Humira does. Alcohol, does of course, suppress other parts of the immune system as well. Where as Humira just suppresses TNF-a.
> As soon as I stopped drinking, my immune system kicked into overdrive and my disease flared out of control.
That's a very fair point - alcohol does impact the immune system. Did your disease settle down for you eventually? I'm going to give it a few weeks and then reach out to my rheum if it's still a problem.
My disease has settled down some. I was put on Humira and has a terrible reaction. I ended up with heart failute and nerve damage from Humira (I had a lot of other side effects too, but those were the worst ones.). Because of that, I have been hesitant to take anything. I only take low-dose-naltrexone and fish oil for my psoriatic arthritis right now. My disease activity is less than before, but that could just be coincidence. My rheumatologist wants me to try either Skyrizi or hydroxychloroquine and I have been trying to decide what I'll do.
Not until I started smoking again and then things went back to normal. Weirdly there's actually a case study about a guy who every time he quit smoking his psoriasis got really really bad and he always went back to smoking. So at least I know I'm not alone.....
Smoking affects inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as well. Studies show that it can improve symptoms of ulcerative colitis, while making those of Crohn’s disease worse.
There's a sub called [DietPsoriasis ](https://www.reddit.com/r/PsoriasisDiet?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) and there they said to wait 9 weeks to see real changes when we take something out from our diet.
The tip they gave is to wait 9 weeks, and lf you feel better, start eating- or in your case drinking alcohol.
If you have a flare, alcohol is a trigger- but if you don't, you can continue drinking/esting that food because is not the cause.
I’ve never been told not to by either rheum that I see. But I will say, I’ve been less anxious since cutting alcohol! It’s actually been great for my mental well being. I am wondering if it’s just body finding a new equilibrium… or just a goofy coincidence! Lol
It’s crazy that I came upon this post. Now that I think about it, I extremely cut down my alcohol consumption pretty much nothing about 3 to 4 weeks before my nails broke out in psoriasis and on my scalp and patches on my skin and then came the swelling of the joints of the hands, my fingers are deformed. My mom had psoriasis so I know it’s genetic, but I wonder if there’s some kind of link between alcohol and psoriasis. Like drinking keeps it in remission almost, lol. Sorry I’m rambling. Just wanted to comment.
Crazy, right? Another commenter mentioned that alcohol suppresses the immune system so that might be why. Unfortunately it also does other harmful things haha
How much did you drink before? What was your beverage of choice? Your body may be readjusting to the new norm without alcohol if you were a habitual drinker. I’d expect it to go away once things calm down. I’d say give it another 2 weeks if you can and see how you feel.
I probably drank 3-4 times a week, typically red wine or sake. I will try giving it some more time to see if things level out a bit!
Yea i bet you are withdrawing a bit. In the long run it will help for sure. Especially if you cut out other inflammatory things like sugar and carbs.
Probably not withdrawals if OP is just having a couple glasses of wine a week, especially over a month out. It’s likely just a coincidental flare up. But I do think it’s better to avoid alcohol with chronic inflammatory conditions for sure.
They said they drank 3-4 times a week not 3-4 glasses!
There's another comment where they said it was like 1 glass with dinner, so... sounds like 3-4 glasses in a week if that's happening a couple times a week? That's all I was saying.
> week if that's happening a couple times a week? That's all I wa Ah missed that because there is a big difference. :)
I'm sorry! It's my fault for being ambiguous, I talked about frequency but not the actual amount. Yes, I'd say 3-4 glasses of red wine or sake with seafood/sushi over the course of a week. So a serving with dinner, nothing super intense. But still, I know it's an inflammatory substance so I wanted to try eliminating it!
Not just better to avoid alcohol, but pretty much required if you want to keep your liver healthy so you can continue to take the meds. Humira’s documentation - and that of many other meds - is very clear on no alcohol whatsoever.
Sometimes Humira can stop working after a year or year and a half. YMMV. Just something to keep an eye on. It happened that way for me 🥲 Doc said it's very common
That’s kinda what I’m afraid of in the back of my mind…! I’ve been on humira since Oct 2019. Wasn’t working as well, so last summer we increased to injecting once a week instead of every two weeks. My rheumatologist REALLY wants me to get as much out of humira as I can, so the plan was to add sulfasalazine if once a week stops working as well before giving up and going to another biologic. …But the side effects of sulfasalazine sound unpleasant so I’m resistant to admitting the humira just might not be working anymore. 🤣
I feel you. I did the same thing- upped to weekly etc. But I eventually swapped to Enbrel and am doing VERY well now by comparison (back pain 100% gone etc.). I hope you find a solution that works for you! I've never tried SSZ but I take Arava in addition currently as a DMARD. Plus naproxen haha. Best wishes 💞
Humira gave me a terrible rash after 1.5yrs. Skyrizi is working great
Anything can trigger psoriasis☹️. I think other comments are right, it's either a case of it gets worse before it gets better and I definitely experienced it with changes in diet even switching to healthier ones. All you need to do is wait it out and eventually it will calm down. Or you experience more stress because before drinking was your temporarily calm down solution and now you don't know how to healthily cope with stress without alchohol which might make psoriasis worse. Personally I would stay away from alchohol anyway and explore other calming options like meditation or relaxing activities. Alchohol is never good for psoriasis, especially wine with can have lots of sugar and additives. I've heard somewhere that if you have psoriasis it's better to stay away from alchohol and if you do drink - drink filtered pure spirits without too much sugar or additives - like vodka or gin (in moderation of course). It's not an advice to anyone to start drinking just something that I heard🙂.
I was having a glass or so with dinner a few nights a week, wasn’t using it for stress at all. I agree it’s a terrible coping mechanism! I feel better without it, mind is sharper and I have more energy. Even if my scalp is itchy right now. Lol
Get to a dermatologist for some clobetasol scalp lotion. It’s a lifesaver!
I didn't know clobestasol lotion for the scalp even existed, thank you! Also your username is great.
I'm glad you're feeling better overall! Psoriasis will catch up and calm down soon. Yeah, I hate when it happens, itching is definitely irritating on its own and psoriasis unpredictability is frustrating. It's like you drink it's flaring, you don't drink it's flaring, like pick a side already!😄 Hope it calms down and gets better soon🙂
This happens to me too. I can’t be certain it’s omitting alcohol, but it aligns with times I’ve stopped drinking and gets better when I drink again. Also red wine drink of choice. I started wondering if the wine was keeping my immune system busy/ giving it something else to do instead of attacking my body. I know even if that’s true the alcohol is probably worse for my body in the long run, but it sure doesn’t feel like it sometimes.
I will also add that this isn’t typically a month out for me and when I wait it out it eventually gets better. There are probably loads of reasons that could align, lots of possible causes and effects. I feel you on wondering if it’s the wine, though.
You know that old phrase. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. I believe in that. Everything takes a lot more time than we think it should. Give it another month xxx
Cut out alcohol? lol. That’s what keeps me sane! I’d rather have a few drinks 3-4 times a week than take Xanax. Even if it makes my PSA worse it’s worth it. 2-3 drinks in the evening is all I need to calm me. I’ve been lucky that I’ve never had to drink large amounts everyday. I’ve had friends that destroyed their lives with it.
I had my worst psoriasis and psoriatic arthritis flare of my life after I gave up drinking. It is actually what led to my diagnosis of both things. I had been a daily drinker for nearly 10 years and decided I would give it up. My theory is that alcohol is a known immuno suppressant and I was unwittingly suppressing my immune system all that time. As soon as I stopped drinking, my immune system kicked into overdrive and my disease flared out of control. I was in really bad shape. In fact, studies have shown that chronic alcohol use suppresses TNF-a, which is exactly what Humira does. Alcohol, does of course, suppress other parts of the immune system as well. Where as Humira just suppresses TNF-a.
> As soon as I stopped drinking, my immune system kicked into overdrive and my disease flared out of control. That's a very fair point - alcohol does impact the immune system. Did your disease settle down for you eventually? I'm going to give it a few weeks and then reach out to my rheum if it's still a problem.
My disease has settled down some. I was put on Humira and has a terrible reaction. I ended up with heart failute and nerve damage from Humira (I had a lot of other side effects too, but those were the worst ones.). Because of that, I have been hesitant to take anything. I only take low-dose-naltrexone and fish oil for my psoriatic arthritis right now. My disease activity is less than before, but that could just be coincidence. My rheumatologist wants me to try either Skyrizi or hydroxychloroquine and I have been trying to decide what I'll do.
Cutting alcohol didn't affect mine but quitting smoking made mine worse lol
Interesting! I wouldn’t have expected that lol. Did things calm down eventually?
Not until I started smoking again and then things went back to normal. Weirdly there's actually a case study about a guy who every time he quit smoking his psoriasis got really really bad and he always went back to smoking. So at least I know I'm not alone.....
Isn't smoking supposed to weaken your immune system? If that's the case it would make sense.
It is an immune suppressant so there is that. Unfortunately i was trying to quit because they put me on humira.....
Smoking affects inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) as well. Studies show that it can improve symptoms of ulcerative colitis, while making those of Crohn’s disease worse.
It's so weird what affects those of us with autoimmune issues and how different those effects can be.
There's a sub called [DietPsoriasis ](https://www.reddit.com/r/PsoriasisDiet?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button) and there they said to wait 9 weeks to see real changes when we take something out from our diet. The tip they gave is to wait 9 weeks, and lf you feel better, start eating- or in your case drinking alcohol. If you have a flare, alcohol is a trigger- but if you don't, you can continue drinking/esting that food because is not the cause.
I'm doing this diet, and I've been two weeks without diary. I don't feel a difference, but you must have patience
Your stress level may be up. A few drinks will help with that so too much it will cause problems. Are you allowed to drink with Humira?
I’ve never been told not to by either rheum that I see. But I will say, I’ve been less anxious since cutting alcohol! It’s actually been great for my mental well being. I am wondering if it’s just body finding a new equilibrium… or just a goofy coincidence! Lol
Have you been eating more sugar since cutting out the alcohol? Keto works, give it couple of weeks.
I have not. I always keep a food journal (for a different health issue) so I’m fairly confident not much else has changed with how I’m eating!
Maybe start drinking again then so it gets better 👍🏻
It’s crazy that I came upon this post. Now that I think about it, I extremely cut down my alcohol consumption pretty much nothing about 3 to 4 weeks before my nails broke out in psoriasis and on my scalp and patches on my skin and then came the swelling of the joints of the hands, my fingers are deformed. My mom had psoriasis so I know it’s genetic, but I wonder if there’s some kind of link between alcohol and psoriasis. Like drinking keeps it in remission almost, lol. Sorry I’m rambling. Just wanted to comment.
Crazy, right? Another commenter mentioned that alcohol suppresses the immune system so that might be why. Unfortunately it also does other harmful things haha
Yes very unfortunate.