Dialysis and alcohol

[Alex C.]

Years ago, when i was driving a cab for a living, and we had a contract to transport dialysis patients to the hospital-based dialysis clinic, we had on patient, an elderly man, who would with certain regularity, get himself drunk on a Saturday night, then would call a cab to take him to the hospital for emergency dialysis. Years later, my nephrologist told me a story about a patient he had during his residency days, a woman who was dangerously intoxicated (on St. Patrick's day, yet), and was in danger of dying. She was given emergency dialysis, which not only saved her life, but it seems also sobered her up in record time.

How common is this? Are there people who regularly show up for dialysis intoxicated? Can showing up intoxicated make the canulation process less painful? And, will dialysis really sober you up completely? Will it also prevent hangovers?

[Rerun]

Your liver processes alcohol.  So the only thing dialysis would do is take off the fluid if they drank enough to be fluid overloaded. 

If you get drunk on Friday night and don't have dialysis until Sunday night... you don't stay drunk the whole time.... darn!

That is my thought on the subject.  Maybe someone else knows more.

                     

[BattleScars]

There's a lot of common misconceptions about alcohol and kidney disease. A lot of people that don't know anything about KD ask me if I screwed up my kidney by drinking. Even my own mothers swears that alcohol damages the kidneys. Here's what I do know, I've had some friends that are chronic alcoholics and their kidneys are fine but their livers are shot. Since alcohol is processed through your liver you're going to harm your liver long before ever seriously damaging your kidneys, for the most part. I mean if you got alcohol poisoning it could possibly cause your kidneys to fail at least in the short term but I'm not a doctor. Also drinking too much causes pretty bad dehydration and alcohol withdrawals when you are coming down from alcohol thus giving you the hangover symptoms.   

As far as dialysis goes I've been told by all my doctors I can drink in moderation while on dialysis but that's what they tell healthy people too, to drink in "moderation." A doctor is never going to recommend anyone get hammered. When I do drink my biggest problem is fluid overload. I can feel it big time. My kidney can't keep up. Like I said, drinking too much can cause dehydration but in my case I gain a lot of fluid, especially with beer because it can take me 4 or 5 beers to start getting a good buzz. I've tried drinking wine and mixed drinks to cut down on the fluid intake. I can drink a big glass of wine (probably 2 normal glasses) and get a decent little buzz.

Everyone has different health problems besides the kidney stuff so I would talk to the doc about it. The overall long-term effect is alcohol isn't good for the heart, that is beyond a glass or two a day, and we as kidney patients are at a greater risk for heart disease and heart attacks so I still wouldn't want test my limits.

I imagine a chronic alcoholic on dialysis probably isn't making good decisions and probably forgets to do all his treatments and ends up in the ER needed emergency dialysis when he starts feeling really bad. Alcoholics that aren't on dialysis have trouble taking care of their own basic needs, it must be tough on the kidney patient. That's just my own uneducated opinion on the subject lol.   

   

[Bill Peckham]

Dialysis definitely sobers you up.

[Bajanne]

I have never been a real alcohol drinker, but sometimes I will buy a bottle of beer and it would be in my fridge for two days.  I just mix a little with certain juices, like lemonade to make a shandy.  I love the taste and only use about an ounce of beer at a time.  I am hoping this does not endanger me in any way.

[skg]

I have never been a real alcohol drinker, but sometimes I will buy a bottle of beer and it would be in my fridge for two days.  I just mix a little with certain juices, like lemonade to make a shandy.  I love the taste and only use about an ounce of beer at a time.  I am hoping this does not endanger me in any way.

I don't think lemonade is *too* dangerous, so you're probably OK!

cheers,
skg

[Zach]

A little Jack on the rocks now and then is fine.



PS:  But always check with your meds.

[Riki]

At Christmastime, a local grocery chain that has it's own brand of soft drinks, puts out a ginger ale with cranberry juice.  It's tasty on it's own, but Mom and I tend to put a little rum in it.  *G*

Mom will occasionally buy me a certain brand of strawberry wine, which has the same alcohol content as a bottle of beer.  It's not going to get you hammered, it just loosens things up a bit, especially if you're a lightweight like me. *G*  I use it when I'm in a writing mood because it seems to help the ideas flow.