Can You Drink Alcohol While on Chemotherapy?
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Chemotherapy is a challenging experience — it’s physically taxing, mentally draining, and the side effects seem to seep into just about every area of life. From physical changes to mood changes and strains on work and family life, it’s not controversial to say: chemotherapy (and cancer in general) sucks.
It’s plausible, then, that we might reach for a few drinks to relax when the stress of chemo has us feeling down. Unfortunately, that’s likely going to do more harm than good. Besides the fact that alcohol fuels depression and anxiety, cancer and excessive drinking have a somewhat reciprocal relationship. Over the years, more research has been done to show a more definitive link between alcohol as a cause of cancer. That being said, surveys also show that excessive drinking is common for cancer patients, even during chemotherapy.
Information online about the safety of drinking alcohol while on chemotherapy is a bit unclear, making it difficult to make our own informed decisions. That’s where we come in. This article will unpack the science behind the effects of alcohol on chemotherapy and come up with a clear answer. Let’s dive in!
Research has extensively linked alcohol to cancer. Recent changes to the American Cancer Society guidelines recommend avoiding alcohol in order to reduce the risk of developing cancer. While many factors are theorized to cause cancer, drinking alcohol directly leads to an increased risk of developing all different types of cancer.
What types of cancer, exactly? Well … all of them. To learn about specific threats, check out our blogs about alcohol-related risks of developing cancer in the throat, colon, liver, breast, and more.
Alcohol’s cancer threat stems from the metabolism of ethanol, the main component of alcohol. Ethanol is broken down by our liver into a toxic compound called acetaldehyde (ACH). ACH is classified as a carcinogen, or a substance that can cause cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) classifies carcinogens into four different categories based on the strength of evidence for their cancer-causing properties: known carcinogens, probable carcinogens, possible carcinogens, and non-classifiable. ACH is a known carcinogen — confirming alcohol’s role in the risk of developing cancer.
Alcohol also disrupts the hormones that promote cell division and growth, depletes essential vitamins and nutrients, and damages the immune system’s innate cancer-fighting power. Drinking during chemo is incredibly common, either in spite of this information or because we aren’t aware of it. To understand the negative effects of drinking while on chemotherapy, let’s first take a look at what chemo is.
Although often described under the umbrella term “chemotherapy” (or “chemo,” for short), this treatment frequently consists of a range of different drugs that attack our cells in different cycles to prevent cancer cells from reproducing. Chemotherapy drugs are cytotoxic, meaning they’re toxic to cells. They are also systemic, which means that they affect all the cells in the body — including healthy ones.
The same property that makes chemo effective at destroying cancer cells makes it dangerous to our healthy cells. This explains why chemo famously causes a reduction in our immune system function, making those of us undergoing chemo treatment immunocompromised. It also comes with a long list of uncomfortable side effects:
Through the long list of potential side effects, we can see the extensive impact that chemo has on our body. Treatment typically lasts anywhere from six months to a year, but sometimes runs longer. Because cancer can be pesky to treat, chemo is often used in conjunction with other approaches and supporting therapies that help to attack cancer from multiple angles and alleviate chemo side effects.
We know that chemotherapy and alcohol both have significant impacts on our body. Let’s see what experts suggest regarding drinking during chemo.
Every chemotherapy regimen is different, using a different combination of drugs delivered on a strict schedule. Following the schedule of chemo cycles is crucial, as the effectiveness of the treatment depends on having sufficient levels of chemo in our body to fight cancer cells. If there are known interactions between alcohol and our chemo medication, treatment cycles may need to be pushed back.
Research shows that missing doses of chemo is associated with increased mortality — which drinking can certainly play a role in. Even though not all chemo or supporting medications have direct interactions with alcohol, drinking can still open the door to many complications (which we’ll get into).
Since alcohol is so heavily tied to the risk of developing cancer, drinking during and after chemo can also increase the risk of recurrence. Chemo causes extreme strain on our body as evidenced by its sometimes debilitating side effects. Drinking alcohol on top of that adds additional strain, pushing our body even harder and adding to our discomfort.
Cancer treatment requires an exhaustive approach that combines different methods and treatments. Alcohol can disrupt chemo in many different ways.
Chemo consists of a combination of different drugs to provide the best chance to eliminate cancer, and alcohol has many known interactions with common drugs used during chemo treatment. It also interacts with other medications used to support cancer treatment including pain relievers, anti-nausea medication, and anti-anxiety drugs.
Let’s take a look at how alcohol interacts with some of the most common chemo drugs:
It’s best to consult with our oncology treatment team regarding specific interactions within our personalized medication regimen. Alcohol may not have direct interactions with all chemo treatment medications, but it can still cause negative effects. Medication and alcohol are metabolized in our liver — putting it into overdrive. This can lead to severe side effects and reduce the effectiveness of the chemo drugs.
Much like the link between alcohol and chemotherapy, drinking also causes harmful impacts on non-chemo cancer treatments. The following therapies are impacted by the negative effects of alcohol:
We can see that interactions between cancer treatments, chemotherapy, and alcohol can cause negative symptoms. As it turns out, the timing of our drinking has a lot to do with how alcohol affects our treatment.
Chemo is primarily administered in medical settings such as a doctor’s office or outpatient clinic. It’s usually given intravenously, but it can also be in the form of an injection or pill. While drinking is not recommended for cancer patients at any stage (even those in remission), let’s dive deeper into the guidelines for drinking immediately after receiving chemo and after all cycles of treatment are completed.
If there are no direct interactions between alcohol and our panel of chemo drugs, drinking immediately after a treatment session may not pose immediate risks or symptoms. However, it’s still not recommended as drinking can further aggravate the side effects of chemo.
Chemo drugs typically stay in our system for 3-7 days, depending on the drug. If we choose to drink, it’s best to wait until the chemo medication exits our system to minimize any adverse effects. Treatment schedules also vary between patients, so it’s important to keep in mind when our next round will be.
Fitting in a drink while on chemo is a balancing act that only adds to the burden of treatment. If you do decide to drink during your treatment plan, be sure to communicate clearly with the treatment team so they can account for all elements.
After all cycles of chemo are completed, drinking is still not recommended. Chemo may help some types of cancer, but, for more advanced cancers, it may only stop the cancer from spreading. This means that the cancer will require ongoing maintenance and therapy to delay progression.
For patients who are cancer-free after chemo is completed, drinking is still not a good idea. Although the correlation between drinking and increased risk of cancer recurrence is still being studied, alcohol is clearly correlated with an increased risk of cancer.
If we do choose to drink, it’s best to wait until chemo symptoms subside, and thereafter follow recommended guidelines for drinking in moderation. Choosing to drink during and after chemo opens up “Pandora’s box,” leading to a host of potential complications and consequences.
Cancer and chemo are extremely taxing on our body. Cancer cells attack from inside, and chemo can destroy healthy cells that decrease our immune defenses. During this vulnerable state, even having one standard drink is not recommended.
If our chemo medication and supporting treatments have direct interactions with alcohol, any amount will cause negative harm to the way the drug works in our system. If our chemo medication doesn’t have direct interactions, we may not see or feel immediate symptoms, but alcohol still stresses out our body when it’s fighting to heal. As such, it’s generally best to avoid alcohol entirely while on chemo.
Drinking during chemo can lead to direct and indirect effects on our health and our fight against cancer. It can make cancer treatment more demanding on our body given these consequences:
Drinking isn’t recommended in any amounts while on chemo, but hiding our drinking can cause even greater harm. Our treatment team will be better equipped to support us if we communicate honestly about our drinking habits. We can also make more intentional choices to help diminish the chances complicating our treatment.
Chemo can be an arduous journey that deserves celebration once completed. We can celebrate the end of chemo and a future of good health by implementing these intentional drinking habits:
While guidelines for the safety of drinking during chemo aren’t cut and dry, medical professionals are unlikely to recommend drinking during cancer treatment. Whether or not drinking increases the chance of cancer recurrence is still inconclusive. However, alcohol has a direct correlation with an increased risk of developing cancer.
Not all chemo medications have interactions with alcohol at face value, but many do, and alcohol can interfere with treatment success in the long run. Cancer treatment can be a long and arduous road — alcohol only makes it more difficult. Quitting or cutting back on alcohol helps keep chemo on track!
1. Does alcohol cause cancer?
Alcohol is linked with an increased risk of developing many different types of cancer.
2. Is it okay to mix alcohol and chemotherapy medications?
Alcohol has interactions with some chemotherapy medication and other drugs used to support cancer treatment. It’s important to check with our treatment team to determine if there are interactions between alcohol and our specific chemo regimen.
3. Can you drink wine while on chemo?
Wine, like any other alcohol, is not recommended during chemo. If there are no interactions with chemo medication, there may not be immediate danger. However, drinking alcohol opens the door to a host of potential complications and puts unnecessary strain on the body.
4. What happens if I drink alcohol while on chemo?
Drinking alcohol while undergoing chemo can cause a variety of complications, including lowered effectiveness of treatment, worsened side effects, and increased risk of developing mental health conditions.
5. How long after chemo can you drink alcohol?
Drinking after completion of chemo treatment is not recommended. While there may not be any immediate risk, alcohol is linked to an increased risk of re-developing cancer.
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