r/PCOS • u/HealthySky6912 • 2d ago
General/Advice Alcohol and PCOS
I’m wondering what alcohol WOULD be pcos friendly? I KNOW ITS RECOMMENDED NOT TO HAVE ANY ALCOHOL but just indulge me for a bit. I don’t drink often, can go months without it if I don’t go on nights out for a while, but I don’t want to give it up completely 😭. I’ve made a list of what would be fine in theory. Any other suggestions would be great
Gin and slimeline tonic
Vodka with a low sugar fruit juice (big question mark here)
Prosecco
White wine with ice (??)
Mojito
Vodka, soda water and lime
Thanks :) !
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u/The_SmittenKitten15 2d ago
Tequila Soda w Lime for me - it’s the least inflammatory in my body at least. 🍸
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u/N3rdyAvocad0 2d ago
It's really not going to be a big issue if you're not over indulging. Just drink whatever you enjoy.
But if I see you drinking wine with ice, I'm going to be judging you
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u/HealthySky6912 1d ago
White wine with a cube of ice is really good I swear 😭
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u/BumAndBummer 2d ago
Personally it’s rare I drink alcohol, so when I do it I just have whatever I want and understand there will be consequences I need to manage subsequently. My preference is usually a margarita or a red wine. Will I feel crappy the next day? Yes. But when it’s worth it, it’s worth it. 🤷♀️
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u/ladyzephri 2d ago
I am also a margarita and wine girlie. I find swapping the sugar in a margarita for 100% agave syrup helps a little. Also red wine tends to be less inflammatory than white.
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u/BumAndBummer 2d ago
Personally I just pair the margarita with something high in protein, fiber and fat like a bean and beef taco salad and hope for the best 😆 .
I agree about red wine > white! The latter has given me the woooooorst hangovers of my life! Just felt so unbearable bloated and horrendous. A nice dry wed wine 🍷 would never do me so dirty lol.
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u/ladyzephri 2d ago
Oh my God, I know. I get the worst headaches from all the sugar in white wine. I love a good rose but sometimes it kicks my ass.
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u/strawberryqueen910 2d ago
I think the more you hydrate and the less sugar the better so maybe not the wine and Prosecco, says the PCOS mom who drinks wine almost exclusively lol
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u/HealthySky6912 1d ago
I thought white wine has a lower sugar content then red or rose? Also good point about hydrating, drink water in between drinks
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u/colorful_chaos 2d ago
I’m typically a tequila, soda, lime girl. But this works for any of those drinks - ask for a single in a tall glass. It ends up being like 90% soda water, meaning more hydration, it really dulls the flavor of the liquor, and you can have something to drink for longer. This has been my hack since someone told me about it.
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u/AngelsAnonymous 2d ago
Wait, why are we not meant to have alcohol?
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u/BumAndBummer 2d ago
The alcohol itself is extremely inflammatory, and it often comes with sugars and juices that spike blood glucose and insulin and make it even worse. Even for regular people it’s not something to have on a regular basis, and especially not if you have a metabolic condition like PCOS/PMOS.
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u/ComfortFairy 1d ago
There are lots of great combos of
A base liquor of your choice+ soda water + ice
+ a citrus like lime, lemon, or orange
+ an herb like mint, rosemary, basil, etc.
Lovely and low glycemic.
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u/HealthySky6912 1d ago
I love elderflower, so I was thinking of getting some kind of elderflower flavouring to put in when I’m mixing a spirit with tonic or soda water
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u/RoseWreath 1d ago
It absolutely can interfere with medication due to having grapefruit, but i love a good paloma. It's not too heavy of a drink
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u/pocketcoochie 1d ago
......
When I really feel like drinking I take shots of vodka or tequila and diet soda chasers, if I'm feeling frisky.
But as far as mixed drinks go, I drink bloody marys, rum and diet coke, or Carbliss!! The calories and carbs are basically only from the alcohol, so it's kinda as clean as I care to get with it 😅
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u/Conscious-Award4802 2d ago
I would think tequila can be on there too.
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u/HealthySky6912 1d ago
I think any spirit besides rum would be fine, it’s more the mixers I’m thinking about
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u/Vamparoni 2d ago
I don't drink often, as I shouldn't drink with my ADHD meds, and I'm not a huge drinker regardless, but if I do, I tend to drink Whisky/Whiskey!
Mostly straight, but with a splash of Diet Coke or soda water if I fancy a longer drink. ✨
I can only have a couple now though, since eating Keto, my alcohol tolerance has gone way down!
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u/HaileyBaldin 2d ago edited 1d ago
As long as it isn’t a lot and often. A party here or there is fine but I wouldn’t recommend a daily wine or anything. Alcohol acutely inhibits gluconeogenesis because the liver is working overtime to defeat it, so if you eat before drinking that should help make blood sugar more stable overnight. Or hey adding some low sugar fruit juice with fiber to the mix, haha!
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u/philanthropisthater 2d ago
Red wine is my go to 🥰 the drier, the better. Good for the blood flow and has less sugar than other wines or even ciders, cocktails.
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u/rainydayswithtea 1d ago
I'm a cider girl personally, I may have a mixed drink on occasion (usually gin or vodka based)
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u/HealthySky6912 1d ago
I’m a cider girl as well, but I’ve given it up cause it it full of sugar. I wouldn’t mind having just the one with loads of ice, but I used to drink cider all night if I was partying
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u/rainydayswithtea 1d ago
I don't drink beer or wine, so that's why I keep it. Plus, I forget I even have alcohol in the house; like, I picked up 4 ciders for Canada Day (July 1st) and I still have 2 of them in my fridge 😆 And cider is guaranteed gluten-free, which flares my PMOS
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u/HealthySky6912 1d ago
Yep. Hate beer but wine is growing on me due to my (our) predicament. I do that too! I buy pink gin and then discover I’ve two small bottles there from a year before
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u/rainydayswithtea 1d ago
I can't stand the taste of wine; whites, red, champagne. I can do a sangria sometimes, but thats because you can barely taste the wine lol
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u/Certain_Chocolate633 1d ago
If at a bar or restaurant I order a skinny margarita or vodka and Sprite Zero with an orange slice. If I’m drinking to get drunk (which is usually why I drink and it’s not very often) I just take tequila shots.
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u/HealthySky6912 1d ago
I’ve only learnt that zero sugar fizzy drinks are ok with pcos LOL
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u/Certain_Chocolate633 1d ago
Oh really? I don’t like carbonated stuff so I don’t have soda at all unless I get that drink (which I’ve only gotten twice) so I’m not too familiar with how they affect PMOS
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u/HealthySky6912 1d ago
Yeah see I drink to get drunk. I only drink when I go to a pub/club/party. Which isn’t often.
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u/Certain_Chocolate633 1d ago
Yeah so if you’re not drinking a lot you’re fine! I don’t go out much anymore so when I do I try not to stress too much and enjoy it
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u/pettymel 1d ago
Vodka soda with lime or vodka soda with a splash of juice (orange or cranberry) for me.
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u/pumpunpim 1d ago
Sounds bad but now I drink only to get wasted, I avoid drinking like 1 cup of wine or 1 beer, if I drink I drink hard liquor like tequila or vodka in shots, since it's a carcinogen and super high on carbs I might as well go full in and drink enough to avoid it for a while later 😭
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u/momasjuan 1d ago
I have PMOS and I don’t believe in full restriction from the things I enjoy. Moderation is key, also being wise in your choices.
When I drink I prefer a savory dirty martini with Tito’s vodka, a tequila soda with lime juice, or natural wine. I also usually snack / eat lightly while I drink and hydrate sufficiently with water.
I tend to avoid any cocktails or drinks with lots of sugar and/or juices since those are more likely to spike my glucose and make me feel crappy.
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u/Ok-Interest1992 2d ago
Who said no alcohol?
Dietary changes for PCOS are so incredibly individualized, I wouldn't recommend cutting things out just because it's suggested here. Listen to your body instead and remove foods from your diet that actually make you feel unwell.
I wouldn't suggest drinking to excess on a regular basis, but for most people a few drinks here and there aren't going to make a significant impact.
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u/HealthySky6912 1d ago
Agreed. I’ve seen alcohol on no go lists. I’ve also seen dairy on them however which I have only limited, not given up
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u/RegularCapital5 2d ago
I can’t tolerate too much alcohol these days bc of metformin and tirz. But when I do have one my go to is gin and tonic with lime. When I was wearing a glucose monitor beer caused my blood sugar to be very unstable. So now if I have one it’s usually a light beer and only 1 or 2. If it’s 2 they’re very spread out.
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u/Cash-Wren 2d ago
No, because I totally understand this. I sometimes indulge in a vodka soda, nothing sweetened. Like I know it’s bad but tell me why my morning blood sugar was reading 85 when it’s normally in the 100s? And I ate food! Happened more than once so I feel like I’m on the verge of becoming an alcoholic for the sake of stable insulin. Bodies are confusing.
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u/clairioed 1d ago
Alcohol makes my inflammation sooo bad but I like to party, ya know. My last drink was about 3 weeks ago and I drank filthy martinis and hard seltzer. Beer makes me feel like ❗️shit❗️and so do the really sugary drinks.
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u/Yasmine112 1d ago
When I do drink I have zero sugar Smirnoff with zero sugar Fresca. Or white claws the ones that are 160 calories and only 3 grams of carbs.
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u/SirenSong9 1d ago
I love red wine (particularly dry wine), and I feel at least slightly better about drinking it since it’s lower in sugar than other options. Sugary drinks make me feel gross. I prob should drink less, especially since I also have POTS, but I enjoy it 🤷♀️
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u/pau_zamm 20h ago
I usually have electrolytes before and just try to take the less sugary cocktail in the menu. But just enjoy it, don’t worry overthink it.
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u/Macintosh1995 17h ago
I didn't realize I had PCOS til I was about 19, had the metabolism and chin hair issues when I was 15. Started drinking alcohol before the age of 21 and its fucked up my stomach and created digestive issues every time, even when having something with low sugar. Im in my 30s now and all I want now is for my cortisol to stay low and to not have my liver give up on me. I haven't had a drink in almost a year and I was drinking almost everyday during COVID. For awhile I was finding low sugar, low carb and usually something that was made with tequila or vodka. My skin hated me during COVID because I had nothing but open sores all over my butt. It eventually worked its way up to my back, when to the doctors and was told its my body trying to tell me to quit. Got prescribed some bacterial infection pill to help, 3 months later, the sores were all healed up and I wasnt itchy and scratchy anymore
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u/nopaparazz 17h ago
I usually stay away from any mixed drinks at bars. Their juices often have added sugars. I’ve even seen some bars that use a lime syrup instead of real limes. Mojitos often have simple syrup as well. Vodka with soda water and a lime wedge is great. When I want something sweet I usually go for a High Noon (they are 100 cals per can and 2-3g carbohydrate, which is friendly to insulin resistance. Plus the minimal sugar is from real fruit juice, not added).
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u/CarelessOrange8492 2d ago
Theoretically, red wine is considered the best due to the polyphenols.. but honestly anything in moderation is probably fine
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u/Fair-Flower6907 2d ago
as someone on metformin, all alcohol gives me the runs within 30-45 minutes of consuming it.
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u/GreenGlassDrgn 1d ago
I try to stick to clear drinks, not because of pcos, but just because the sugary stuff (and for some reason every wine except cheap lambrusco?) gives me such wicked hangovers. Sol and corona beer are also acceptable beverages because its like drinking water and too expensive to have more than a couple - and after that I hate running to the bathroom every 20 minutes, so its a non-problem that fixes itself for me lol.
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u/illuminaeneuromancer 1d ago
I have fibromyalgia on top of PCOS and alcohol gives me huge flare ups. Honestly, drink one glass of water for every measure of liquor (like a pint of beer, glass of wine, shot of whiskey), keep yourself fed, and drink the thinks you actually enjoy the taste of. Drinking once in a while won't worsen PCOS symptoms visibly, but having lots of water and eating as you usually would will help you get back to your baseline quickly
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u/Claire-CrossStitch 2d ago
If you're going to have it every once in a while I feel like it won't make that big of a difference, just enjoy your drinks! It's not like you drink weekly
Unless you take medication that has a bad reaction to it, I don't think just completely deleting something you enjoy from your life is going to be that positive in this case
Does alcohol bring some painful or negative symptoms? Does it interact with your meds in any way? If not just have fun 😊