AF and Alcohol

According to my AF and Warfarin leaflet, too much alcohol can trigger AF---- So would drinking no alcohol at all stop the AF?

And how much alcohol is considered too much?

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi Scrumpyjack

No stopping alcohol will almost certainly not stop your AF, it is however often a trigger for people to have attacks.

Too much?, not sure probably two units a day, others may disagree.

Be well

Ian

[meadfoot]

Alcohol is a trigger for many people. I don't drink alcohol, never have, and have raging AF episodes. However if I did drink alcohol I would have stopped drinking long ago. Definitely not worth it.

Dee.

[jennydog]

Half the people in my family like alcohol, the other half don't like it at all. I am one of those that doesn't like it. I have never drunk it other than the odd taste to establish that I don't like it. It has nothing to do with my AF.

[pip_pip]

hi

I drank too much alcohol in my life and consequently have finished up with AF probably for life. I stopped drinking 15 years ago, and still have AF, flutter, on and off and am waiting for 3rd ablation. As regards quantity my opinion is no alcohol is the best bet. I could kill a drink.

[Langara]

Alcohol does not trigger my AF - at least it hasn`t so far. I have an occasional drink, and will continue to do so.

[Hidden]

Had to go tee-total, I still get arrhythmia but would be a lot worse with alcohol which I know from experience.

[MammaCass]

Brandy was one of my triggers but wine has no effect, I don't know why it doesn't but I'm pleased I can have the odd glass of rose'

[BobD Volunteer]

Too much is binge drinking which has been known to cause AF but unless it is a trigger, a moderate intake is not a bad thing.

[GivEmkeL]

From what I understand alcohol may trigger episodes of AFib. I don't drink at all (never have), and have had progressively worsening AF for the past 20 years. - KeL

[Beancounter Volunteer]

Hi Jo

Isn't it an interesting comment "my social life has suffered", you are the second person with AF who has stopped or virtually stopped alcohol who has told me that, and I simply find it so sad.

Why is it that friends and many people in fact, cannot accept that some people just cannot drink?, I suppose I am lucky I have never really liked drinking, and so nearly everyone knows me as virtually teetotal, but in Russia I had to feign liver disease to avoid the litres (literally) of vodka, and in my professional life I simply don't get invited to "those sort of occasions" where men (and women) go and literally drink themselves into a stupor and supposedly "bond".

I think it's a really sad reflection of our society.

I hope your friends wake up to that fact that you are still the same person, and that they are the losers.

Ian

[rich101]

Alcohol is def a trigger for me, but strangely it's normally the day after that I suffer.I have given up alcohol for a few weeks before, and have still suffered paf. So like many people I think it's a well known trigger but not the reason for A.F.

[Tobw]

My experience is that I was more likely to have an AFib episode within twenty four hours of me drinking alcohol. This was certainly true while I was a Saturday night binge drinker before I went on Warfarin and it remained true when I limited myself to just a couple of pints of beer in one session when on Warfarin . However, the alcohol was not the sole cause of my AFib because I still have episodes now (more of them in fact) despite having given up booze two and a half years ago.

[iris1205]

Wine was a trigger for me when very tired or with a heavy meal. It seemed random, but I started to notice a correlation between the fatigue and the food. I only had -1-2 glasses and sometimes it caused no problems and others yes. As my AF progressed I had to eliminate it all together. I am now post Ablation III in six months and although I don't go into full AF, I certainly feel it "trying" to break through. So I have stopped once again until my heart has had a break from all the "cage rattling". My naturopath who is working out the remaining kinks says alcohol is very hard on an exhausted nervous system. I would guess by the time we get to the ablation process we are all fairly exhausted!

[CDreamer]

Agree with all above posts so to summarize, alcohol is a trigger for AF but not a cause unless you have been a binge drinker. Some people can take the occasional drink without affect, some can't, i am in the latter category even a sip of the stuff and my heart would react.

[MarkS]

As with many things, it's excessive drinking which is the problem. There's a U shaped curve of mortality from drinking, where around 2-3 units per day is optimal (better than not drinking at all) and more than 4-5 units is worse.

So you can enjoy that glass of red each day!

Mark

[lizwright]

Alchohol is not a trigger for me at all and I have a couple of glasses of wine a night at least. When first diagnosed I was really ill as the diagnosis was incorrect for years and it was Christmas time and I said to consultant 'and of course I will never drink again' and he laughed and said, ' you probably will, just stick to wine, not in excess and never binge drink' I'm fine with it - I only ever have at the very most two shots of spirits and very rarely too - but a good quality wine seems to relax me.

[contwo]

The first and second time I experienced an AF episode was after drinking lots of white wine. If I drink lager it doesn't seem to have anywhere near the same effect but we are all different and so have different AF triggers. It can be so frustrating because one day you can do something and no AF and then another day you do the same thing and AF is triggered.

[Tyson4ever in reply to contwo]

Exactly ! very frustrating

[Hidden]

I have about half a bottle of wine a week, I guess, spread out across the weekend and a midday day. I've found a 6% wine which is lovely. It is tough only when I have to go places where socialising is expected, as I too have found that if I have too much I will go into AF a day later. Classic recipe is working too hard and then having a bit too much to drink. I'm off to cover a conference in Portugal week after next and worrying slightly as the evening socialising is always a bit alcohol fuelled. I am just going to sit there with a full glass and smile a lot...

[Barb1]

Alcohol is not a trigger for me and my haematologist said just drink and eat as you always have done but don't binge (I did once at a party and ended up 2 days later in hospital for 4 days with a nose bleed.) I bought a Coagucheck after that!

[01maxdog]

Everything in moderation is the key. I agree with the above comments , however I'm in persistent A Fib so the odd glass of wine does not affect my rhythm , but it does affect my inr . Not a lot though. I only have a couple of glasses of wine a week now as opposed to the old days when I was younger and could get through a bottle in an evening. I now have more respect for my skin, looks, and weight. As well as my liver etc. !

Lisa

[SRMGrandma Volunteer]

Alcohol is quite dehydrating and the dehydration can definitely trigger an episode of AF. If you do want to have a glass of wine now and again I would make sure to drink a glass of water in equal measure at the time.

[Tyson4ever]

So agree with what you have expressed.

From another Jo

[coopo]

I do find after having red wine (2 Glasses) I wake up in the middle of the night and my heart is racing . It's so consistent with drinking wine that I have no choice but to stop drinking it or any other alcohol for that matter. Everyone is different so I think you have to by process of elimination find out what causes your problems.

I am on 5mg warfarin and 2.5 bisoprolol.

I did enjoy a drink once or twice a week but I have learned to enjoy myself without it.

[Hidden]

G'day scrumpyjack,

There is a website you may find useful - drinkaware.com ( I think) anyway its certainly 'Drinkaware'. It may answer some of your questions.

John