Decaffinated coffee

[Eirene49]

I was told by my GP to stop drinking coffee, as it can have an affect on your heart rhythm, although I only had two cups a day.

I do miss a cup of coffee in the morning, is it ok to have decaffinated?

[BobD Volunteer]

It is the caffeine you need to avoid not the coffee. Don't forget that Tea has just as much caffeine as well. I drink decaff tea all the time at home.

[DavDug in reply to BobD]

Sanjay Gupta Cardiologist in his talk this last week in York did not seem to attribute AF to Coffee. There was some doubt. As you say Decaff tea and coffee is the answer. I have been out of AF since September 2015. Let's hope it continues thanks to Electrophysiologist Muzahir Tayebjee, LGI Leeds.

[foxglove1]

I guess everyone is different but my experience is I drink mainly decaffeinated coffee every day, two cups, and occasionally non decaf with no problems.

I am also able to drink wine. My triggers are being over tired or stressed.

I have PAF and have been on Apixoban for 7 months

Hope that helps.

[paulh1]

One thing about decaf is that it does contain some caffeine. Sanka may be caffeine free and some real expensive coffees might be but in general there is caffeine in decaf unless they specifically state it.

[Thomps95]

I was also told to stop having coffee and stop drinking alcohol. I tried this for a year and there was no change in the number of AF episodes that I got. Great - all that goody-goody two shoes living for nothing! So I started having my two cup of caffeinated coffee again every day, and back to enjoying a glass or two of red wine 3-4 times per week.

Again, no effect on the frequency of my AF episodes. So personally, I have no intention of stopping my daily enjoyments even though I have AF. My advice is: listen to your body. Doctors parrot what they read from pamphlets but we are all different. Moderate amounts of coffee have been shown to actually benefit cardiac health, and the scientific link between coffee, moderate alcohol consumption, and AF is pretty tenuous. For some, caffeine and alcohol are clearly triggers - but not for everyone with AF.

medscape.com/viewarticle/81...

medicaldaily.com/atrial-fib...

[seasider18 in reply to Thomps95]

Even with PAF I don't find that coffee or wine makes any difference. I don't drink as much coffee as before as it tends to give me heartburn.

Just don't drink any before having an ECG.

[Hidden]

Decaf only for me, tea and coffee, and no alcohol. Having said that I will have a caffinated coffee every now and again no problem, but only if I'm active, playing golf etc.

Kenco decaf is good, and Yorkshire decaf tea.

We also put a tiny bit of Dow Egbert haselnut infused caffinated coffee in each cup, it's sooooo yummy 😋

Koll

Ps. like Thomps says, I could drink twp cups of caffinated coffee a day no problem, but I drink about 6 cups a day, large ones.

[sickasadog in reply to Hidden]

Hi. I also drink kenco and yorkshire decaff and the very occasional caffeine when decaff not available. no problem. To be honest i think the taste is the same. But some people shudder when you tell them..praps it's just my taste buds are shot to pieces !

[Paddinton]

There are some nice decaff ground coffees as well.

[Cadgie]

I drink decaffeinated coffee it ok

[ydidu]

I have been living with episodes of paroxysmal afib for the past couple of years and taking bisoprolol 5mg daily. There is possibly another dimension to the decaffeinated coffees we should be mindful of. Most, in order to get the caffeine out, use various chemicals that may potentially have other effects on our heart and body. I was introduced to this thinking by a very professional barrista in a Starbucks shop. And it was brought about by my twelve year old daughter wanting to taste a decaf.latte. Some decaffeinated coffees use water to remove the caffeine and these clearly are preferable. I always check the labels to find out. Although in my experience my episodes are fewer (and possibly what I occasionally feel are ectopic beats which are confusing and mostly indistinguishable from episodes of afib) and the control of stress is of paramount importance not to trigger them, avoiding caffeine has proven to work.

[Hidden in reply to ydidu]

It's a good point you raise ydidu. Jumping from the frying pan into the fire arises not just on coffee but the substitute you use (try Orzo); the same arises on eating gluten free bread, the supermarket substitutes are not good news (read the ingredients list) and so you have to seek out artisan gluten free bread makers - not expensive given the value and of course delivery is needed.

I started after diagnosis with Lone PAF and stabilised on just Flecainide by excluding all 'troublemakers' and am slowly reintroducing them e.g. back on weak ordinary organic tea, sips of wine, a bit more work stress and jogging.

As Thomps95 says start practising listening to your body as its a forgotten help, your body's say is very much part of your medical team. I am also doing this more with supplements as I steadily reduce those as well rather than slavishly sticking to what has been prescribed when that involves much guesswork as well.

[Annaelizabeth in reply to Hidden]

Interesting your remark on reducing supplements, what have you found that in your opinion are irrelevant?

[Hidden in reply to Annaelizabeth]

Nothing irrelevant yet Anna, just testing slightly lower Mg & CoQ10 but coupled with 6 monthly blood tests to make sure my levels stay mid-range+.

[MissDheartbeat in reply to ydidu]

Your experience is very similar to mine. I suffer from paroxysmal AF and ectopics too and it's difficult to judge whether caffeine makes a difference. I've drank decaf tea and coffee for years...I genuinely can't tell the difference but I prefer them a little weaker in strength anyway. I only drink caffeine free coke too. I will allow myself to have one full strength coffee a day if out and about if decaf not available.

[expences]

Decaf is great as long as no-one else in the house is drinking the real stuff. My husband made me two cups of the real stuff by mistake and I ended up in AF! First and only time...!! Couldn't take caffeine at all because it did all sorts of untidy things to my rhythm but never AF before. weird eh?

[AndyDuk]

I love coffee and have been caffiene free for 5 years now. Kenco Decaff is the best instant , nespresso Decaff is awesome no AF episodes with this . I also have an aeropress and order Cafe Saluca Decaff from Amazon. Not one of my family members can taste the difference between caffeinated and Decaff coffee with Cafe Saluca. Yorkshire does great Decaff Tea . As previously mentioned Decaff coffee does contain some caffiene. I'm ok with Starbucks, but for me Costa kicked off an AF episode although it was busy and they may have given me caffiene . Just be careful in Coffee shops especially if they are busy and make sure they give you Decaff.. Lastly for a French Press Taylor's of Harrogate Decaff is great and can be found in most supermarkets.

[CDreamer]

I think it is very personal, some seem to be able to tolerate a small amount of daily caffeine whilst others like me were into AF after half a cup, but it also happened with decaf and any alcohol.

My nutritionist is very in favour of coffee for general health and now I have had ablation I can drink coffee but it has to be organic and freshly ground. I stick to one cup about every second or third day.

If caffeine is a trigger for you I think you would know about it very quickly. As my AF progressed I became very sensitized to my triggers Don't forget that caffeine is also in chocolate.

[Boombiddy in reply to CDreamer]

I like your nutritionist!

[jennydog]

Lidl Gold Blend decaf coffee tastes fine.

[IanB48]

This is a strange one! Initially I had the same response from my GP but when I said I only had a couple of caffeinated coffees a day, he told me to just carry on! However, out of choice I now generally stick to decaff coffee and tea at home as there are several good ones out there so just keep sampling different brands until you find the one you like. (Some of the best ones taste as good as caffeinated.).

Drinking out's a different matter as the taste quality of decaf coffee varies widely from shop to shop (some of it is worse than dishwater!) much depending on freshness and blend. As I like a strongish brew, my current high street favourites are Waitrose and Cafe Nero.

[adriatico]

I started my morning coffee a few months ago without any bad effects. I also drink wine 2-3 times a week during our evening grill small parties. During the day I have two additional cups of decaf coffee and sometimes I take one extra regular. What is interesting I never used to drink wine until last year. Glass of beer here and there only. I told my EP about my habits and he said to just live my life normally. "Have your coffee, have your wine just don't exaggerate in anything" are his words. Since I was back on my coffee a few months ago I started to feel psychologically much better - like the old "normal" person. Otherwise, I am on Flecanaide which I regularly forget to take 2X every day. I didn't have any AF episode since May (knock on wood).

[Finvola]

The only way to be sure is to experiment for yourself to see if your AF is sensitive to a small boost of caffeine.

I fiddled about with various kinds of tea and coffee and settled on decaf tea but went back to one cup of strong freshly ground caffinated coffee in the morning without any obvious difference to my symptoms.

[Hidden]

Caffeine is one of my triggers, so I avoid it, but I have to say I prefer decaf coffee to the ordinary, it's got no harsh edge. I'm normally a tea drinker but nowadays I like my little cup of coffee in the morning.

[Jamila123]

Hi

I have heard that the chemicals they use in decaf. Coffee are quite bad for the body ..sone people i suppose are okay with it but if u want to have a healthy drink that can mimic coffee

Then buy the chicory powder / alternative to coffee in plantet organic store health shop

Its amazing every morning i have a drink

Make with hot milk just put hiw many teaspoons in to aquired taste it great

Not only its good for the gut chicory

Because nocaffeine at all u can have as mych as u like

I stopped coffee totaly no decaf a year ago

I🌺

[stix]

I have not had an episode since I stopped drinking hot drinks full stop, as it seemed to trigger mine as I was drinking it. But I did like to drink it when it was very hot.

But I also changed from Bisopralol to Sotolol at the same time, so it could be that also.

[seasider18 in reply to stix]

My Granny liked her tea hot and complained if it wasn't.

When I was about 12 I said that I would make her a cup of tea. I Boiled the cup in a pan of water and then poured the tea into the cup and took it to her. When asked she said that it was the best cup of tea she had ever had. I did not tell her my secret

[Boombiddy]

Hello, I sympathise as I would feel deprived without my morning coffee, and the occasional tea at teatime.

I agree you should listen to your body.

Before the AF episode that landed me in hospital in July, I had been flirting with cafetière coffee (French Press if you're American). It did cause rumbles.

After the AF, I was cautious about coffee and tea, naturally.

When I felt I could, I tried again with my old failsafe 'low-caf' methods for tea and coffee, **which work**, they really make a big difference. This is why I can drink good coffee in the morning now with minimal caffeine for maximal flavour.

I have put my methods in a post, today, so that it can all be seen all together for anyone would find it useful.

Hope it works for you.

[Nickibmibile]

I seem to have spent most of my life in AF (from age 15 - 50 now) and I've been given so much differing advice over the years. My Cardiologist of the past 20 something years is find of telling me "if it hurts ir causes you upset, just don't do it" so this is what I live by now. I drink two or three coffee's a day and it has no noticeable effect, nor does tea or alcohol. I believe we need to listen to our bodies better as that is where we get the best advice, if your body doesn't like it then don't do it. We are all so very different we need to take care 😊

[traveler65]

@Eirene49 When I drink caffeinated coffee or any substance containing caffeine or anything adrenaline like (epinephrine) or a rx. med that raises dopamine--- I go into abnormal sinus rhythm. My EP, cardiologidst or gp did not tell me to stop drinking coffee or caffeine--however--looking at my genetic tests, (COMPT ++--means my body does not break down adrenaline, epinephrine and dopamine quicky enough-- stimulatory neorotransmitters)--also another genetic glitch says I process caffeine too slowly so it remains in my body longer than it shoud., so drinking 1 cup would be like drinking 5 cups---reading lists of afib triggers on line at various medical sources-- and experimenting on myself by eliminating all triggers and genetic causes-then adding them back 1 at a time - I found that 1 cup of coffee was a problem. HOWEVER--decaffeinated coffee without the chemical solvents used to decaffeinate it is fine for me at 3 cups a day--- I use MOUNT HAGAN or is it spelled mount hagen-- organic decaf coffee--- you can but it on line at Amazon (ships internationally) or from Swanson Vitamins.com (also ships internationally). This coffee is marketed by a german company--is grown in Papua New Guinea--and is sold internationally.

[expences in reply to traveler65]

So glad to hear that. I am the same , my heart does weird things....but I read somewhere that some people lose the ability to metabolize caffeine. It builds up in your system and causes mayhem!

I drink Rooibos tea in the main and have had no problems since stopping all forms of caffeine.

I think the diuretic effect is a problem for me, because palpitations (not AF) started after drinking half a bottle of Baileys!

[Spoiler]

Thanks for the info, I have always been sensitive to caffiene, even before I developed Afib. It stayed in my system for a very long time... I never heard of actual testing for that, amazing. I cannot tolerate, caffiene or alcohol at all now that I have Afib.

[stanreader]

Decaff is the best Tea or Coffee I have never had a problem since I have been having Decaff for the last Twelve years.

[BobD Volunteer]

Oh what a lot of conflicting information. For what it is worth my EP told me that there was no proven link between caffeine and AF but then that was 9 years ago. My arrhythmia nurse did read me the riot act over the amount of Red Bull I used to consume. Like one an hour on over night drives whist away racing.

Bottom line is we are all different and need to listen to our bodies. If it affects you then avoid it.

Bob

[Eirene49]

Hi everyone, I haven't been on here since last night and am truly amazed and thankful for all your replies. Obviously the effect that caffeine has on our bodies is different for everyone. At the moment I'm drinking decaf, although it's okay, it doesn't have that kick, but I'm getting used to it. Although I haven't had real coffee for 3 weeks, it hasn't made any difference to my palpitations that come and go.

[Thomas45]

As I'm sure someone has already mentioned different people have different triggers. I noticed I went into AF when I drank coffee, but it's not the caffeine. I can drink caffeinated drinks with no problem, but I can't drink coffee. It was just as bad with decaff coffee as with full strength coffee. I haven't had a drink of coffee for 8 years. In my case soya also triggers my AF, (except for incidental minor ingredients such as soya lecithin in chocolate.). My last 2 bouts have been triggered by dehydration - I find drinking 2 litres of liquid a day quite difficult. I drink tea, cola, fruit juice, water, the ocassional pint of beer ot glass of wine, a coffee substitute (Barley Cup or Yannoh), milk, hot chocolate, ovaltine, etc., but not coffee. You get used to not drinking it.