Hi all hope you all had a good Christmas
My question is ...I only get AF after I drink alcohol does any other member have the same problem.. I'm not a heavy drinker but like a few drinks at the weekend. It usually happens after I have been in bed approx two/ three hours.
Hi, alcohol is a known trigger for AF. Not everyone but lots of us.
I agree with the others - alcohol is a well-known trigger and if you get AF only after drinking it, then it's better to avoid it. Horrible thought probably, but which is worse? I loved my evening glass (or two) but three years on, I don't miss it.
This is not at all unusual. A known trigger. Some can't drink alcohol at all. At least you know what is causing your AF and have the solution.
How long before you go to bed do you usually have your last drink? Do you drink with your evening meal or after? How long does the AF last? I just wondered whether the timing might be significant. Some people get palpitations if they eat an hour or two before going to bed and I wonder whether alcohol might have a similar effect.
I may have three/four 35 mil drinks spread over approx 2/3 hours last one half hour before bed...but the problem arrives approx 3 hours later which wakes me up can last a approx one and half hours then disappears until the next time I have drink
I would notice that happening to me as well. Exact same thing, a few hours into sleep, it would wake me up and last a couple of hours. Then it was happening w/o the alcohol too. We changed my meds and now it is ok to have a drink or 2 and not have the AF .
You have AF therefore it can be triggered. Alcohol is a known trigger so can bring on events. I would suggest that you stop now before you make things worse. AF is generally accepted to be a progressive condition so best not to speed things along too quickly. The more you have it the more you will get it you see as AF "re-models". the atria making AF more likely.
Alcohol makes my af more intense although not the only thing to trigger it, not had a drink and still spent yesterday in af, I have made the decision not to drink feel better for it, sleep seems to be a big factor with me
I had to go tee-total as it was a trigger for me.
When you say you get AF, do you mean an irregular heart beat, or just fast?
Yes, beer was a trigger (not the only one in my case), but like you 3 to 4 hours after a drink (just one pint for me would do it) I would go into AF.
Hi,
No alcohol doesn't affect me - BUT - food does ! since I learned to control how much I eat, AND, what I eat and to a degree when I eat I have remained AF free (since April 2015). When I do splurge out on forbidden foods the signs would in the past emerge about 2.30am to 4 am, around that time.
But like I say I don't want AF to return so I stay well away from those foods that affect me.
So far since April 2015 no problems.
John
I would be interested to know which foods you found yhat triggered your AF. I have long suspected my diet but have been unable to pin point any culprotes except chocholate or cafinated coffe.
Thanks
Basically, anything and everything with gluten, wheat also oats. Long green beans, baked beans, peas, raspberries, Also pork, and I am beginning to suspect lamb chops too.
Am off to work, over the weekend I'll expand on this if you like.
Cannot believe people in here continue to drink alcohol when they quite clearly state that it causes them to go into AF and others reinforce the message that the only way forward is to stop drinking for good. STOP!!!
I now avoid alcohol, spicy foods, caffeine and chocolate!
It may not apply to you but I've read that 50% of all "heavy drinkers" end up with AF. Si it's far more than just a trigger.
Caffeine - and I love coffee. I can now (after my ablation) have an odd drink, but wont get drunk just in case.
I wonder if the dehydration effect of alcohol is the reason that it trigers AF. Same with cafeine.
Not necessarily as I once took a drink of Prosecco and immediately went into AF within seconds of swallowing it.
Snap
It's not complicated..whatever triggers your af....AVOID
I loved red wine but I noticed that it could trigger an AF episode. The problem was I could never tell if one glass or three was the limit, there seemed to be no obvious level. I also noticed that as a result of the impact AF had on my life, specifically having to give up high intensity gym training, I was drinking more not less! So I stopped for a month Jan 1st 2012, which became 2 months, 6 months....Sunday will be five years. It's funny how I don't miss it and there is no doubt I feel better for it. I don't have all those, "shall I have one glass or two?" conversations in my head and I can always drive if I need to without worrying about the legal limit. And it's helped the bank balance too. As others have pointed out the condition is progressive and the more it happens, the more it happens. Do yourself a favour - if you know it's a trigger just stop.
Happy New Year.
Steve
Hi Steve, I'm interested to know if you still get AF now you no longer drink alcohol?
I have infrequent short episodes. I take flecainide which seems to largely keep it in check.
Well put Steve . I feel so much better without alcohol in my system .
It was after drinking red wine by the bottle on a daily basis that first started my AF. After doing a lot of experimentation with alcohol in the years since, I'm fine on a couple of halves or real ale or a couple of glasses of prosecco in the evening. I tend to stay away from red wine now but will have an occasional glass with a meal. So, in moderation, and choosing the right kind of alcohol, I don't think you need to give it up altogether to keep AF at bay. I think the trick is to find which types of alcohol are most likely to set it off.
much easier to stop Alan- as Bob says, you don't want to have avoidable episodes as these affect the heart structure
Might be more advisable, but definitely not easier. I've done well to get it down to what I have, and have not had an AF episode as a result. All my most recent episodes have been down to sugary soft drinks, which I have given up.
Alcohol is an immediate trigger for mine too but only lasts through that night then back to normal rhythm. Gluten/wheat will push me into extra beats and palps for up to 5 days after. Aspartame is an immediate trigger for me also. I cannot even chew a piece of gum containing aspartame without feeling the change in rhythm within minutes and it will last all day. I avoid these triggers.
Snap!!
Although I never had a direct association between AF and alcohol the EPs have struggled to resolve my AF. I have now had 5 Ablations but still no luck.
As I know that alcohol affects both AF and INR levels I gave up alcohol some time ago to try and give the doctors no excuse to deny me the cardioversions I regularly need.
If I knew that I could identify one known trigger for my AF I would have would be over the moon to be able to eliminate it and live a normal life.
I hope you find the strength to avoid alcohol.
Pete
AF is known as "holiday heart" -- because of the association between AF and alcohol. Some people react more to red wine than other things. So avoiding alcohol makes sense. Caffeine is also a known trigger.
As you have probably worked out most of the people in here that advocate total abstinence still have a.f. so they negate their argument de facto. I was rushed into hospital last March with a heartbeat of 240, that's when I decided now would be a good time to quit smoking, my a.f was set off by exertion, work for example. Beta blockers & warfarin did the trick, I now have a pulse of 50 bpm AND the last two 6 week check-ups have revealed that I no longer have a.f.. At first I cut down on the alcohol but having read an American website I realised that alcohol does nothing to affect a.f. So weekends I have a couple of glasses (5or6) with my very spicey curry & midweek also I have a similar amount. My cardiologist tells me to pack in the alcohol but I tell her that nobody knows what causes a.f. so why should I? Also she is of Egyptian ethneticity so I think she has an ulterior motive. Hope this helps, John.
I may be remembering incorrectly but at the arrhythmia conference in Birmingham this year Im sure I heard an eminent E.P. say that if you drank alcohol you could be sure that your A.F. would progress faster. Am I correct? Did anyone else hear this or am I dreaming again? X
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