Having a drink

[Jdc7]

Does anyone in here drink beer

[jimmysouthgates]

Beer,wine,gin,whisky,rum.....everything in moderation. Alcohol is linked heavily to AF so deal it according to you own management plan. My AF is managed by a PIP, when I drink I start to get ectopics, when i eat a large meal I get ectopics, when I work nights I get ectopics so I start a small course of flecainide 50mg morning and night until the sinful things I'm doing which predisposes me to AF discontinues. This is how I manage my AF, everyone's is different, get to know your AF and how to live with it. I know see Flecainide a little bit like my inhaler for my Asthma...just that it's a potent anti arithymic drug. I think I probably need to take 50mg routinely anyway but my last episode was over 6 months ago so I don't. I'm 38 and don't want to medicate daily. Hope this helps in some way

[pottypete1 in reply to jimmysouthgates]

As you rightly say we are all different.

I don’t think that your individual regime is good advice for many.

For some alcohol in moderation is fine but there are many for whom it is a total no no.

Finally whilst Flecainide works for some as a PIP and/or for regular rhythm management It certainly doesn’t work for everyone and the dose must be carefully monitored.

Pete

[jimmysouthgates in reply to pottypete1]

This isn't advice to anyone, the point is I drink alcohol in moderation but it does have side effects. Taking flecainide to treat ectopics is accepted. It's ok stating the obvious but the fact is people still want to live their life and do what makes them happy. Learn your own triggers and make an informed decision on how to balance your life. That bits advice....what preluded it was an account of my personal experiences that I have shared so people can make their own mind up. Ps I know plenty of Cardiologists, EP's and GP's so my lifestyle is based on my own informed decisions

[pottypete1 in reply to jimmysouthgates]

I wasn't suggesting that your regime was advice. It is clear that it wasn't. Unfortunately some might take it that way.

You are right I just stated the obvious that it is not good advice for everyone.

As you rightly say we are all individuals with our individual needs and lifestyles, consequently what is good for one is not good for another. I appreciate that again this is stating the obvious but all the same sometimes it is good to put that in writing for all to see.

I was not criticising your regime and it is good that you have adopted a regime that works for you based on first hand recommendations from professionals to you.

How right you are to advise that sufferers to learn their own triggers and make informed decisions on how to balance their lives.

For me there is no hard and fast rule as to when AF will occur. My individual regime is to do not drink alcohol anymore to eliminate at least one potential trigger that I can control.

Unfortunately I can start having an AF episode watching TV, walking, sleeping, reading and sometimes eating. Most of my ectopics come when I am eating now and it is very unpleasant.

I have taken Fleacainide daily for about 25 years and also take it as a PIP. I have also had a number of ablations.

Still I get AF from time to time but not so regularly thank goodness.

Pete

[Gincalpe]

Yes but in moderation with 4 or 5 alcohol free days each week. There are various zero alcohol lagers which are fine.

[Tako2009]

Yes but only the zero-alcohol options these days. Some quite good and most pubs now stock them.

[rosyG]

best to stop alcohol really- it is a well known AF trigger

[Alfieros]

I love beer but it’s fattening lol. I do drink it once in awhile. It has never been a trigger for me. I literally might drink a few sips only though.

[djbgatekeeper]

Sadly alcohol is one of the most common stimulants that has an encouraging effect for AF. If you drink alcohol the AF symptoms will get worse quicker than staying tea total in most cases. My cardiologist always reiterates when I see him: NO ALCOHOL and I've not touched a drop for 20 years. Even if you can get away with it now, in time you will wish you hadn't .... Best wishes.

[Pikaia in reply to djbgatekeeper]

Hi djbgatekeeper , can you expand on 'in time you will wish you hadn't' ? Are you saying that drinking will actually make the AF progress, or 'merely' make an episode more likely?

[djbgatekeeper in reply to Pikaia]

Hiya Pikaia ....In answer to your question I would say both, it is a well know fact that AF begets AF i.e the more AF you get the more AF you will get. As alcohol is a stimulant and one of the the most common triggers for AF it should be avoided just like energy drinks or getting on a massive rollercoaster. But, because alcohol is so popular, people will edge their bets and even accept additional symptoms just to have a tipple. Everyone is free to make their own choices of course, but when you have a condition that is progressive and encouraged by stimulants why feed the problem? I've had AF for 25 years, I've seen the progression and know how debilitating it can become, that's why it makes me wince when I read about people in the early stages that are willing to carry on drinking. Live a healthy lifestyle and keep the beast at bay 😊 take care.

[Pikaia in reply to djbgatekeeper]

Thanks for the advice. I'm only 2 years into my AF journey and it's been an absolute rollercoaster. It's confusing when things seem to be a trigger for some but not others.

[djbgatekeeper in reply to Pikaia]

Yes I know what you mean, if you avoid the following you are doing all you can:

Alcohol

Energy drinks

Stress

Over exercise

Under exercise

Over weight

Caffeine

You are not a robot but try your best and when you look back you'll be happy you did, I managed till this year before having an ablation and I'm 54 so not to bad. Had my first AF at about 28 yrs old. Take care!

[Hidden]

Best avoided methinks........

[Hidden]

yes, a pint every month or so, maybe the odd G+T or Rum on a night out, but never more than 2

[Hidden in reply to Hidden]

Oh, and cider is off the menu, that used to be my drink of choice

[Japaholic]

A drink now and again, but that’s it and coffee is gone. One cup (on a rare occasion 2) of tea a day.

[wilsond]

Drink quality wine,no sulphides is ok for me. Likewise occasional realale at local micro brewery.

[seasider18 in reply to wilsond]

Sulphides levels seem to vary in the same brand of wine and in combination with certain foods. Suddenly with a newly opened bottle of Fitou on Tuesday I started sneezing and had a pouring nose right up to midnight.

The first twice it ever happened was with fish and white wine when on holiday once in Portugal and once in America and each time the night before flying home. I thought it was going to be an uncomfortable journey with such a bad cold but I was OK on the following mornings. It only happens a few times a year.

[Belly76]

I do but only 4 or 5 on a night out used to be more.

[Barb1]

So far it's not a trigger for me. In fact I have no triggers just genetic pre disposition.

[jondeanp]

Yep. Real ale or Guinness is my preference. I only tend to have a "proper" drink one night, generally every two to 3 weeks. I will drink 5 to 6 pints

I rarely drink beer at home but might have a glass of wine, a G&T or a rum & coke if i feel in the mood for one

I have to admit my last episode of arrhythmia started whilst asleep on the second night of a weekend at the Munich Oktoberfest. I still drank on the following night, but just with a wobbly heart. What a great weekend that was

[Morzine]

I’ve never pushed it to a limit as I’m scared to, but I can drink two halves or two glasses of red if I wish.....everyone’s different.....I’m worried about the Flecainade etc.....effects with alcohol.....

[Profound15]

I agree with all of the responses. For me alcohol is the definitive trigger. I used to drink wine (far too much) and it would trigger the AF. I stopped drinking wine and took beer instead. I thought (wrongly) beer would be ok. Anyway I now have a couple of lower alcohol beers (bud light 3.5%) once or twice in a week and then on those nights drink alcohol free beer after the bud. My unit alcohol intake weekly can be less than 5. The alcohol free beer available now is excellent and I’m satisfied drinking them. Most pubs stock alcohol free beer and some even wine. The bottom line for me is that I will go teetotal completely if the regime I’m on now stops working.

[Japaholic in reply to Profound15]

That’s pretty much my path, in the summer I drank crates of non alcohol beer

[Sean_C]

Yep I drink beer, lager mainly. My local has Amstel on tap which I enjoy. I also love the odd glass of bubbly..... However, as I have cut down hugely in the last few years, owing to fear of AF, I am now what is known as a cheap date, or a lightweight, and two pints is pretty much it for me these days. Any more and I feel crap the next day, but more importantly, my wife tells me that if I have two or more beers I do the sleep apnea thing several times a night, which is also a trigger for AF....

It's a real irritation because much of my social life revolves around going for drinks.

[Maril1]

Still have a few pints rarely more than four . I have found through experience (I have had AF over 12 years) if I have a skin full more often than not it sets me off. I may drink 5 or 6 on holiday throughout the day

with no problems . I have found that a couple of pints put me back into sinus rhythm (found this out on holiday some years ago heart had thrown a wobbler on the first night after Chinese (the kids choice!) and some wine l think. Anyway not going to let it spoil a holiday I thought I may as well drink so I can get to sleep after a couple of pints I was back to normal. It happened again on a recent holiday to Greece just as we were about to go out for our evening meal with friends not to spoil the party I suggested we had a couple of swift ones it did the trick.

I agree shift work is a problem always get an attack on nights but I treat it like a headache unfortunately it's shifts or the highway . I don't take flecanide anymore as a pip made me very groggy now I go for a walk but this can sometimes take over a hour to get me back to normal still beats flec or sitting around for hours on end with fireworks going off in my chest.

[flecathletics]

Tesco do a nice low alcohol beer at 0.5% Fat Tire from Pistonhead Brewery.

[Bobbo52]

Thought I read somewhere on thi Site that it was the effect of dehydration from alcohol that triggered afib.

[boudiful in reply to Bobbo52]

I would have to agree with you. The studies show drinking regularly lowers the success rates of ablation because of constant dehydration/stress, whereas a single big night seems to have no effect on continued ablation success. My EP gave me the same advice - rather go big one night than drink regularly to avoid the need for a repeat ablation. Nonetheless, dehydration rather than the alcohol itself seems to be the issue for me at least. I would get it from Sailing (without enough water), drinking more than three glasses of wine etc., being out exercising in the heat, and soon figured out it was the dehydration, not the amount of alcohol or the sailing, heat that was causing it. If I kept a steady stream of water flowing between drinks I would be fine. Having had a successful 2nd ablation now however, I now limit myself to one night a week, 3-4 glasses of wine max, in the hopes of staying AF Free. Its frustrating, but it is what it is.

[Becksagogo]

No. I don't drink alcohol. I don't smoke. I don't have caffeine. I limit sugar intake. No red meat or fat and plenty of vegetables and fruit. I can't chase young men any more (or older ones) unless they want to be caught!

Was it really worth prolonging my life ?

Yes of course it was but giving up everything we enjoy (ed) can be as stressful as carrying on with them so my advice is know and manage your own limitations! We are only here once!!

[boudiful in reply to Becksagogo]

Becksagogo, I wonder daily myself if its worth it.

[momist]

Yes, I drink beer, and other things too. Not everyone with AF can though . . .

I generally only have one or two, but I do love going to beer festivals and then I tend to over do it. I find I can't drink anywhere near as much as I used to, not due to AF but possibly due to old age and less practice. I just start feeling full and generally unwell, and don't want any more.

I try hard to keep well hydrated when I'm drinking, one glass of water for every drink. Maybe that's what makes me less keen on the drinking? It has been suggested that it's the dehydration due to alcohol that is the actual trigger for AF. That is true for me, all my events have had dehydration as at least one factor together with mental stress, but not alcohol.

[Mugster]

No problem for me. Alcohol has never affected my AF

[Kn177yn0ra]

Alcohol is not a trigger for me.

[concup66]

I used to drink a lot of alcohol, and yes it certainly was part of my Afib journey, However My Cardio reckoned it was more the Sleep Apnoea that followed a night out that was the culprit (his theory is that 75% of Afib is triggered by SA).

Now that I'm in Permanent/persistent Afib I don't care, I just eat and drink what I like, although I now have a chin strap that is a huge help with SA, and getting a really good nights sleep. I just wish I had discovered this simple "cure" for Afib earlier.

[Cocofluffs in reply to concup66]

Hi concup66, what type of chinstrap device have you got & does it have a name that will enable me to look it up?

[concup66 in reply to Cocofluffs]

Yes the one I have is called "Snorequiet" chin strap,I brought it from a chemist in Australia, but they are also available online. Mine cost $60 AUD, but they are very effective, especially compared to a Cpap machine!!

Cheers

Dave M

[lip123]

Hi I'm 34 and was in hospital nearly 4 months ago with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation because of a night of heavy drinking took my heart 28 hours or so to come back to normal rythym after the drink wore off but didn't have to get shocked ,, I've been in nsr since but have got more confident to the point where 6 or 7 pints of Guinness or beer once a week (drank slowly with water in between)didn't do me no harm but on Saturday there I had about 9 or 10 and was slightly drunk and next morning had really fast heart rate but was calmer this time and it didn't go out of rythym,, I need to learn where to stop but it's a learning curve and I just love socialising but these episodes give me major anxiety hope u can learn to have a few and be ok ,, I will stick 6 or 7 max now I think not worth the hassle but it's hard.