Alcohol and Heart Arrhythmias

[Crash88]

Just out of curiousity, do any of you drink alcohol? and what do you drink and how much is your limit before it triggers AFIB/SVT/Skipped beats, and do different alcohol beverages aggravate the symptoms more or less?? for example me, two or three light beers and im good but i once made the mistake of drinking about 15 shots of tequila and i completely went to shit rhythm wise a few hours after drinking, never during drinking its always hours after i stop drinking, share your stories with what alcohol and partying does with your AFIB

[jonjub]

I stopped drinking alcohol and coffee about 3.5 years ago after a run of afib incidents. I don't know if either of them were ever categorically triggers but have a suspicion that either or both may well have been. Having said that i didn't have afib ‘attacks’ every time i consumed either of them and could drink a lot of coffee and a lot of wine without an afib incident. Since i have given up i had one proper and one mild afib attack. My rational for stopping was if i didn't know for sure, one way or the other then it wasn't worth the risk. There are also other health related benefits in giving up alcohol and i am saving an awful lot of money. Everyone is different in how afib affects them and what may or may not trigger an incident.

[secondtry in reply to jonjub]

Same story here

[Hidden]

When I was diagnosed 3 1/2 yr ago with PAF, my EP advised I drink no alcohol. Since I wasnt a big drinker, it was not a huge sacrifice. Since then my a fib has slowly gotten less frequent. My last a fib was over a yr ago. Ive not had an ablation. I dont take any rhythm meds unless I have a fib. I know that can always change for the worse, but right now I dont want to risk my good luck for a few beers.

[Lien-Ju]

Hey Crash88! I drink a beer sometimes or a glass of wine, I didn't notice any change whether I drink or not.

[David21]

Alcohol is definitely a trigger for me, in particular when taken whilst having a virus of any sort. Quantity varies but does not need much. I do feel bubbles could be one of the worst culprits

[millie-becca-187 in reply to David21]

A few beers or ciders are ok for me, prosecco type bubbly drinks I try to avoid as they seem to be a trigger , but coffee is the massive NO! By far outways any symptoms of any alcohol I drink. Coffee sends my heart into overdrive. I avoid at all costs!

[Dougsey]

Alcohol doesn't trigger an AF episodes with me but I definitely feel my heart rate increase and the number of ectopics and flutters seem to increase, although it's not clear cut. When I stop drinking I definitely feel better in myself (hey, the price of getting older imo...) but I enjoy a few drinks and as long as I don't go overboard, generally it doesn't impact too much. EP didn't recommend cutting it out as the link isn't fully proven but did mention the impact on stroke risk even when on anticoagulants.

[Crash88 in reply to Dougsey]

yeah my HR increases by 5-10 digits but as long as i dont get drunk im fine hehe

[kitenski]

I get no episodes either during drinking or afterwards.

[Jennyquilt0]

I have PAF, but neither alcohol or coffee trigger it so I am lucky I don’t drink a vast amount perhaps 4 cups of coffee over the day none after 5pm , I don’t drink tea at all I don’t like it. Most days I have one whisky in the evening and occasionally a glass of wine with dinner st the weekend. My trigger seems to be infections and gastric problems.

[jwsonoma]

My cardiologist told me alcohol opens pathways for a fib. I mostly drink non alcoholic Becks and Heinekin. I limit my alcohol intake to 1/2 light beer or shot glass of wine at a time and no more than the equivalent of 2 drinks per week. He still says none is better. It takes me a month to drink a bottle of wine. I keep it refrigerated. I use a stopper on the 1/2 beer. I am not replacing the beer.

[Crash88 in reply to jwsonoma]

ye, light beer is the way to go, drinking nothing at all can be so bland and boring imo

[jennydog]

I have never once been asked about my alcohol intake by my Cardiologist, EP or GP. In fact, triggers have never been mentioned.

I don't drink any alcohol at all, simply because I do not like the taste. I much prefer a lime-and-lemon or Lucozade. Half of my family like alcohol and the other half don't like it one bit.

I can safely say that alcohol doesn't affect my AF.

[CDreamer]

Very personal as you will see from the posts but I found a light wine and an occasional light beer would be OK but I had to stop drinking all spirits, period. I do miss my whisky.

Coffee had a similar affect but I found out why and as I have had to give up so much I enjoy, I found if I have 1 good, organic cup of coffee a day made with steam pressure I am fine. I cannot take instant, from a filter or percolated though - avoid any that is stewed. And drinking decaf was the worst protagonist so avoid at all costs!

[Shcldavies]

Yes alcohol and caffine can trigger an attack, with me it was hours or days after but they do not necessarily trigger an attack. Both irritate your heart, at times your heart can cope, other times there will be something else irritating your heart and the alcohol tips you over into an attack. It may not be the alcohol itself rather the chemicals/sulphate in the drink. Unfortunately it's not as simple as any one thing, if your electrolytes are in balance , your organs (kidneys etc) working correctly then your body can handle the drink. Drinking and taking PPIs is double trouble, it will reduce your magnesium levels significantly and magnesium is needed to orchestrate your electrolytes in the cells which enable the ions to move mainly between potassium and calcium in your cells to produce the electrical signals that control your heart.

I found giving up drink very hard at first (used to drink 3 bottles of wine a week), it started getting easier after 6 weeks, then at 3 months so many things are so much better without drink I could go on for hours. I really never thought I would say this. The only time I miss a drink now is on certain social occasions and hot sunny days but some (not all) of the alcohol free beer is quite palatable nowerdays, but this can also contain sulphates.

[AIW58]

My cardiologist doesn't 'believe' in triggers, I think he's wrong. White wine was a trigger at times, I think as previous post mentions it depends what else is going on. So a glass one day may be fine but not the next time. I have the odd glass if red now. Binge drinking in my past definitely brought on what I now recognise as AF, they call it holiday heart. Haven't done that in years. 15shots of tequila is a binge so no wonder you got an episode!

I think you just have to work out what your personal triggers are.

[Crash88 in reply to AIW58]

u should see another cardio, triggers are a legit real aspect of heart troubles

[AIW58 in reply to Crash88]

He was fine he put me on the wait list my ablation so I'm happy. His opinion is that I'd go mad looking for a trigger and if I liked white wine don't worry, carry on. I think it is tricky for the docs. Look at all the replies to your post. It's different for all of us. That said I agree it would be better if the docs made some suggestions or at least recommended this site! 😁

[Crash88 in reply to AIW58]

lol and also having AFIB for all those triggers to be recorded u would have to live months in a hospital and be connected to all the equipment and eat and drink and dance and see when and why are the triggers

[jedimasterlincoln]

Last year I had 6 drinks in 12 months. Feb for our anniversary, June for a wedding (2 drinks for toast/meal), 2 drinks in September (13th and 28th) for mine and the other half's birthday... and one at Christmas as I recall.

This year I've had a small can of cider in February again, and probably won't be drinking now until September or maybe a small class of something on holiday in August if all goes to plan.

I can't say for sure if it has been a trigger for me - I used to drink 2 or 3 pints of cider a week when I lived on my own, but I also used to drink a shed load of cola, and a couple of cans of Monster Energy drink a week too. As well as "builders tea" and the odd packet of chocolate.

Now - I don't touch energy drinks, I drink "decaff" tea maybe once a day, I only have the odd class of "caffeine free" pepsi for a treat and the same goes for "treat" chocolate. None of these is at the level I used to be at.

Has it made a difference? To AF - probably not - even when on this "regime" I was still unstable with frequent intense bouts of fast AF and flutter. To the rest of me - yes of course - cutting down on the calories and sugars can only be a good thing but I know I could do more.

[MarkS]

I used to have very regular AF (for 24 hours every 3 days), so I could tell whether anything affected it quite easily. I went through a whole array of tablets/supplements without any effect. I also stopped alcohol for 3 months with no impact, so alcohol doesn't affect me. I now have a regular daily glass of red wine, mainly because I enjoy it but also for the health benefits.

There's a J shaped curve comparing alcohol consumption to mortality, e.g.:

onlinejacc.org/content/70/8...

which shows that light to moderate alcohol reduces mortality by 20% compared to lifetime abstainers. The break-even point is around 15 drinks per week, i.e. 2 drinks per day.

Alcohol is also an essential part of the Mediterranean and MIND diets for preservation of brain function:

medscape.com/viewarticle/91...

The key as with most things is moderation.

[Lynnels]

Hi! No longer have AF due to an ablation 20 months ago but recently started having episodes of bigeminy triggered exactly as AF was. For me it was all about what alcohol irritated the top of my gut. For me it was drinking white wine on a regular basis ( say on holiday) or anything with a ‘burn’ like whiskey or acidy like a mojito. So I don’t think it was the actual alcohol just the type. I can have a few glasses of mellow red wines with no problem at all. Even had half of a flattish lager yesterday with no problem. I also think it’s dependant on if your body is ‘inflamed’ at the time due to illness or virus as that also seems to irritate the vagus nerve - or the breaking down of food and drink causes more pressure on an already inflamed system.

[RiderontheStorm]

As soon as the shot of bourbon hit my tongue I went into AF. One time. Other times no issue. Wine no problem. Spirits no more than 3 - 4 drinks a week no issue. For me

S T R E S S is the provocateur but have since read alcohol is Cardio-toxic. Drink in moderation OK.

[Crash88 in reply to RiderontheStorm]

i sure miss drinking many cups of bourbon and no incidents

[Bagrat]

2 or 3 glasses of wine spread out over the week ok, sometimes much less. Tend not to risk a glass or a G and T if I feel iffy. Have occasionally had two small glasses during a meal. No ill effects. Tend to drink decaff onstant at home but had 2 proper coffees at a show today and fine. No rhyme to the rhythm I'm afraid.

[solarjdo69]

Having to many shots of anything including tequila definitely increases my afib. I also think the drying out of the sinuses aspect (water dehydration) that alcohol affects in the body contributes more to it as it makes for likelihood of poor breathing whilst sleeping - EG: tendency to sleep apnea, etc.. I find that if i stick to more quality small brewhouse beers that I am better off. My current favorite is Heretic Chocolate Hazelnut Stout 7.0%. Yummy and doesn't seem to trigger bouts of afib. Wondering if the mainstream brewers use certain chemicals that may affect afib.

beeradvocate.com/beer/profi...

hereticbrewing.com/beers

Cheers!

[Crash88 in reply to solarjdo69]

excellent point! i find more homemade/artesanal beers are much more clean in the chemical aspects and do u less harm than a corona or a miller etc

[foxglove1]

I was diagnosed with PAF 4 years ago and take Apixoban.

I have 3 cups of strong coffee each day and also enjoy red wine. I dont find these trigger Afib with me, but everyone is different I guess. My trigger tend to be tiredness or stress. Fortunately I have not had a bout for over 6 months. All the best to you.

[12string]

Personally, I haven't had any issues. I drink 3-4 rum drinks after dinner with no flareups.

[Crash88 in reply to 12string]

how often?? and what are diagnosed with and what medication?

[12string in reply to Crash88]

AF, eliquis and metoprolol.

[Morzine]

If we go out, I tend to have one real lager then one zero alcohol Heineken.....I can on another occasion have two glasses of red wine, but I wouldn’t rosk anymore , plus the tablets say alcohol in moderation.

My cardio sajd white wine wAs a trigger.....I found tonic water a trigger....and that’s on the internet as a trigger too,,.......

The great thing about having no alcohol which I did for ages was I lost weight and everyone compliments me on it....sucha boost!!!

Sue

[heartmatters1]

I like a G&T or a glass of wine each evening. It relaxes me! If I overdo do it (which I’m too scared to do now) I know I will feel dreadful next day. I think it’s a lot to do with dehydration, which of course can set AF off. Bubbly wines & red are the worse for me so I avoid.

[Hidden]

I like being in NSR, so I drink a handful of times a year and never more than a couple of pints or a G&T. White wine and my beloved cider are now no go zones for me

[ETFCfan]

I was diagnosed 4 years ago and have had one emergency hospital admission fairly soon after diagnosis. I was never a heavy drinker but we went to a party and over the course of the evening I drank two cocktails and two glasses of wine which caused me to collapse. Until then nobody had mentioned the effects of alcohol to me. Since then I very rarely drink, this year I’ve had no more than one drink on four occasions and even with this tiny amount I can feel the effect on my heart. I now have permanent AF again after two cardioversions and two ablation and feel so much better for not drinking. We go to pubs a lot to listen to live music and honestly don’t miss not drinking alcohol.

[checkmypulse]

I had very symptomatic AF and alcohol was a definite trigger, not the only one I know. Just a shandy could start it off, very often approx 3 hours later. This became easy to identify and it was prudent therefore to stop drinking. Nearly 3 years free after ablations I just don't want to do anything that might start those feelings off again. I don't miss drinking and certainly don't feel that's it's boring not to.

[mikelocke]

I don’t think that alcohol is a direct link with me as when I have gone tea total for a period it made no difference to the pattern of my AF episodes. I practice moderation though by only drinking a couple of half strength beers and often a small glass of red wine with dinner. I ‘d hate to have to give that up.

[Crash88 in reply to mikelocke]

are you in constant AF while you drink?

[mikelocke]

I was going from AF to Flutter with periods of NSR on a daily basis, all over place. I was on maximum meds so I thought what the hell, so I started enjoying my daily glass of red wine. .... the intervals of NSR become longer about this time. I have no idea Why or if it’s related.

Last week I had my first ablation, to treat the flutter. Since then, no flutter, just the odd period of slow AF.

I’m still enjoying my odd beer and glass of wine 😜