Alcohol after ablation

[Sheppard87]

alcohol after heart ablation. I drank beer with no problem while on medication. Will that change after an ablation?

[OldJane]

alcohol was a trigger for me Pre ablation and I was advised to stop altogether after ablation to be on the safe side. Why risk an impulse breaking through the scar barrier and maybe making a new channel? I do miss a drink though

[RichMert]

I would keep it to a minimum in the first 3 to 6 months as this is the time when you are monitoring whether the ablation was successful. After that, it is trial and error. 2 pints one day may be ok but could have a completely different result on another. You may not get an immediate feedback but could come 2-3 days later. Speaking as a Real Ale fan that has had a couple of ablations.

[SeanJax]

can you live without drinking alcohol? If so don’t drink. Alcohol does not go well with Afib even it does not cause an episode. We afibers ill treated our heart for so long with our bad habits and bad life style to end up in afib . Afib does not show up just like that. People tend to think I got an ablation and I can resume whatever I want to do with my life. It does not work that way. Afib is a progressive disease with or without ablation or mini maze. Try to keep your risk factors under strict control to have a QOL. If you define you need to drink alcohol to have QOL so be my guest. It is a personal choice since your body your choice.

[Ducky2003 in reply to SeanJax]

That's a sweeping "we" when saying we have all caused our own AF with bad lifestyle.

Not all AF is down to lifestyle choices. Mine isn't.

[Daftpunk78 in reply to SeanJax]

As per Ducky2003 - you can't bundle everyone's A-Fib cause with bad habits and bad life style...mine was linked to Wolff -Parksonson-White which was a heart condition I had since birth!

[Ducky2003 in reply to Daftpunk78]

Exactly. There's a lady on here has AF due to cancer treatment and many develop it after heart surgery. Also, viruses can affect the valves, which can then trigger AF. One size does not fit all.

[foxglove1 in reply to SeanJax]

nor me

[2learn]

I was told to stay off alcohol when I was started on apixaban, blood thinners, wasn't told this when on warfarin. If you've had ablation chances are your on some kind of blood thinners.

[Banquo]

Alcohol and AFib aren't good together...anecdotal evidence of many matches up with most all research in that case. In fact, unfortunately, if anything the relationship is even worse than was thought years ago. Modern studies basically say that ANY alcohol has a detrimental effect in AFib episodes statistically (unlike caffeine/coffee which used to be another big no no but in recent studies not so much). My doc asks about alcohol use every visit and is adamant about eliminating it if at all possible. Right up there with making sure you have no sleep apnea issues. Craft beer is my biggest vice..I love breweries and trying different beers and is my main social activity as well. Since my ablation I've cut way back .. unfortunately for me I'm finding it easier to have zero rather than trying to just stay to one, maybe two a couple times a week. I'm convinced alcohol was indeed a trigger for my AFib, especially when paired with vigorous activity or stress. I'm post ablation 3 months so am entering a new realm now and yet to start ramping up exercise again, as that noticeably jacks up HR and Stress levels (using my latest Garmin watch). If I have to give up alcohol to stay in sinus and avoid that #$_&@# AFib then I will, begrudgingly. Staying active and healthy is top priority for me. 53 yrs old. But I miss good beer and the little buzz, and being on the same "social plane" as others having a good social time at the brewery or pub.

[estesbubba]

Recent studies show that having just 2 drinks increases your chances of having AFib afterwards by 3.5 times! Two years ago I switched to NA beer and it tastes great and there are a ton of choices these days. Even over the past 2 years my EP went from saying a few drinks is OK to praising me for not drinking at all, and telling me to keep up the good work.

[Cabinessence in reply to estesbubba]

My Afib episodes are virtually always after I've had alcohol. It might sometimes be the next day or the day after, but definitely linked. And if I throw in heavy exercise as well it's even more related. I've just started Bisoprolol and Pixaban having self-medicated successfully with Hawthorn for 20 yrs and I'm hoping to be able to have a pint or two of 3.5% beer once or twice a week once the new meds kick in. Is that wishful thinking?

[Cabinessence in reply to estesbubba]

Where were those studies from Estes?

[estesbubba in reply to Cabinessence]

I have a notebook that I keep from books, StopAfib.org conference, and several studies, so I don't remember the source for each study. Here are some of my alcohol notes:

- Once you have AFib, 1 drink increases your chance of triggering AFib by 2x, and 2 drinks increases 3.5x.

- 3 drinks week max once you have AFib. 4+ drinks causes atrial tissue scaring. 

- Alcohol study - abstinence 47% no recurrence in 6 months vs drinking 27% no recurrence

My EP agrees that no alcohol is best for AFib patients.

[Cabinessence in reply to estesbubba]

Many thanks 👍 I suppose the answer will be that once settled into my meds to try one then see what my tolerance level is.

[Cabinessence]

Really? Not my experience at all. Especially bitters. The only ones I find bearable are San Miguel and Guinness zeros. Except in the normal course of events I wouldn't choose either of the full alcohol versions, unless forced to because I was in Spain or Ireland respectively. Heineken zero tastes a bit like the original, but watered down by a factor of 2000%.

[estesbubba in reply to Cabinessence]

Funny, Heineken zero is one of my least favorite NAs. In the US, NA brews are really taking off and there are several NA-only breweries now. I agree the Guinness NAs are excellent.

[MarAF]

There are other medical issues that can lead to AFib. Not because you have been abusing your body.

[mikelocke]

I’ve had an ablation for flutter and now controlling AF with flecainide and bisoprolol. Also on Xarelto blood thinners. Currently I drink a couple of cans of beer most days and the occasional wine. I’ve been AF/ectopics free for five months since the switch to bisoprolol.

So it’s not the same rules for everyone, I ‘m just doing my best to enjoy life at just on eighty years old.