Alcohol

[Simeg]

AF cardioconverted on anticoagulant

How many non alcoholic drinks can u have in a day ?

2 beers non alcohol /glass non alcohol wine ok?

[Rainfern]

I would say the problem here is not the tiny amount of alcohol you’d be consuming so much as the vast quantity of sugar. Sugar is a toxin that impacts metabolism, blood sugar levels and weight control. I restrict consumption of low alcohol drinks to special occasions and also avoid drinks with artificial sweeteners. In a pub I’ll make a small alcohol free drink go a very long way and fill in with water and the odd sip of my husband’s beer! We’re all different in what we can tolerate and what we’re prepared to risk and I’ll be interested to read what other people have to say. Enjoyment of life is a great health giver!

[Skertchly in reply to Rainfern]

‘ odd sip of your husband’s beer’ are you saving him from himself?

[Rainfern in reply to Skertchly]

Yes of course! 🤣🤣

[Hosta-Lover]

don’t waste your money on alcohol free. Small amounts of alcohol are allowed on anticoagulants. Unless it’s a trigger for your AF

Enjoy a tinny or two occasionally

[Promised in reply to Hosta-Lover]

Well said . I only have some wine at the weekend . It doesn’t give me any symptoms plus I make sure I drink loads of water

[Jasper18 in reply to Promised]

I try to see alcohol not as an acute allergy (I.e like peanuts etc) but rather just as something in my life that could heighten the chance of an episode. Similar to certain types of food (hard cheeses etc) and particularly volume of food (More often my episodes occur after a big meal, or when my stomach is very empty!). Very typically vagal Afib by all accounts, To safeguard, I’ve limited rather than abstained, so 3-4 pints of lower alcohol beer (<4%) is my limit now and I enjoy these most weekends without any issues (food before & water after the beer is a good idea). I’ve cut out the wine as I feel I can! For context, I’m 58/M on Bisoprolol 1.25% daily, chads score 0.

[Bagrat]

There is no definitive answer. A lot of people react to artificial sweeteners and additives in non alcoholic look alike drinks. Sugar is never a good thing for frequent use.Sometimes it's the other contents of wine that kick off people's AF. For others a sniff of alcohol is enough!!

If you have had your cardioversion recently, I would give your heart time to adjust to blissful sinus rhythm. It is then your choice if you want to try possible triggers or adopt a more healthy lifestyle.

I have very short episodes these days, the last 3 at funeral teas, where I eat things we don't usually indulge in, like pastries and scones. This no doubt compounded by the gravitas of the occasion. You would think I'd learn!

[Omniscient1 in reply to Bagrat]

Cake induced AF, oh no. <Weeps>

[OldGrit]

if you like them do as you please but consider any ingredients that might not be best for you before you go mad.

For me:

Some alcohol free beers pass muster / I like the toasted variety and maybe one or two and then I’d rather have a cup of tea …

Alcohol free wine - none ! - but purely on the basis of lack of body, nasty acidic taste. Why would I not have a cup of tea instead.

[maurice2]

Google "alcohol and AF"...I read the evidence and I'm now happily alcohol free and drinking as much zero alcohol wine as I like, usually a couple of bottles a week, it's got some useful anti-oxidants in it.

[Leechg]

Hi, I drink Drop Bear Beer and Noughty Rouge wine. Both alcohol free and relatively low in sugar. I might drink up to a bottle of the red or six cans of beer in a day. I don’t worry about how much. They don’t set off my AF. All the best.

[Ppiman]

I find no effect whatever from having a glass of wine or a G&T, and would say it relaxes me, which helps my arrhythmias. I have two friends who are similar.

Steve

[Dudtbin in reply to Ppiman]

Me too.

[Fastbeat1 in reply to Dudtbin]

...And me ! I like a red wine/ beer and G and T !!!

I am Permenent AFwith very few symptoms ?

[Dudtbin in reply to Fastbeat1]

I’m chemically controlled.

[Fastbeat1 in reply to Dudtbin]

Yes me too ! Dilt ...Edox ... etc .

[Ducky2003]

I drink alcohol free lager and gin, either one glass or the other 3 or 4 evenings per week, but would happily drink a couple of bottles of Becks Blue if I wanted. Alcohol free wine is pretty naff.Alcohol wasn't a trigger for my AF but, I avoid alcohol as its noted it can exacerbate the effects of a couple of medications, one of which is the anticoagulant.

Folks tend to focus on whether it triggers the AF but the main issue to me, is whether it causes any issues with medication.

[Redactrice]

Read the leaflet/s and talk to your cardiologist. Anything else is just a random opinion from someone who may or may not be well informed.

This is my opinion (12 years of paroxysmal AF, caught Covid last year, now in persistent AF, waiting for ablation, taking beta blocker + anti-arrhythmic + anticoag):

I had this discussion with a retired cardiologist I know socially who has AF himself. First he said 'you should be all right with one unit per day, but don't even think about going over that limit, not even occasionally'. There's a formula for working out how many units according to volume and % ABV.

I thought the problem (for me) was the interaction of alcohol with metoprolol, which says in the leaflet not to combine with alcohol because it will lower blood pressure too much -- as in, your heart can stop.

Then the retired cardio told me that in his view the bigger risk was blood thinners: "In my mind the really significant issue is the interaction between alcohol and NOACS like rivaroxaban...[the risk] is bleeding, specifically cerebral haemorrhage because there’s no coming back from that. For what it’s worth, I’ve had calf haematomas and brachial nerve sheath haematoma, all most unpleasant, after mixing tiny quantities of alcohol with ACGs so I’ve taken the hint and don’t drink at all any more."

I've not wanted to know what a brachial nerve sheath haematoma is (I know what the other two are). I haven't had a unit of alcohol since.

I did look up the effect of alcohol on heart rate/BP (not specifically while taking cardiac drugs) and found this clinical study (link at the bottom). The short version: "...alcohol decreases blood pressure initially (up to 12 hours after ingestion) and increases blood pressure after that. Alcohol consistently increases heart rate at all times within 24 hours of consumption."

The section "Key results" spells it out in more detail and differentiates between low, moderate and higher amounts of alcohol.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

[Rainfern in reply to Redactrice]

Thank you for posting this Redactrice. It would be so easy now I’m Afib free, post ablation, to start enjoying a slow increase in alcohol consumption - the odd sip, the odd dram or wine glass. I really hadn’t considered the interaction with anticoagulant which I’m on for life. Definitely I’m going to play safe.

[Ppiman]

That's interesting to read. Both beta blockers and DOAC drugs are medically approved as safe with alcohol (in moderation and due diligence, I would add myself) according to the most authoritative sources we have in the UK: the patient leaflets and the NHS guidance pages.

Steve

[Mugsy15]

I like a few pints of Guinness, although I have vastly cut down my consumption since my AF diagnosis and subsequent treatments. As my rugby club recently got Guinness Zero and it miraculously tastes very much the same, I thought it a great idea to moderate my intake even further by slipping a few of those in. The result was lots of day-after arrythmia.

Turns out the carbohydrate levels in the Zero drink are double that of the standard!

Hmmm.