Alcohol and Warfarin

[HiMyNameIsDale]

Hello Everyone,

I know that the general consensus on this forum and with doctors is that you should only have 2-3 alcoholic beverages in a day while taking warfarin. I am fine with that considering that I don't drink much or often. But, is there any restrictions on the time that you drink the alcohol? For Example: can you drink alcohol at any time or do you have to avoid it for a certain amount of time before or after taking your dose of warfarin. I can't seem to find anything that states whether or not alcohol has a direct impact on warfarin itself and I am a little wary of drinking alcohol after I just took my dose of warfarin. I have been waiting a while after my dose of warfarin before having a drink but that is sometimes inconvenient. What do you guys think?

 

[pellicle]

Hi

. But, is there any restrictions on the time that you drink the alcohol? For Example: can you drink alcohol at any time or do you have to avoid it for a certain amount of time before or after taking your dose of warfarin. I can't seem to find anything that states whether or not alcohol has a direct impact on warfarin itself and I am a little wary of drinking alcohol after I just took my dose of warfarin?

To my knowledge its mainly that if you drink too much you increase your risk of falling down, thus having a bleed. There are no restrictions with warfarin and when you drink. Frequently I have my dose with my evening meal thus it often gets washed down with red wine.

There has been a lot written here on this.

Don't drink to excess and just forget about it all (just don't forget to take your pills

 

[ski girl]

I also wash my warfarin down with wine about once a week. What does this say about Aussies??

Haven't died from a stroke or a bleed yet.

 

[Protimenow]

I don't think timing between taking your Warfarin and having a drink is an issue. What MAY be of concern is if you have an already damage liver. If you're further damaging your liver by drinking to excess, your INR can possibly spike. But, if you're healthy and don't drink to excess, this shouldn't be much of a concern.

It never hurts (except in the wallet) to self-test if you have any concerns about your INR.

 

[tom in MO]

I don't know about the consensus you refer to, but by doctor and pharmacist trainer at the hospital said there is no interaction between warfarin and alcohol. Now if you drink and fall down you will bleed more. If you really get so drunk you puke multiple times you may disrupt yourself so the INR might change for a short while. Per your question, i often have 4 shot martini right after my pills to no ill effect. My INR is stable.

 

[pellicle]

. Per your question, i often have 4 shot martini right after my pills to no ill effect. My INR is stable.

Shaken or stirred?
<insert that trumpet note>

.... Bombed, James Bombed

 

[Protimenow]

There could be an issue with Red Wines. There have been reports that something in the wines, other than the alcohol, could have an effect on INR. I don't have the thread, or the research, at my fingertips, but it may be worthwhile to consider what is IN the WINE, or mixed into the alcoholic drink (maybe a shot of vodka in a green smoothy?) that may have some effect on INR.

 

[TheGymGuy]

I agree with other posters. Seems like you might be going to a wedding or some other such party where a serious amount of booze might be present. Help yourself to a healthy doze and be safe. In my limited experimentation it did not affect INR much or at all, and I have had a bit more Scotch once or twice than I'd like to admit. Biggest thing to keep in mind is that you just want to make sure that you are not so piss drunk that you:
1. decide to jump off of something high and break a limb. This would be bad either way, but might be worse when your INR is a bit higher
2. forget to take the next regularly schedules warfarin doze. (actually, this will be ok, if you remember soon enough and catch up)

If ever in doubt and are self testing, experiment with testing within several hours after consuming drinks in a safe environment to see if your INR spikes up. Just FYI, mine did not.

 

[tom in MO]

Always stirred. The best martini (gin of course) is made with the gin coming from the freezer and the vermouth from the fridge. No dilution with ice cubes required; no mess, no fuss, martini in the time it takes to cut a lemon twist. Of course the glass stays in the freezer as well