Coumadin and Alcohol

[Ross]

We used to have an alcohol/INR tester. He swore it didn't affect his INR at all. I haven't found it to affect mine, but some people have. So it's user beware.

 

[BigOwl]

Maybe it was the heat, but after a couple of days of probable overindulgence (two hefty pints of good Rahr--a local brew--at a Rangers game Wednesday night, and probably three glasses of wine last night) I noticed a nastier than usual bruise on my forearm this morning. Since I hadn't been in any bar brawls that I remember, I called the clinic. I already had an appointment for an echo at the heart center, and was due to be tested on Monday, so they told me to drop by for a check--and lo and behold my INR was 3.7. Now that's not all that bad, but represents a significant increase from 1.9 a week ago (I've been pretty steady at 2.0-2.5). My infrequent dips seem to be due to steady increases in exercise levels.

At any rate, I'm cutting back on the alcohol--the moderation rule seems to hold, so I'll stay with the one-two glasses per night max. It's what women heart patients are advised to do, anyway (actually, the suggested amount is one 5 oz. glass), and even though I'm not sure the alcohol was the factor, it was probably a factor in the rapid rise.

Nobody has said I should cut it out entirely, and if they did I probably wouldn't listen. But, as a buddy frequently quips, "I'm not an alcoholic. I'm a drunk. Alcoholics go to meetings."

 

[Ross]

See, this it the problem. For some, it does nothing, for others, they see an increase and some see a drop, so it's still user beware.

 

[suerose]

Eat drink & be merry!

Eat drink & be merry!

I?ve learned that doctors will try to guide us with fear. My cardiologist told me I could have a bleeding episode in the GI tract and it would be the worst thing I could do. He was a just real poo-pooer whenever I brought up alcohol. (didn?t help when I told him I was a party girl, so asked what can and can?t I do!?) Of course he says ?don?t drink at all.? I cried all the way home from the doctors that day!

At about 6 ? 8 weeks post op?I nervously started drinking a glass of wine now & then. Once my INR started to stabilize, I decided to drink a glass EVERY day (in the name of supporting a consistent diet!) That quickly led to enjoying 2 or 3 glasses on the weekends, and still my INR is within range at 16 weeks.

I certainly don?t allow myself to get hammered on the weekends w/ beer and alcohol the way I did pre-surgery, but I am no longer afraid of what will happen to me if I DO over indulge sometime. It will be a blip in the INR chart, but I?m confident it will stabilize quickly.

If it peeked and stayed high, of course any of us would modify our behavior! You honestly need to experiment and see what happens for yourself. It?s the only way to know.

So eat drink and be merry! We have lots to celebrate--we all got another chance to actually HAVE the rest of our lives!

 

[Ross]

Alcohol can irrate the lining of the stomach and what he told you is correct, but if you use common sense and aren't a lush, then you should be ok. One never knows when ones stomach is going to go wearing a hole in itself. I've been there already.

 

[Marty]

I don't know if this helps or not but Alice and I have TWO vodkas on the rocks each night at happy hour(@ 6 PM).
We are both on warfarin and pretty stable me at 19.5 mgm/wk and her at 24 mgm/wk. As we say at vr.com dose the diet( includes alcohol), not diet the dose!

 

[Ross]

I don't know if this helps or not but Aliice and I have TWO vodkas on the rocks each night at happy hour(@ 6 PM).
We are both on warfarin and pretty stable me at 19.5 mgm/wk and her at 24 mgm/wk. As we say at vr.com dose the diet( includes alcohol), not diet the dose!

Marty you and I better not see each other or we might get into Vodka trouble.

 

[jax]

i am glad that i read this thread. i don't very often drink but do like to have a glass or two of wine from time to time and ofcourse when i left the hospital they brought up the no drinking thing but now as i read all of these posts and how it seems it doesn't affect the inr very much in most people i may feel comfortable with going back to having a glass or two every once in a while and it is just nice to know that it shouldn't bother me all that much.

 

[BigOwl]

As it turns out, my high INR problem may have had less to do with drinking than with exercise and heat.

As with alcohol, some folks metabolize warfarin differently while exercising. Mine went right back down to normal when I had to forego the exercise routine for four days. After it hiked back up when I resumed exercising, I just said "screw it" and made sure I had a nice big salad every day I get on the bike for my cross-training workout. Works like a charm. 2.6 two weeks in a row. I had thought that exercising would lower it, but the heat (100 plus most days now; I exercise on the porch at 9 am when it's about 90 something) apparently messes with that. One more reason to home test as soon as possible, I guess.

I still has me two glasses of wine per evening, for medicinal purposes. Good for the heart, don't ya know.

 

[catwoman]

As it turns out, my high INR problem may have had less to do with drinking than with exercise and heat.

As with alcohol, some folks metabolize warfarin differently while exercising. Mine went right back down to normal when I had to forego the exercise routine for four days. After it hiked back up when I resumed exercising, I just said "screw it" and made sure I had a nice big salad every day I get on the bike for my cross-training workout. Works like a charm. 2.6 two weeks in a row. I had thought that exercising would lower it, but the heat (100 plus most days now; I exercise on the porch at 9 am when it's about 90 something) apparently messes with that. One more reason to home test as soon as possible, I guess.

I still has me two glasses of wine per evening, for medicinal purposes. Good for the heart, don't ya know.

My INR has gone up because of the heat: I'm not drinking enough water to offset increased perspiration from the heat. I can't drink iced tea or plain water without a bowl of lemons or limes and lots of ice. I've got to buy lemons/limes to take to work to make sure I am drinking enough water!

 

[BigOwl]

Cat, if you like your water with a bit of fizz, you can buy San Pellegrino at Costco by the case for less than a buck a bottle. With a bit of lemon or lime and some ice, it's far better than a cocktail (at leastfor keeping you cool and keeping your water intake up because it doesn't have the dehydrating effects of alcohol).

I've even started mixing the fizz half and half with V8's new Fusion veg/fruit drinks. They don't have any added sugar, and an 8 oz. serving = one veg and one fruit. Halve that and it's still added nutrients to help stave off dehydration, and it's pretty refreshing.

 

[Montrealer]

Ok...so I don`t do that anymore........but yes I like my wine...i like my pints and yes I drink single malt.
For me the key was to change my habits. First step was to cut back and choose my spots. I like my wine with supper and keep it at a glass. When I go out for pints I keep my limit and have my scotch on Sundays.....keep it regular and don`t change the habits. And yes some nights I will quaff a bottle of red and I`m still alive to tell the tale. Just keep it on an even keel.......the trick is to be consistant week to week.

 

[BigOwl]

I love you French Canadian whiskey drinkers, Montrealer. I'm a Lagavulin person my own self, but do it infrequently--more for cost than for anything. What's your favorite single malt?

Consistency seems to be the trick--and drinking with food. Whiskey's a bit different--requires good conversation more than food. But an infrequent tipple seems not to affect INRs much. I'm thinking that the peatier malts may have a mitigating effect . . .

 

[Sunshine susan]

Hi! I had OHS for a bicuspid valve 10 years ago with St. Judes and take coumadin (warfarin) in quite a healthy dose. I generally have a couple of glasses of wine a day..."toddy for the body". The general rule with coumadin is "all things in moderation". I've never had a problem. Enjoy!