Drinking while on Coumadin...

[Montrealer]

If your prone to stomach ulcers, stay away from alcohol. If not, in moderation is fine. No binging or sudden case drinking.

Never heard that one..........LoL.......

 

[Montrealer]

I`ve had no issues and I drink wine ,whiskey and beer. I don`t part take everyday and I don`t drink as much as I use to. Moderation is the key.

 

[dick0236]

I know this is probably a subject covered in various posts around the forum, but I'm lazy and just felt like starting a new one.

Before my AVR I was a bit of a drinker. Not so much an alcoholic, drinking til I passed out every day, but definitely at least one or two a day (much more on weekends). I had 5 bouts of A-fib starting in 2001 through to 2004 when I quit drinking hard liquor and stuck to beer. I told myself that if just drinking beer didnt lead to another episode of A-fib, I was cool. Anyway, now that I've got my mechanical valve and am on Coumadin, I've been to nervous to drink again. It's been 8 weeks since my last drink (night before my surgery) and I DO feel a little healthier. But I'd be lying if I said I dont miss going out for drinks with friends, or drinking at shows (I go see a lot of live music and drinking is very par for the course). I just saw 2 nights of my favorite band and it was extremely difficult to stay sober (although I did). I'm wondering what those of you out there that do drink would tell me about it. I'm on 5mg of Coumadin once a day and 7.5mg on Mondays and Fridays, and my INR range is 2.5-3.5. Would 2-3 drinks on a Friday night every once in a while be a bad idea?

I'm sure I'll get a lot of different opinions on this, and I plan to ask my INR nurse about it next time, but I figured I'd throw it out there and hopefully get some first-hand knowledge about it.

The pharmacy puts this warning on my Rx bottle for a reason..."Do Not Drink Alcholhic Beverages While Taking This Medication".
Per your post, "2-3 drinks on a Friday night every once in a while" probably would not cause any problems. "At least one or two a day (much more on the weekends)" may cause serious problems. Its your call. I'd sit down with my Cardio or PCP, not an INR nurse, and have a good "heart to heart" regarding drinking....

 

[Magic8Ball]

I don't know why there is always an alcoholic question when i check in but i feel compelled to throw in .2c every time.

Yes, everything in moderation but moderation is different for everyone....

I was a heavy drinker before surgery and post surgery i have pushed the envelope and tested with home tester afterwards to find my happy place.

For me, i'm on 5mg a day, 6ft4ins, 18stone, Male, Late 30's.

I can without affecting INR drink a bottle of wine and not see that figure change a bit.

I can drink 1 1/2 bottles of wine and see a very slight rise but nothing that normal testing wouldnt show.

If i drink 2 bottles of wine i see a small but noticable rise and would not do this on a regular basis.

I don't drink spirits anymore (well not entirely true but if i have a small brandy i will only have two measured shots in a 24 hour period) as that stuff will certainly affect you more than drinks. I've probably had 6-10 of those brandy's in the past two years.

I can drink beer without issue, but i must qualify this in saying that have switched to drinking lite beer 2.7% and i don't drink more than six bottles. any more than six bottles of lite beer and wind will be more of a problem than INR .

I have never been drunk or tipsy since surgery and know i never will be safely.

Its down to the individual and their nomal tollerance to alcohol.

With my size i'm going to be affected much less than some 5ft2ins woman who weighs 6stone.

I've never suffered from stomach problems.

So, do your cost/benefit analysis and test/test/test/test your inr as you assess your outer envelope.

So there's another opinion to add to your thought process but ultimately its your call and your responsibility, never take the opinions of strangers on the internet as gospel...they are not.

Good luck.

 

[Lisa in Katy]

I actually follow the thinking of balance alcohol with high Vitamin K foods! I drink every now and then and usually only a wine cooler, but occasionally I will have 2 or more real drinks when out with friends. The next day I always make sure to have a large salad with blue cheese or ranch dressing. Whether or not it makes a difference, my INR has been stable with few exceptions for several years.

Magic, I'm not sure what a stone is, but I would much rather weigh 10 stone than 145 pounds! It just sounds better. Kg are better too. Why do we Americans insist on making ourselves sound fatter?

 

[aussigal]

I like to treat myself to a nice bottle of red wine every few weeks...takes me about 4 nights to empty the bottle..I take 5.5mg warfarin daily and a nice glass of red or two has never made any difference...nor has a shot of Bourbon either now that I think of it!

 

[Ross]

Magic8ball, if Moo was still around, he'd fully agree with you. Don't know whatever happened to him. Maybe it was us harping on him about his alchohol intake, but he took it to the extremes, nearly case drinking. He claimed it didn't affect his INR at all, but someone drinking that much (He was YOUNG) he'll certainly run into trouble at some point.

 

[ctyguy]

I knocked back three big 22oz beers watching the Giants getting stomped yesterday. I go for an INR check on Wed, I will post my results but I have found the I can have several beers without issue as long as Im not doing it day after day. Over the holidays I put away about 12 pack over a Fri & Sat night (two different parties) and I can say that on Sunday I was feeling it. Prior to surgery that wouldn't have been the case but I do think Coumadin played a role in how I felt.

 

[khamis73]

what i'm sure about drink is higher INR this is what is happening with me

 

[Ross]

what i'm sure about drink is higher INR this is what is happening with me

See, this is the screwy thing. For some, higher INR's, some lower and some no effect. You just don't know and everyone is individually different, hence the general warning to not use alcohol or do so only in moderation.

 

[Woodbutcher]

I didn't realise that alcohol could lower your inr ? How confusing, I thought it just raised it !?
Back to the drawing board with my Rum n' cranberry cocktails then is it ?

 

[Karlynn]

I don't understand the "lower" either. I understand the "higher" in that alcohol can dehydrate you. When you're dehydrated the concentration of warfarin in your blood will be higher - so the INR goes higher.

 

[Ross]

I don't understand the "lower" either. I understand the "higher" in that alcohol can dehydrate you. When you're dehydrated the concentration of warfarin in your blood will be higher - so the INR goes higher.

It's been reported both ways according to Al. None the less, it's just a wise idea to keep it moderate or even stay away from it. Basically it comes down to your playing with a snake that may bite you one day. I'm just as guilty as many of you are, so I have no room to talk, but that's the truth of matter.

 

[Kvntoday]

Warfarin and Alcohol

Warfarin and Alcohol

Well I don't know ? I think that a few drinks at night (Sometimes 3 glasses of wine or 3 stubbie's) does not do any harm and sure sometimes the INR can vary a bit like going from 2.1 to 3.1 but as soon as you alter your dose it comes right .
Let's face it , life is short so just everything in moderation and I think my diet is just as important but everbody is different ...

Kevin

P.S .The Boffin's say a small regular amout of alcohol is good for you ???

 

[Ross]

Well I don't know ? I think that a few drinks at night (Sometimes 3 glasses of wine or 3 stubbie's) does not do any harm and sure sometimes the INR can vary a bit like going from 2.1 to 3.1 but as soon as you alter your dose it comes right .
Let's face it , life is short so just everything in moderation and I think my diet is just as important but everbody is different ...

Kevin

P.S .The Boffin's say a small regular amout of alcohol is good for you ???

I concur, but everyone needs to realize what they're doing. No one can say they weren't warned.

 

[sue943]

Magic, I'm not sure what a stone is, but I would much rather weigh 10 stone than 145 pounds! It just sounds better. Kg are better too. Why do we Americans insist on making ourselves sound fatter?

I am sure you would rather be 10 stone rather than 145 pounds, you would be five pounds lighter.

 

[mattwisconsin]

I have actually had problems with nonalcoholic beer throwing my INR off. From my experience I would say that staying away is by far the best thing you can do. I know that this is not what you want to hear, but has been my experience.

 

[woodworker5280]

well folks, after 69 days without a drop of alcohol, i had a couple beers last night with a friend of mine (actually the same friend with whom i had my last drinks before surgery). I kept it low-key for my first time drinking again, just a couple drinks here at my place, and everything went fine. Obviously I have no idea if it affected my INR (i really doubt it, from what i've read), but physically I feel fine. To be honest I dont think I'll be drinking too much from now on, but it's nice to know I dont have to freak out about having a couple drinks when I'm out at a show or something.

Thanks for all the input/advice/suggestions, it made me feel a lot better about the prospects of a normal life on Coumadin.

peace
aaron

 

[Magic8Ball]

Magic8ball, if Moo was still around, he'd fully agree with you. Don't know whatever happened to him. Maybe it was us harping on him about his alchohol intake, but he took it to the extremes, nearly case drinking. He claimed it didn't affect his INR at all, but someone drinking that much (He was YOUNG) he'll certainly run into trouble at some point.

I don't want to come across as an alcohol advocate, as i hope i make clear, moderation is the key & moderation is different for everyone. I would never drink a case of beer, nor do i drink spirits other than the odd one once in a blue moon. It's lite beer and wine for me in what i consider is moderation for my frame/motabilism.

As an example I've just been away for a camping trip with the family for nine days, each day i'd probably have 4 lite beers minimum, some days i'd have 4 glasses of wine, some days i'd push the boat out and have a couple of lite beers and 4 glasses of wine.

I was never drunk, tipsy or even remotely merry....

I tested my blood at the end of the holiday, 2.6. I've no doubt it rose a point or two from time to time but it always does.

I fully agree that alcohol abuse is a dumb thing to do when on warfarin and it's something i would never do....i would also not disappear off this site purely for having a difference of opinion with anyone...i welcome open discussion on the issue and would happily stop drinking if the background evidence was there to show it was definately a stupid idea.

But i keep having liver function tests and all is ok, my INR is always ok, i have no stomach problems of any kind & i have no interest in being a tea totaller just on the off chance it could possibly tack a few more years onto the end of my life.

I guess in short i agree with the theme which is everything in moderation, i just don't think moderation is a uniform number of drinks for everyone.

I hope this doesn't come off as some sort of reaction, more a clarification of my standpoint and an agreement with the majority view.

Regards.

 

[Ross]

I don't want to come across as an alcohol advocate, as i hope i make clear, moderation is the key & moderation is different for everyone. I would never drink a case of beer, nor do i drink spirits other than the odd one once in a blue moon. It's lite beer and wine for me in what i consider is moderation for my frame/motabilism.

As an example I've just been away for a camping trip with the family for nine days, each day i'd probably have 4 lite beers minimum, some days i'd have 4 glasses of wine, some days i'd push the boat out and have a couple of lite beers and 4 glasses of wine.

I was never drunk, tipsy or even remotely merry....

I tested my blood at the end of the holiday, 2.6. I've no doubt it rose a point or two from time to time but it always does.

I fully agree that alcohol abuse is a dumb thing to do when on warfarin and it's something i would never do....i would also not disappear off this site purely for having a difference of opinion with anyone...i welcome open discussion on the issue and would happily stop drinking if the background evidence was there to show it was definately a stupid idea.

But i keep having liver function tests and all is ok, my INR is always ok, i have no stomach problems of any kind & i have no interest in being a tea totaller just on the off chance it could possibly tack a few more years onto the end of my life.

I guess in short i agree with the theme which is everything in moderation, i just don't think moderation is a uniform number of drinks for everyone.

I hope this doesn't come off as some sort of reaction, more a clarification of my standpoint and an agreement with the majority view.

Regards.

Not at all. We just want to be sure were as clear as NACITS Summer day about alcohol use in general.