Coffee and alcohol effect

Tea, caffeine, etc

by Persephone - 2021-03-23 20:52:59

Yes, I've had some orange pekoe tea that made me feel like I was going to go through the roof, but not everyone would be affected the same way. I'm personally happier without caffeine at this point in life (60ish) but did enjoy it quite a bit, earlier.  It can be really easy for some of us to go over the line to where it's too much and no longer enjoyable.

Triggers

by AgentX86 - 2021-03-23 22:04:52

There are no universal triggers for arrhythmias.  As noted above, some are "triggered" by caffiene, some aren't.  Caffiene will drive me up the wall.  Only coffee seems to do it though.  One cup and my heart goes nuts.  Before Covid, whomever was refilling the beans in our coffee machine at work slipped caffienated coffee in the decaf bin.  One cup and my heart felt like it was trying to go walkabout.  Caffienated soft drinks don't cause me any grief unless I drink a lot.

Neither is good for anyone with heart conditions and arrhythmias in particular.  A little is better than a lot but they're finding that there is no "safe" limit.  On the other hand, they tell us that everything is bad for us.  Moderation is the key to health and sanity.  Humans are about more than kale.

One is Ok, one is a disaster

by TLee - 2021-03-24 11:24:28

For me, having my two cups of coffee in the morning does not affect my arrhythmia. That may be because I used to drink coffee all day long, so I actually have cut back. Alcohol, though, is another story. One glass & it's off to the races--heart racing & fluttering, and it will keep it up all night, so the next day I am exhausted. So many craft beers left untasted...oh well!

Same as everyone else has said

by asully - 2021-03-24 13:27:19

Alcohol and caffeine both can trigger arrhythmias or cause a current one to get worse, even in healthy people.  Personally I have had trouble with both, so I do not drink alcohol and I have massively reduced (although I really need to eliminate) caffeine.

Coffee

by AgentX86 - 2021-03-24 17:33:28

As much as it anathema to many, a good decaf coffee isn't all bad.  I drink a 30oz. mug, or two, every morning.

Coffee

by Marybird - 2021-03-25 06:10:51

Coffee doesn't seem to affect my arrhythmias so much, at least I can get away with drinking a couple mugs worth in the AM. Add anything else that contributes more caffeine, as in, some chocolate, this seems to tip things off the edge sometimes and then I"m "off to the races"-  I like that expression.

Alcohol, I have to limit myself to one 4 oz glass of wine, making sure it's on a good day, or I will regret it. I also think the meds I take enhance the " loopy" feeling I get from even just a small amount of alcohol, so all in all, it just doesn't seem worth it. 

Cold and sinus medications, forget it. 

caffeine

by Tracey_E - 2021-03-25 09:51:09

I've found that all caffeine is not created equal, and it has a cumulative effect for me. One coffee here and there is fine. When I was doing one a day, I had more incidents of racing. When I was up to two a day, my resting rate never went down. Now I'm back to less than one a week. Oh, how I miss coffee!

Green tea and most black teas don't bother me at all, as long as I stop at one. 

Alcohol doesn't bother me at all but my mom can take one sip of mine and be in afib. 

Everyone is different but I would not agree with coffee causing problems every single time if it's going to cause problems. For me, if I'm dehydrated or have it on an empty stomach, it's worse.  Some coffees have more caffeine than others. Espresso has less caffeine than coffee. Nitro cold brew is insanely high. Yes, I've spent a lot of time thinking about this lol, I reallyreallyreally love coffee but coffee does not love me back. Check out this website for caffeine levels in different drinks

https://cspinet.org/eating-healthy/ingredients-of-concern/caffeine-chart

caffeine

by AgentX86 - 2021-03-25 16:23:46

That list is interesting. A lot of surprises in there but also good explanations. The switched coffee (caffeinated for decaf) was Starbucks Pike Place (310 mg), drove me up the wall, where it takes a boatload if diet Coke (46mg) to even feel. Chocolate and all the snack stuff is down in the dirt, comparatively. (Dark) Chocolate is high in magnesium and low in caffeine, so have at it. Ignore those silly calorie things.