Beer and heart condition

Alcohol

by Old male - 2022-07-15 14:35:45

Cadaverock....   You are asking a question about possible reactions or side effects combining alcohol with medications.  I would research the information available with each prescription med you take.  Possibly online source or the pharmacy where you get it.  As you indicate giving up beer 15 years ago, was it just because you received a Pacemaker?  Personally I gave up alcohol 33 years ago and am sure I would not be here to write this comment if I hadn't.

I stopped alcohol because I liked it too much.  The personal and social damage it caused were not worth the buzz I got.  This was 9 years before any of my heart conditions surfaced.  Coffee for me now. 

Toying with trouble

by Lavender - 2022-07-15 18:27:34

A cardiologist once told me that a glass of red wine daily was good for my heart. I wasn't and am not on any medication.  I then asked him about having an occasional margarita, and he said that was okay too. 
 

I think most medications instructions caution about alcohol use.  Dealing with health issues can be enough to drive you to drink- but HOLD ON. Think of other ways to cope!
 

Because of stomach erosions caused by ibuprofen taken in massive doses as directed by a cardiologist to combat pericarditis-I quit any alcohol about four years ago, also quit coffee-😫, tomatoes and chocolate 😫😤😩!

Stomach is all healed but I stayed with the advice to skip those things. I have been known to sniff freshly brewed coffee though. Lol I miss it more than alcohol. Yes I CONFESS!! I love chocolate and coffee!!! But NO not enough to die or be in pain for that love. 
 

A little tale of a rebel like you who argued with his docs, did as he damn well pleased and continued drinking multiple beers daily-my little brother. My brother had heart issues and along with structural plumbing issues, he had electrical issues. He got a pacemaker and was told to stop drinking so much. He said he wanted to enjoy his life. He did as he pleased inspite of doctors' advice. 
 

He perished a few years ago at the age of 60 following valiant efforts to save his life with a pig valve. The surgery was a success but the rest of his body was ruined from the drinking. Now a cadaver-as in your name. Might've gotten more miles out of him with less alcohol, less feistiness. His granddaughter still cries missing him. 
 

I read your other posts. You're starting to give me my brother's vibes. Do what you gotta do! If you're in conflict with your doc, they will be happy to have you go elsewhere but don't expect other doctors to sugar coat it. It's their job to tell us what they know in order to help us live longer. I love my brother and I get angry just thinking of how selfish it was to choose alcohol over being there long term for his family. 
 

Cadaver-a part of your name which you do not want to emulate-HOLD ON! Get a grip. 

I drink alcohol in moderation

by LondonAndy - 2022-07-16 06:04:52

So we know you have a pacemaker, though not the reason for it, and that you take Metoprolol - anything else?

Looking up Metoprolol, the leaflet says "Drinking alcohol can increase certain side effects of this medicine". The side effects of Metoprolol are listed as:

Metoprolol may cause serious side effects. Call your doctor at once if you have:

very slow heartbeats;

a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out;

shortness of breath (even with mild exertion), swelling, rapid weight gain; or

cold feeling in your hands and feet.

Common side effects of metoprolol may include:

dizziness;

tired feeling;

depression;

confusion;

memory problems;

nightmares;

trouble sleeping;

diarrhea;

mild itching or rash.

I am on a different beta blocker, plus a ton of other meds, and I drink beer, wine, spirits etc but normally only a glass or two. Why don't you try one beer and see if it causes any problems? If not, you could gently increase it next time and again look for any unwanted reaction?

Individual choice

by TLee - 2022-07-17 13:30:35

There have been discussions here regarding the effects of both caffiene and alcohol, and it seems that everyone is affected differently. For example, I can drink my 2 large cups of morning coffee & be quite happy, but one alcoholic beverage & I can feel not-so-good. This applies to a time when my a-fib was not well controlled--it has been a year or more since I have experienced arrhythmia, but I have not tested my response to alcohol since (why take chances?). I also used to enjoy a nip now & then, but I now know that alcohol can mess with the electrical workings of the heart. I even wonder, had I been a tee-totaler all my life, would I have had the problems that I did? The side effect that I have been feeling from beta blockers is extreme fatigue, and if alcohol were to increase that I don't think I could function! So, for me alcohol is not a good choice, but it is up to each individual--I know some folks here would advise me to give up caffiene. That is not a choice I am willing to make right now, so far be it from me to criticize the choices of others. 

Drunk

by AgentX86 - 2022-07-17 13:34:27

If you're drinking enough to geta buzz on, you're a fool. If you're drinking enough to get drunk, you're a damn fool. Unless you're tired of this life, heart disease is nothing to mess around with. If you are tired of this life, try it without alcohol. If you still don't like life, buy something stronger that alcohol, a lot of it.

If you're looking for permission to be an alcoholic, wrong place.

poison

by Tulp - 2022-07-17 21:58:05

My cardiologist said that alcool is à poison for everyone

If you add à heart condition,it gets only worse...

Alcohol, Arrhythmias, Meds

by Marybird - 2022-07-18 08:49:21

For sure, our results will vary. I take a healthy dose of metoprolol ( 150 mg/day) along with an equally healthy dose of diltiazem ( 360 mg/day) to control my tachyarrythmias, including A-Fib heart rates and sometimes hard to control high blood pressure. I find that caffeine ( as in, a couple cups of coffee/day)  don't seem to aggrevate the tachy/A-Fib or blood pressure, but I'd never risk a caffeine-laden  Red Bull type energy drink or energy supplement ( or one intended to enhance weight loss). These have aggrevated my tachycardia since I was a young woman, to the effect of raising the heart rate-SVT to well over 200. 

I enjoy a glass of wine now and then, but find these days even that amount may result in an A-Fib incident, not immediately, but often a few hours later, or even the nextday ( though if it's that much later it's hard to say what causes the A-Fib). While I am well beyond feeling much in the way of side effects from the metoprolol or diltiazem, it seems even a small,amount of alcohol enhances the possible side effects of the meds and I may feel drowsy, tired or even "loopy", especially if I indulge in a second glass of wine. 

So I don't drink, wine or anything else except for on occasion where it's a celebratory or an "I don't give a hoot, I'm going to indulge anyway" occasion ( that might be a two glass of wine day). It really isn't worth it, so I do it rarely.

I have to agree with Lavender and Agent about the devastating effects of chronic alcohol abuse. Alcoholism has run rampant in my family ( more with my parents and grandparents' generation) and I could point to any number of brilliant, productive lives destroyed by alcohol addiction, not just the alcoholics, but their loved ones as well. That buzz is NOT worth it.