Svt And alcohol Adviced

Moderation in all things is the key to healthy living

by Gemita - 2023-05-05 05:41:23

Cadaverock, your “specialist of electric” (Electrophysiologist) is indeed a wise and patient man. 

For arrhythmia sufferers, alcohol (and caffeine) can be triggers for palpitations especially if we drink too much of either.  Moderation in all things is the key to healthy living and therefore getting drunk may lead to serious health conditions, more serious than experiencing runs of SVT that last for a few seconds, 2-3 times a month. 

Excessive alcohol could trigger longer episodes of a tachy arrhythmia like your SVT, episodes that could be more difficult to stop and these could well see you end up in ER with symptoms like breathlessness, chest pain, weakness/instability, spells of syncope.  Ask yourself, how many Emergency departments are filled with binge drinkers regularly, and you will understand that your doctor is not trying to scare you or to tell you anything you don’t already know.  Drink to excess with an arrhythmia and you can expect to need emergency support at some stage in your life. 

Why?  Because very high levels of alcohol in the body can shut down critical areas of the brain that control breathing, heart rate, and body temperature.  Excessive alcohol can also adversely affect our heart’s electrical system by slowing conduction and triggering cardiac arrhythmias, like for example SVT.  You might like to read the link below on the effects of alcohol on your heart?

Personally I cannot take alcohol or coffee without experiencing tachycardia so I have learnt to live without either.  If coffee or beer appear to trigger your arrhythmia, then perhaps you could try to cut back on both of these to see whether your SVT stops?  Alternatively, just follow your Electrophysiologist's advice to stay safe.

https://www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/medical/effects-of-alcohol-on-your-heart

SVT triggers.

by Selwyn - 2023-05-05 11:58:14

Smoking 

Alcohol

Caffeine

Tiredness /excessive exercise

Anxiety/ stress

Some medications eg. decongestants.

The effect of the above is an individual thing. If you must drink alcohol, it is best to gradually build up and see what amount is without problems.  Just have in mind the safe limit for weekly drinking- this is based on looking at amount v. illness induced. There is non-alcohol beer.

It is rare for SVTs to kill you. More likely you will have discomfort, palpitations, shortness of breath, inability to exercise. If your coronary arteries are clogged, angina and perhaps a secondary myocardial infarct. 

Alcohol

by AgentX86 - 2023-05-05 13:39:04

If alcohol is triggering your SVTs, who knows what else it's doing?  If you're going to drink, make it one.  If you can't do one (most can't), don't. I speak from experience.

Alcohol

by piglet22 - 2023-05-06 08:27:56

As the others have said, moderate or don't.

Personally, I see a beer or some wine as part of a well-balanced diet and well-being.

If it's something to enjoy and look forward too, rather than it's a must have, it can lift your mood and according to some research, can be beneficial. The beneficial drinks are restricted to red wines and their levels of polyphenols. I like the complex flavours of wines, but would not resort to 0% alcohol wines. The alcohol content is part of the "body" of a wine.

I always have a meal at the same time so there is less need to constantly sip and the food attenuates the alcohol absorption.

If you overstep the mark, you could be in trouble.

From a scientific point of view and with chemistry in the background, it does seem odd to drink a solvent like ethanol. For what it's worth, alcohol is the name of a class of chemicals that all have the characteristic hydroxyl (OH) group on them. Ethanol C2H5OH is the only alcohol that can be tolerated by humans. Methanol, Propanol, Butanol etc. are toxic by consumption. I have in my collection of chemicals, some absolute alcohol that is 99.9% pure, or 175% proof. By no way could it be described as drinkable. I use it for sterilising my skin prior to finger pricks for glucose.

Interestingly, cannabis contains substances called cannabiol. They have the OH group so possibly could be classed as alcohols.

Like everything else in life, how you live it is your choice, up to a point, and if you exercise moderation, it may not come to a "stop or else"