A Glass of Wine

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Veronica

A quick question for those on Coumaden who enjoy a glass of wine once in a while. When I was released from the hospital back in January and put on Coumadin I was told. Actually I was scared to believe that people on Coumadin should not drink any alcohol at all. This was the same nurse who told me I was to not eat any green veggies at all. So....I am hoping that she was wrong about the alcohol just as she was about the green veggies. Latley I have been craving a glass of wine but I am to afraid to even have a sip. If anyone out there has any info on this subject please share. Thanks......
 
I usually have one glass of wine a week - Sunday evening to relax and send off the weekend.

My work group usually has "beer Fridays" - I only have one beer if any at all. Today I had none. Easy for me, I don't really like beer all that much.
 
I have a glass of wine or beer about 3 times a week.

Consistancy is the key.
 
Veronica:
I very occasionally have a glass of wine or mixed drink. Probably once-twice a month, on weekends.
Had a glass of merlot last night. Three weeks ago I had a martini.
I test on Tuesday night-Wednesday a.m., so like Tom, I'm staying 3 days away from testing.
I haven't noticed any swing in INR.

BTW, I do eat green veggies. Salad every day, with carrot matchsticks, "Easter egg" radishes, peeled cucumbers, lots of tomatoes, diced celery and some lettuce. I put the emphasis on the other veggies and fill in with iceberg. Didn't eat salad yesterday; today's my husband's birthday and we're having ribeyes, asparagus (!), baked potatoes and salad. Dining al fresco at my sister's lake house east of Dallas. :D
 
Hi Veronica

I've come to the conclusion (in my old age) that one should never be deprived of anything, and that moderation is the key to everything.....that has only taken me 57 years to learn.

Tyce, my hubs, had avr almost 2 years ago. He mentioned the wine issue to our cardio who said that he would rather he have one glass of wine every day than 2 or three on a weekend. Sooooo, since that time, Tyce has had one glass of wine with dinner every night----with NO major change in his INR. However, when we go on vacation and his eating isn't right, he definitely does experience a variation. As Mr. Coumadin, Al, will tell you, it's consistency.

We also eat lots of greens, too.....a salad at least 2 times a week, broccoli at least once and other veges. He does stay away from alot of spinach, and who knows what will happen when he has his corned beef and cabbage this week.....the important thing is that we adjust his dosage of coumadin if necessary when we test.

Good luck with your wine.

Evelyn
 
Veronica - I've had several discussions with my cardio about this and read several articles as well. My cardio is a proponent of having up to but not more than two drinks per day and of course wine is probably the healthiest choice of alcoholic drinks. Not to be redundant, but consistancy is really important. Binge drinking can get someone on Coumadin in trouble. Talk to your doc about it if you want his opinion. Consistancy for me means that "a day without wine is like a day without sunshine". Enjoy !! Chris
 
My surgeon and the patient care consultant at the hospital were both adamant that I should pick the lifestyle I want live - consistently, of course- and they would adjust my coumadin dose to fit.

I was a big wine drinker before the surgery and don't want to give it up. So I have red wine virtually every day. I've set a limit for myself (just to insure consistency) of two glasses per day. That's a healthy and do-able limit, and my coumadin dose will eventually adjust to fit.

Same goes for greens. I have the beginning stages of macular degeneration, and my eye doctor wants me on beta carotene supplements and to eat lots of dark leafy greens. I will do that, avoiding binges, and I know that I'll just have to have a larger coumadin dose than I would if I *didn't* eat the greens.

Read the references Ross put up for you, you'll see that life on coumadin is not that limiting and can be managed quite well.
 
Thank you all..............

Thank you all..............

Thank you all so much for your info on the wine subject. I will discuss the wine issue with my dr as well in about two weeks. But.....in the meantime I am off to a winnery in Temecula this morning to buy my favorite wine. I am so looking forward to this. I do get my INR checked this Monday so to be on the safe side I will only have one glass this evening. Thank you all, this has made my day. V
 
Veronica,

All you can get in Temecula is white wine. Don't forget that read wine is better for heart health! :D

You need to make a trip up here to SLO county to get some decent red wine!
 
I discussed drinking alcohol with my doctors after surgery. I had read all of the literature saying that you should avoid alcohol when on Coumadin.
My doctors told me that a lot of it was CYA stuff from the drug companies and that I could continue to drink (preferably red wine) as long as it was in moderation.
Like Bill, I have a couple of glasses of Merlot with dinner most nights and probably have a couple more on weekends.
I try to be as consistent as I can in my lifestyle as far as diet and activity and my INR has been extremely consistent for the past couple of years.

Mark
 
I too discussed drinking alcohol with my cardio and he said it was all in consistancy! He said it would be better I had a couple of lite beers everyday, than to have a few every once in a while!

For those of us on coumadin that would be like binge drinking. So I have 2 Miller Lites every night when I come home with dinner! My coumadin manager wil even tell me to have an extra one if my INR reading tends to get on the low side. :)

Consistency is the Key!
 
I think one have to find your own way with alcohol
and warfarin as each individual is different, with different
metabolization and different ways of reacting.

For me, I react much, much more to spinach, brussel
sprouts and broccoli, then a reasonable amount of wine
INR-wise. But for somebodyelse it might be the total
opposite. So of course the general rules has to apply
for those which are affected the most.

And any doctor will tell you, regardless of if you´re on coumadine
or not, that 2 glasses of wine per day is the limit, which no
doubt is the best for you.

But I´ve been to dinner´s with doctor-friends that laughed at
me when I wanted to go a bit easy on the drink, so I think there
is a double-standard here......

Personally I enjoy red wine a lot and in terms of drinking-
habits I have more or less stopped the harder stuff(like
whiskey, cognac)as I tend to belive this may irritate your
stomach more then something "softer".

But the biggest reason for caution is no doubt that if you´re
under the influence of alcohol, you tend to trip, hit your head
or do somethingelse that may have very dangerous consequences in terms of an bleeding, especially if you´re
a bit drunk, less careful and maybe go to bed with a un-noticed
internal bleeding. This could be bad, so always drink at home,
sitting firmly in your sofa, wearing a helmet.......(ha-ha).

Otherwise, I agree with Raverlaw, it is better to live your
life as you like to and adjust the coumadine to it, it´s of no
use to be a good boy for a short while, better to adjust from
the beginning.

Cheers!


Martin
 
I was an expert witness in a murder trial where the deceased was taking warfarin. The jury believed our contention that the defendant did not hit the deceased nor push him down stairs. He was simply drunk and fell down three steps. He fell into a pile of wood chips so the blow to his head was cushioned. It was more than 48 hours before he felt discomfort in his head and sought medical help. Then he rapidly lost consciousness and died.
 
Can I get one of those helmets with the Vr.com logo?

Al's been on Coumadin since 1990 and has always enjoyed his beer or wine. When he had a stroke, he was worried that his "drinkin" days were over. The neurologist recommended that he have at least one glass of red wine everyday. When we consulted the cardiologist, he said Al could have two a day. He also said that if he had more than two, someone should get him a helmet.

Regards,
Blanche
 
Wait just a minute, Tom:

Do you have one of those with wine bottles installed instead of beer cans?

Or maybe I can just have a PICC line installed and let the red wine drip into my system 24 hours a day. They I will be very consistent, right, Al?
 
With the helmet you can always remember how many "a couple of beers" is.
 
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