Does Alcohol Put You At Risk for Atrial Fibrillation?

I am a 64 year old male who was athletic my whole life. I went into A Fib before a colonoscopy procedure and after the prep the night before. I suspect the Fleets laxative caused it. I was in  A Fib and needed to be cardioverted to get out. Lasted for 7 years. It reoccured and I needed to be cardioverted 4 more times withn a year and half. I was then having problems with fatigue and accelerated heartbeat. The whole time I was taking different meds to try to control it. My cardiologist told me I was a candidate for ablation which was a shock because he had told me a year earlier that ablation needed to be refined.

I had the ablation procedure done and even though I was on the table for 8 hours it was succesful. I will be in rythm with no signs of A Fib for 1 year in July. I have heard of some others having a reoccurance but hears hoping.

Oh, I almost forgot  3 months later I went in for a checkup and told them I had heartburn whenever I exerted myself. 2 stents later I feel I am very lucky.

If anyone has not seen "Forks over knives" make it a priority. It's on Netflix and for heart patients it will be a game changer.

Hi Guys

I am a fit and healthy 32 year who has been suffering from high blood pressure since i was 24 and now struggling with Afib since christmas. The Afib was triggered by alchohol but i am not a big drinker and i save myself for special occassions. I am obviously very concerned and i am due to be cardiverted in March 2012.

I am big into my sport especially cycling and i do enjoy the occassional drink with friends and it is an important part of staying in touch with friends and my social life.

I am concerned that i will not be the same person ever again especially when it comes to sport, exercise and being able to have fun with friends over a drink.

Once you have had Afib once is this a clear sign of a weak heart or is it a one off?

I dont want spend the rest of my life worried i am going to die every time i have more than one drink.

I am very scared and i just want to be normal.

I'm a 67 year old man, about 225 pounds, 5'-10", have been athletic most of my life. Last year or so not so much. I have a blood pressure problem, or did and started taking Lisinopril, 20 mg, which mitigated the BP problem effectively. I've experimented with reduced doses and am cutting the tablets into ~ 5mg doses and the BP is still withing reason. I'm a long time blood dona-tor ( 8 gallons now) and my vitals are always good. I take a low dose aspirin every day as a precaution and suspend all medication when giving blood obviously. I used to be a heavy drinker and have moderated my consumption somewhat lately. Non-smoker life long. The past year or perhaps year and a half I developed a fibrillation problem where my heart flutters usually briefly but occasionally for a period of a few seconds. Normally I get a momentary skip and all's well but I have increasing incidents where the longer events occur. Up until I reduced alcohol consumption, for half the night in bed my heart would race, beating much faster than usual. My usual beat is between 48-54 per minute at rest. I'm an outdoors person and go to remote locations frequently. I'm still working also and that requires some remote travel as well. What should be considered to mitigate my risk?

I have had chronic Afib for at least 5 years. Before that I had an episode and had a cardioversion which lasted for 2 years.Now my doctors tell me just to stay on Warfarin for the prevention of clots and get my INR done every 2 weeks am 79 years old, and had two blocked arteries. This happened after I went into the chronic AFib . My heart rhythm is constantly irregular . I have low blood pressure and apart from arthritis I feel pretty good and am active. Anybody else with chronic AFIB?

64 year old male. Drank 1-2 drinks per day, more on weekends. Get stressed out.
Wake up once or twice every night. Diagnosed with afib couple of months ago. Under went successful cardioversion. No alcohol or caffein in the 2 weeks since cardioversion, have tried to manage stress better, and I still seem to be in sinus rhythm. I would like to get back to at least having the occasional drink, but my cardiologist won't hear of it. Thinking of getting a second opinion. Priorities are to stay in sinus rhythm, get off coumadin, and maybe get back to drinking but much more moderately.
Appreciate the website.

First, let me say what a great site this is. I have found more information here than I have been able to elicit from Dr's. It always frustrated me that everything was so vague about this condition but it seems that research is ongoing and it is, as Seinfeld says " a riddle wrapped in a coundrum". My first episode took me by surprise after a full on morning working in the sun and after mowing the lawn. I went to A&E and overnight in ICU and then went through the usual stuff most others have written about. First I was told I had AF then next episode I was told it wasn't AF originally but A/Flutter then eventually when I saw the Cardiologist he told me I had BOTH!
What I would specifically like to know is:

1. After being diagnosed with both, is it both every time or is it AF only?

2. I have had 6 episodes in 6 months but they are getting further apart the longer it goes. Do I have AF, A/Flutter for life or is it possible to modify your lifestyle to prevent further attacks, thus avoiding an ablation.

From what I can self diagnose my findings are similar to most of the other comments, stress and Alcohol/dehydration. I had a stressful job and I used to come home from work and pop a bottle of red practically every night, not necessarily drinking it all, but it became a habit. I believe (all self diagnosed and no advise from medical prpoffession) it became a cumulative process and I was a time bomb waiting to go off. I have since retired and cut down my alcohol intake to a max af two standard drinks a day but often 3 or 4 alcohol free days a week. I feel terrific for it and not having any stress I don't feel the need to drink as I used to. I'm now on half a metoprolol twice daily but I sleep like a baby however I still have the same lingering doubts and anxious moments descibed in previous letters, it's a horrible feeling but at least I know that other people are in the same frame of mind. When I asked the Cardiologist the Q's above he looked at his feet without commenting. No one ever told me to ward of dehydration by drinking plenty of water, which I do. Will it just go away?? Who knows, and no one seems to. All comments gratefully welcomed. Thanks everyone.

I am 50 years old and was diagnosed in Oct. 2005. I used to be a regular drinker but have stayed away from alcohol and caffeine. I have had 2 ablations and been cardioverted after the first unsuccessful one. The 2nd one has given me good results for about 2 yrs then my mother died 2 months ago. My initial problem was flutter then Afib came on and lasted for a week. I had an Ekg that confirmed afib and am on the new blood thinner Pradaxa 150mg 2x a day and was waiting for a blood test in 10 days then was to have a TIA and then be cardioverted. However I woke up with a normal pulse today. I did start drinking again after 4 years but have not had any in over a month. I work outside in the heat and exercise bike riding over 30 miles weekly. I lost 70 lbs and have maintained the lost for 2 yrs. I do suspect dehydration as a serious trigger and need to watch it more closely. I have sleep apnea and have been on Toprol and was on Flecanide and will probably be put back on it. My episodes usually stay under 115 bpm and while in afib had good blood pressure. Maybe my exercise has made my heart stronger I would like to think so. I must resolve to live my life try to not sweat the small stuff it is not possible to be totally stress free but we all can choose how we deal with it. I TRY TO COUNT WHATEVER BLESSINGS I HAVE AND THANK GOD FOR THEM AND EVERY DAY?

Have had cardio version three times all last about 8months. I am 57 year old male, have two to three liquor drinks about 5 nights a week. Just went into afib nite before last at 3am. after having 3drinks. dont know whether to go for an ablasion or quit drinking all together and go for cardioversion again. any thoughts would be appreciated.

I am 24 y/o male, in great shape maybe a little underweight, I eat right and am very active. I first experienced afib when I was 23 after a hard 18 hr day of work. I live on a farm and have always worked hard. There is no heartt6 history problems on either side of my family. I played basball for 13 years, basketball and ran track, I have trained for wildfire fighting (3 miles in 40 min with 45lbs on your back) and those never set off my afib. I work at a grain elevator and am on my feet all day moving climbing, pulling, pushing, lifting. I had 5 episodes of afib some I thought may have correlated to alcohol consumption the previous couple days so I stopped the alcohol, still had an episode. I then scheduled my ablation with Dr. Natale. Had ablation done on April 12th was Afib free for 2 months, then went into it on the 2 month night, had to cardiovert me. I am on Multaq I meet with my dr to figure out the next step next week. I just feel so frustrated that I cannot do the things I used to do with out a seconds thought and so is my future wife, its causing problems with us as I restrict my self from alcohol and all our friends want to go out a couple times of week I feel like the dead weight.

I am a 47 year old male. I have sleep apnea but I use a Bi Pap machine every night without fail.
For me it is alcohol. I never drink in excess but it is triggered by alcohol just the same.
I stopped drinking all together January 14, 2011. I went to a polo match in Tennessee and had one mojito (6 ounces) during the match. I drank about 50 ounces of water afterwards and went into Afib that night at 2:30 am.
I always go out of rythm while I am sleeping.
When I go out of rythnm it may only be 150bpm ,but it willnot convert itself and usually jumps up to 250+ bpm and I can hardly stand without falling over. My blood pressure drops to 68/40 and I feel like I am dying.
I am going thru stress testing this week and hopfully the die in the heart procedure to rule out blockage. Truthfully; this afib has gotten into my head and I am becoming a bit fearful. I own 3 companies, I am a husband and a father of 3 children, ...this is really humbling. Good luck to all!
Doctors at Vanderbilt do not seem alarmed and really do not seek treatments aggressivily. Is this common? Are the heart doctors all like this?

I am 58 years old and physically fit, riding MTB regularly, training for and riding multi-day events a couple of times a year. On 25th Feb this year I had an afib in the middle of the night and had to be de-fribullated in ICU. All the tests - ultrasound scan, angiogram, thyroid etc - showed a strong heart with no problems. The cardiologist wanted to find out what could have triggered it. Was, I under stress, a smoker, coffee addict, or drinker? No, no, no and yes. I am not normally a big drinker, typically sharing a bottle of wine in the evenings and drinking socially at weekends. I just happened to have had a week of a U2 rock concert celebrations and impromptu parties - 5 out of 7 nights on the trot, the last one a serious binge.

But, Mellanie, I think out of all the posts you are the only one that has hit it on the head. It's dehydration coupled with alcohol. The one thing I did not do despite healthy eating and an active lifestyle was drink enough water. In particular when partying I drank none. Big wake-up call!

I took Walfarin for a month and have not had another event. And believe me I have tested my body with a couple of good razzles. I have been training even harder. BUT, I drink water all day, with my wine, lots before I go to bed and again in the morning. I watch my hydration on a ride carefully. Even then I have noticed that drinks the night before a ride result in a higher than normal average heart rate the next morning, so there is definately an effect on the heart that should not be tempted (especially if you are a white male over 50!)
The only aftermath is that I seem to be continuously aware of my heart rate when resting - wish I could get over it.

So my formula, unless you are seriously genetically pre-disposed, is enjoy alcoholic beverages if you wish but in moderation with lots of water thrown in. And if you have a big party no exertion the next day. Let's see how we go.

hope some one can help me out. i ended up in the hospital a few months ago and i had been drinking a little taht night and they said it was loner a fib. i have my prom coming up and i really need to know if drinkning alchohol will set it off again i hate not being able to drink its very boring. i hope someone can answer my question

PS In case you guys are wondering, I am normal weight and exercise frequently. I don't smoke or do drugs. I eat pretty healthy too. I have some problems waking up in tachycardia sometimes with A fib. I do have insomnia. I know that I like to carefully read about the specifics involved with other people who have this. Thank you for all of you who shared here, it helps to not feel alone. It gets frustrating sometimes.

I first had A-fib at age 16. I was on rythmol for years, and then had a catheter ablation last July. Although it is better, I am having A-fib again. I read the electrophysiology report of the surgery, and they did 33 spot ablations in my heart. 30 minutes later, there were no detectable electrical abnormalities in my heart. I am currently on 240mg a day diltiazem. I am 38 years old. My doctor wants to re-do the ablation, but I am not sure. My A-fib is made worse by asthma but is otherwise just random. I did not drink alcohol for over 4 years, and still had A-fib frequently. It seems to me that it is just something I have. I went to the ER tonight. I did drink about 3 drinks in 4 hours this evening and that is very unusual for me. Maybe there is a connection. I went back into sinus rhythm without being cardioverted electrically, so I am pretty happy. I don't think I will drink again though. I am pretty scared of anything that can make it worse. I am willing to err on the side of caution, but I am not convinced that anything triggers it. It just seems to happen when it wants to.

I am 53. Diagnosed with afib( heart rate 252) after the Super Bowl Last year. (drinking involved).
Had a cardiac catheter - the over/under on blockages was 3. Results were minimal to none. Was given lopressor to take 2 times a day. I took once a day not to interfere with drinking. Every thing was ok til about Sept. Heart rate was 135 one morning went to er, this time they say it was the cousin- a flitter. Meds did not lower hear rate; had a cardio version. Everything was good for about 3 mos. Starting having spells with no drinking to little.
Bottom line... Factors are age, weight, sleep apnea, ( I control w/ cpap), and drinking . Do not drink, take meds, and get a good nights sleep.
Will see cardiologist tomorrow.

I had my first bout of A-fib about 15 yr ago during a particularly stressful meeting I was conducting and during which I was drinking a lot of coffee and using a OTC asthma inhaler. I went to the emergency room and after 24 hr I was OK without treatment. I stopped drinking regular coffee and remained free of A-fib for years until 5 or 6 yr ago when it started to become more frequent resulting in hospitalization and chemical conversions and also CV electrically a couple of times. I associated some attacks with cumulative alcohol consumption over a period of days - not excessive, but several social gatherings with family - so I stopped drinking vodka. This seemed to work for a long time, but then I found that wine seemed to be a factor. My cardiologist dismissed my conclusions. Anyway, he put me on Multaq 2X400mg/day several months ago and since then I've only had one very brief A-fib incident. He's more concerned about my resting HR which at times is 38, than he is about A-fib and says I may have to have a pacemaker in the future. I do take a whole aspirin/day, by the way, because the main risk from A-fib is blood clot formation.
I am 70, cycle 100-150 miles/week and my heart is in good shape. My resting HR is 42 and my max was about 162 before Multaq, but now it seems to have dropped to about 147 during bike sprints.
I am back on the occasional vodka, have a glass or two of wine or beer most days and feel great.

I'm eighty-four, and have had atrial fibrillation since I was forty-eight. And how have I lasted for long - no alcohol! Losing alcohol is a much better option than losing your life. I don't drink it, but why not try non-alcoholic beer if you really like to guzzle? My best to all of you!

How Alcohol affects your heart?

Alcohol is a serious threat as far as the heart is concerned, especially it's consumption in excessive quantities. If you are a chronic alcoholic you should be beware of Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy. It is a condition that is predominantly seen in middle aged men in the age group of 35-55 years and also in cases involving habitual alcohol abuse in short time intervals. Alcoholic Cardiomyopathy is a condition resulting from the ineffective pumping action of the heart due to decreased muscle strength.

http://www.heart-consult.com/articles/31/how-alcohol-affects-your-heart

I had my first a-fib episode in June of 2007 after running to my car in the rain after work late one nite. I felt the increase in my heart rate right away. I drove home initially thinking that it would reset itself. After a few hours i decided to go to the emergency room.They tried to convert me with medicine and were unsucessful. I was then sedated and they shocked me back to my normal heart beat. Im 48 years old, used to run 50 miles a week when i was younger, so im in good shape. I had all the tests done and they showed that I am in great shape. They recommended no medicine and diagnosed this as lone atrial fib. They said to watch alcohol, coffee and all that even though they were not contributing factors. March of 2010 I woke up from sleep at 3am in atrial fib again, almost 3 years later. I was converted with medicine this time. The doctors can't always determine what causes this to happen. My cardiologist said to live my life, and if it happens again come back and get converted. My episodes are not as frequent as others are. I think as in most things in life, it is an individual thing! Good luck to you all who have this occuring, it can be scary but just get converted as quick as you can to avoid other problems.

I'm a 41 year old male. Experienced an A-fib for the first time last Sunday. I don't smoke, am of average weight, go for walks daily and used to drink alot of coffee and energy drinks as of 6 months ago. I do tend to have high blood pressure, and take a low dose med for that. The doc says that I could control the BP by lifestyle change(i.e.-less sodium, caffein, alcohol and stress). I drink more tea now and occasionally some coffee. Friday night however, before my episode, I had gone out for sushi with friends and had partaken of way too much sushi(and alot of soy sauce with it), as well as copious amounts of saki and beer. Needless to say, on Saturday I was a hungover vegetable. On Sunday I woke up feeling really great. The wife and I had a nice big breakfast and a couple strong cups of coffee. Later that evening at 5 o'clock I put on my sweats and running shoes to go for my usual evening walk(about 2 miles). Before leaving I went to the refrigerator and chugged down half a bottle of cold vitamin water, almost in one gulp. About 20 seconds later, I felt light-headed. I felt my pulse..racing and erratic. I sat down for about 20 min. thinking it wil subside. it didn't. Wife took me to ER, they did an ekg and said my heart was in A-Fib. Sat in the ER bed for an hour and a half, after which time my heart recovered on its own back to normal. I'm wondering if having abused some alcohol 2 days prior, coffee that morning and guzzling very cold water could have brought this on? Coincidentally, my brother, some years ago had it happen to him IMMEDIATELY after he guzzled half a 7-eleven slurpee coming back from the gym. I hope this doesn't happen again, it was pretty scary. Anyone with thoughts on this? It was pretty scary! P.S.-I also have decided that no more than one glass of wine with dinner(on weekends) with the wife is the limit from here on out!

I'm a 41 year old male. Had an A-fib for the first time last Sunday. I don't smoke, am of average weight, go for walks daily and used to drink alot of coffee and energy drinks as of 6 months ago. I do tend to have high blood pressure, and take a low dose med for that. The doc says that I could control the BP by lifestyle change(i.e.-less sodium, caffein, alcohol and stress). I drink more tea now and occasionally some coffee. Friday night however, before my episode, I had gone out for sushi with friends and had partaken of way too much sushi(and alot of soy sauce with it), as well as copious amounts of saki and beer. Needless to say, on Saturday I was a hungover vegetable. On Sunday I woke up feeling really great. The wife and I had a nice big breakfast and a couple strong cups of coffee. Later that evening at 5 o'clock I put on my sweats and running shoes to go for my usual evening walk(about 2 miles). Before leaving I went to the refrigerator and chugged down half a bottle of cold vitamin water, almost in one gulp. About 20 seconds later, I felt light-headed. I felt my pulse..racing and erratic. I sat down for about 20 min. thinking it wil subside. it didn't. Wife took me to ER, they did an ekg and said my heart was in A-Fib. Sat in the ER bed for an hour and a half, after which time my heart recovered on its own back to normal. I'm wondering if having abused some alcohol 2 days prior, coffee that morning and guzzling very cold water could have brought this on? Coincidentally, my brother, some years ago had it happen to him IMMEDIATELY after he guzzled half a 7-eleven slurpee coming back from the gym. Anyone with thoughts on this? Appreciate it, I hope this doesn't happen again, it was pretty scary. P.S.-I also have decided that no more than one glass of wine with dinner(on weekends) with the wife is the limit from here on out!

I am 28 years old. I started having problems when I was still 27, about 6-8 months ago. I could not pin point anything that was triggering the episodes at first. I thought they were anxiety attacks. I would have them at any time. Prior to all this I had a whole lot happen in my life in a short amount of time. I got married, bought a house, and had a baby all in the same year. My younger brother was hit by a car and was killed also in the same year. I thought that maybe the anxiety attacks were brought on by all the stress and depression........and they probably did bring it on, only it isn't just anxiety attacks that I am dealing with.............it is also A-fib.

I recently went to the ER for the second time and THIS time they told me that my heart rate was in excess of 170bpm and that I was in A-fib. They did not treat me with any medicine and I went in and out of A-fib on my own while I was there for a couple of hours. What caused this episode? Not sure, but I can tell you that the night before I had had a lot of alcohol, as I had before my first trip to the ER months ago. I am not an expert by any means, however, I do think that I have been feeling better since I have tried to eliminate stress, tobacco, alcohol, and caffeine from my life. I tested the waters with the alcohol after being sober for 3-4 months and it landed me in the ER the next day. I am also taking Atenolol as perscribed by my cardiologist.

I wish I had some comforting advice for everyone but I am very concerned that this is a hard nut to crack. I feel that a great deal of us are too young to be having these problems and think that it all starts with stress. That's what I am going to set my sights on now is eliminating that from my life. Good luck to all of you! Makes me feel better that I am not alone!

Had my 1st experience with afib about a week before christmas 2010. I worked all day with an irregular heartrate and beat. When I went to the ER to find out what was wrong they said my heart was in afib and it was beating irregular at about 190bpm. I was scared out of my mind I have never been in the hospital. They put me on a cartizem drip all night and my heart converted on its own the next night. I am now on cartizem three times a day and have not had any other episodes of afib other than an occasinal flutter. I am scared that I am going to have a heart attack anytime now. I cant shake the feeling. I went to regular doctor and she did ekg said it looked ok but not great and heart rate was a littel high 96bpm but could be from me being so scared that I am going to drop dead. She is refering me to a cardioligist but In the mean time I don't know what to do I cant get rid of this feeling that I am just gonna flat line and die any mintue. I think it is causing me more stress and some chest discomfort. I am 32 years old and a little overweight but not obese. I do smoke about a pack of smokes every other day. When I first got the afib I had drank about 6 beers the night before. I have not drank since. I am just looking for some advise. I don't want to have a heart attack.

I had my first A-fib January of 2006 at 49. My cardiologist new what it was and tried to treat it with medication. That worked for a while. In the spring of 2008 they became more frequent. Then the heart rate started to get real crazy fast not just irregular. I moved to St. Louis in July 2008 and found a cardiologist and he diagnosed A-flutter along with the A-fib. He sent me to an electrophysiologist. He did an ablation for the A-flutter later that month and that took care of it. Then in November he did an ablation for the A-fib. That worked for a while then it started back and became more frequent. I exercise alot...do 5k runs, ride bikes weekly up to 40 miles, played senior league baseball. Not overweight and watch what eat. I do not drink coffe or caffine sodas. The episodes got to be daily a for longer periods. They were usually in the evening after I ate. I did drink beer daily usually 3-4 and more on the weekend. I just had another ablation 4 weeks ago. This time I am going the no alcohol route. So far all is good. In my opinion find a good EP that is the key.

Susan,

If you're asking if you should stop the coffee and alcohol, then you probably should, especially since you seem to think that could be the trigger this time. It's worth trying. Some people find that organic coffee works just fine for them, leading them to believe that they are triggered by pesticides rather than caffeine. Good luck.

Mellanie

Just had my first episode of A, Fib on xmas night. I have been treated for over 20 years for irregular heart beats PVC,s, but never AF. I was on Atenenol then Toprol, xmas night my heart rate was 187 and irregular, I went to emergency room and they gave me a shot of some drug, I'm not sure what, it didn't work they gave me another and then an iv and admitted me to hospital. It was all pretty scary, they are telling me I should see a specialist for a Cardiac Ablation. Most people here seem to have more experience with this then me. Do you think I should look for a medication alternative before this surgical one??? I did have a couple of drinks early in the day on xmas, I did drink coffee, and I did have a stressful call from a tenant just before I went to bed and that is when the AF started. If I had to guess I would say it was the stress that did it, but not sure. Should I stop all coffee and alcohol????
Any input would be appreciated!!!

I am 55 and had a first episode after being sick. ie dry retching.

Over the years I now get it once or twice a year. It is unpredictable, but triggers seem to include monosodium glutamate in (Chinese food) and alcohol.

I am diabetic and have used insulin for over 40 years. I know that insulin therapy is supposed to leech the Magnesuim out of the body. It is a salt like sodium chloride - so it can't be retained in the body. Alcohol is known to leech the Mg out of the body also.

So I think depleted levels of Mg may be a trigger. Also depleted Potassium??

I am going to maximuse my Mg and K dosages from now on to see if it works.

I am 59 male in great shape! I can walk uphill all day and I don't get out of breath, I have had 2 Echos' ,Stress tests, about every heart test, I can talk my doctors into? Nothing except a thyroid TSH that is 7.95 ( Normal is between .88 - 4.20) That means I have a low thyroid output. I am taking Synthroid, warfarin, and Metopraolol.
At night when I lay down, if I lay on my back or either side, I go into Afib.
If my wife lays down next to me and rests on my arm and shoulder, I go into afib.
I have speep apnea, and wear a Cpap mask.
Early AM when I awaken, I seem to be able to lay in any direction, and I don't get Afib, unless I lay to long.
I don't know who my real family is and so I know nothing of my health from them.
My first episodes seem to always start on holidays, after a large meal.
I narrowed some of it down to foods that contain Tyramines. I am not on Maoi drugs?
The mini Maze procedure looks like one option, but I really dislike taking drugs and The thought of heart surgery is not too pleasant either.

I am 30yr old athletic female have had multiple episodes - cardiologist want to do an ablation currently on meds to keep in sync. Unsure the best route as being this is a permanent situation I don't want to take drugs forever. Any suggestions from other fibbers?

I'm a twenty three year old male, and have been dealing with afib episodes since I was 16. Usually every few months I'll wake up with the afib (such as today) or it will start randomly during the day. There seems to be no underlying cause, my life is no more stressful today than any before, I didn't drink any coffee, and I haven't had any alcohol in a week or so. I have been to a cardiologist as well as the emergency room numerous times ("resetting" the heart with the cardioversion). I have been assured that my condition is non-threatening but I can't imagine this being healthy for a man my age. I'm healthy and fit, I don't want to die of a heart attack before 30. Any suggestions?

I just had an Afib over the weekend - I'm only 33. My girlfriend made me go to the ER, and they said it was pretty unusal to get one at that age. I think it had to do with drinking a lot over thanksgiving and running harder than normal. I think I will give up drinking - it's just not worth it.

I'm a 51 year old male -- been having a-fib episodes for 8 - 10 years. Flecanide has controlled episodes (mine last 24 - 48 hours) pretty well -- but I have been having more frequent episodes in last year. I have paid close attention to triggers -- and here are my observations: I do see a mild / moderate correlation with alcohol consumption (seems like my episodes are always in the wake of at least some consumption. But they still seem pretty random. I do drink a fair amount of caffeinated drinks (I have cut back -- but need to do moreso)-- but see no direct correlation there. If i had to point to only one factor -- i would go with 'stress'. That combined with times in which my immune system is compromosed at least somewhat (mile hangover, lack of sleep, etc.). My two cents.

I am 78 yrs old. Recently my pulse raced to 140.
I have been a hard working athlete all my life.
Hospital for 2 days and meds brought me back to
normal? My pulse is usually in the mid 50s and
now it happened again. Feeling better for 2 months I went back to drinking two
a night. After playing golf on the way home I felt it again. At home it was 117 to 127. The cardiologist has not given a different med, I slept better but feel like
s- Hoping to beat this A-fib. Two brothers and a sister also battle a-fib.

I was diagnosed with permanent A-Fib last spring (2010) and have gone after it agressively. Since then I have had one cardioversion, and two ablations. The last ablation being at the end of September. It's now mid- November and I am on my first day with a monitor from Life Watch. If all goes well I'll be able to get off of Warfarin by Mid December. I'll still have to take Tikosyn and Caridzem for a year after according to my EP.
I don't drink coffee anymore even though I love the stuff. It makes my heart rate soar! I don't drink alcohol anymore either. I miss it, but even a "near beer" puts my heart into A-Fib within a couple of hours. It's just not worth it.

I had my first A-fib attack, December, 2009. Since then, I have been in the hospital twice. According to my cardiologist, I have not had a heart attack as a result of my A-fib. After my first attack, I had all the tests, with the exception of the Holter. All came back negative. My cardiologist ordered sleep studies. I do have moderate to severe sleep apnea and I have been using C-Pap since. My pills have given me problems, side-affects, and are constantly changing. I agree with several of the previous comments, the doctors seem to want to add pills or change pills. They do not offer any other alternative. I have checked on-line and found that Deaconness Hospital in Cincinnati performs the mini-maze which has been highly successful. I am going to forward all my records to them to see if I am a candidate for the procedure. The hospital my cardiologist is affiliated with is having a seminar in November on the Arterial Clamp procedure, which I have already reserved a spot. I am one that has never taken pills.

I'm 70 and very active. I live in the country on 6 acres and do all the manual labor as my husband has undergone three open heart surgeries. I want to be cured, if possible, so I can travel outside the state. I rarely have any warning before an attack. I know when I am out of rhythm but lately, it has not warranted a trip to the hospital. Unless I get over 100 bpm, the doctor told me no need to go to the ER. I am on warfarin and want off blood thinners.

Thanks to STOP A-FIB, I have been able to educate myself about A-fib. My elder sister also has A-Fib and has for years. I have two younger sisters, neither of whom have A-Fib

I have learned no one takes better care of your health than you do, The patient has to do all the work and the research. I am always primed and loaded with questions when I see my doctors. To date, no one wants to "rock the boat". They say my meds are working.

Thanks to STOP A-FIB.org I have been able to educate myself. I can only hope that my research will lead me to a "cure" or at least, off blood thinners and meds.

I too had A-fib for the first time 15 years ago. I am 55. At the time I thought it was palpitations and unfortunately had a TIA (stroke).....since then I have been cartioiverted at least 5 times and had an ablation 4 years ago. I too am baffled at how this occurs?? I am very symptomatic and feel horrible when in A-fib. I drink but not often, maybe 1 or 2 a month...but when I do I may have 2 cosmos. This last episode I think was a combination. Drinking Iced coffee once a day, stress and fatigue. I got cardioverted and feel much better, but am on eggshells.

Diagnosed 2.5 years ago. Also have sleep apnea, but use C-Pap religiously. Have had difficult time getting it under control. Initially, tried 2 cardioversions...last only a few hours at best. Follow by 2 ablations. First only last a bout a month. Second one last 1 year with Tykosin treatment. Dr said alcohol in moderation wasn't a factor, but I don't buy it. Went off Tykosin good until July 09 had 3-4 drinks two days in a row and bam a-fib. Converted in 8 hours after a 300mg dose of Flecanide. Just went back into A-Fib Wednesday. Wife had major surgery, when I knew she was doing great had dinner and 2 drinks with some friends and I back in A-Fib. Flecanide hasn't worked, so I'm going in to be zapped tomorrow. So, I think the alcohol, stress, and the sleep apnea all may play a roll. There may well be many other individual triggers that may exist.