I take coumadin. Is it safe to have a beer or 2?

Question

I am taking 7 1/2 mg of coumadin per day. I read that you shouldnt drink while on it somewhere although my doctor has said nothing about this to me. I would love to have a couple beers. Anyone know if its safe????

Answer 1

http://www.warfarinfo.com/alcohol.htm
Here is a site that discusses the issue of alcohol use with coumadin.

Answer 2

no you should stay away from alcohol while taking coumadin.
Alcohol can interact with coumadin through it's metabolism in the liver. Alcohol is degraded by enzymes in the liver. Clotting factors are also made in the liver so coumadin exerts its effect in the liver. Certain clotting factors depend on vitamin K to be produced. Coumadin inhibits vitamin K to cause the blood the be "thinned." When execesive alcohol is consumed, the liver is "preoccupied" with degrading the alcohol and may actually be damaged by the alcohol. When this occurs, the effect of vitamin K is magnified so the blood can be over anticoagulated. It's difficult to say how long this effect lasts since the metabolism of alcohol and coumadin is highly variable in different patients. Also, since alcohol can impair the senses and put patients at a higher risk of falling or having an accident, the risk of bleeding while on coumadin and alcoholo can be increased. Typically, I advise patients taking coumadin to have no more than one drink per day (12 oz. beer, 4 oz. wine, 1 ox. hard liquor) which would be considered "moderate" and should not cause any problems. Certainly, more than 2-3 drinks/day would be considered excessive

Answer 3

it is not safe to drink alcohol while on any type of blood thinner.

alcohol diltues and thins your blood and since you're already on a medication that does the same thing, you run the risk of bleeding to death w/even a minor cut or scratch.

you're taking a fairly high dose of coumadin as well. most people are prescribed only 5mg (some are given up to 10mg).

i would play it safe and stick to non-alcoholic drinks. i read someone mentioned the non-alcoholic beers-this is a great way to get your beer fix while not endangering your health.

Answer 4

Yes, you can a beer or two but no over indulging! If your next coumadin blood test falls close to an episode of drinking and is abnormal, you will know you've had too much and you should tell the person who is adjusting your dosage that you had alcohol.

Answer 5

You really shouldn't. Especially since you're saying you want "a couple" of drinks. That usually means more. (Past experience) The alcohol could cause internal bleeding and the Coumadin will make it virtually impossible to stop the bleeding. Hence, you'd slowly bleed to death. Not very pleasant.

Answer 6

Drinking can effect your liver, you know about alcoholics and cirrhosis or liver disease. Liver disease can naturally effect your body's inability to clot your blood, and your Coumadin also prevents your blood from clotting. You are probably on it to prevent blood clots, right? So, if you truly are only going to have a couple, 1-2, beers and only occasionally, you should be ok. Be careful you don't fall off your barstool, you could have a serious bleeding problem!

Answer 7

Coumadin is a blood thinner, generally used by people who are on dialysis. I don't know how alcohol mixes with it, but usually alcohol and drugs are not compatible. Ask your doctor about it. He or she is probably unaware that you love to have a beer or two. If you are on dialysis, you have to watch your fluid intake, and that would include beer and other beverages.

Answer 8

No you should not drink alcohol. Why? Because you are already taking a blood thinner, the alcohol also acts like a blood thinner., you could very well bleed to death if you cut yourseIf . If you feel the need for a beer drink the non alcoholic kind such as Sharps or O'douls

Answer 9

Let's put this into perspective. Look at the size of a beer bottle and how much beer that bottle holds, and then look at yourself. Now imagine that tiny, smaller than a peanut sized baby, now look at that beer bottle again. That is equivalent of you drinking about 50 beers or so? No amount of beer is safe. If 50 beers in one night could kill you, it can kill your baby. If your other children are healthy, that's great. They're lucky. Being pregnant isn't about a social status, its about being responsible for that life inside of you. Sorry to sound harsh, but its the truth.

Answer 10

Call your pharmacist