Alcohol and Palpitations?

[robbieindy]

I do not drink very much, but I do get palpitations occasionally. My question is, are there certain alcoholic drinks that are less likely to cause palpitations? I enjoy the occasional bourbon drink...Somewhere I heard that wine and beer was harder on palpitations...So is it ok for me to have my occasional bourbon?

[Bromley]

I find that alcohol increases PVC's.  I do not drink much at all,  but I do drink coffee and tea.  I have wondered whether PVC's are like migraines: when the sum of everything you do, i.e. coffee, alcohol, etc, exceeds your personal threshold, you get PVC's? That might explain why the cause of benign PVC's is as hard to troubleshoot as migraines. Totally a guess here.

[Piparskeggr]

Heya;

I have a pacemaker to stave off sinus arrest...the device fires off 6% - 7% of the time.

I drink more than average (6 - 8 alcoholic beverages each night, sometimes even 12 - 16) and have not noticed any effect of the alcohol on my heart rate.

My "field observation" is that 1 or 2 servings of alcohol will likely not cause harm, unless you are predisposed to feel the effects of alcohol more heavily than the norm.

My results for me are my own.  For anyone else, I always counsel moderation.

take care - Pip

[Jerry_NJ]

My experience is that I do not have any noticeable problem from an alcoholic drink or even a few drinks over an extended period of time that includes a meal.  I usually drink beer or wine, but sometimes have a "shot"... I like a good bourbon on the rocks or with 7-up but rarely drink it.  Still, never had a problem with an increase in heart rhythm problems or with getting drunk.