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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Can Consuming Alcohol Cause High BP And Heart Problems?

I drink alcohol nearly every weekend, but over the past couple of months I have for the most part quit because I have not felt well with even the slightest amount of alcohol. I feel perfectly fine all week and BP is ~118-78,,,that is until I have even one drink. Then I feel hot in the face and chest and I just don t feel well and BP gets elevated. Today for example BP was 120-78 in the morning after diner I had one drink and began to feel the familiar symptoms. My BP is now 134-84 and the machine detected an irregular heartbeat. I saw the doctor for a checkup a week ago and explained all this and his response was then don t drink and sometimes as you age your body can not handle alcohol as it used to . Needless to say I am not satisfied with this answer and am concerned that there is an underlying issue that should be addressed. Male,43,physically fit, lift weights 5 times per week.
posted on Thu, 27 Nov 2014
Twitter Tue, 11 Aug 2015 Answered on
Twitter Tue, 11 Aug 2015 Last reviewed on
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Addiction Medicine Specialist,  's  Response
Ok, 120/80 , 135/85 are not necessarily different blood pressures (which vary)
. And.. alcohol is a mild stimulant. Withdrawal from it the next day is also a stimulant and either of these can change the blood pressure a few points but do not mean very much.
An irregular heart beat needs an EKG. Mostly--more than 90% of the time--it is a few skipped beats that might be worse from dehydration or a bit low potassium and easily corrected. Mostly there isn't even that much of an abnormality with skipped beats. BUT. I've also had one patient who went into a stable irregular rhythm .. atrial fibrillation that can cause strokes. The rhythm stayed abnormal. Doesn't have to. but can. Needs EKG to show what rhythm.
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Can Consuming Alcohol Cause High BP And Heart Problems?

Ok, 120/80 , 135/85 are not necessarily different blood pressures (which vary) . And.. alcohol is a mild stimulant. Withdrawal from it the next day is also a stimulant and either of these can change the blood pressure a few points but do not mean very much. An irregular heart beat needs an EKG. Mostly--more than 90% of the time--it is a few skipped beats that might be worse from dehydration or a bit low potassium and easily corrected. Mostly there isn t even that much of an abnormality with skipped beats. BUT. I ve also had one patient who went into a stable irregular rhythm .. atrial fibrillation that can cause strokes. The rhythm stayed abnormal. Doesn t have to. but can. Needs EKG to show what rhythm.