What causes heart palpitations after heavy drinking?
Patient: I am a 36 year old male. I get heart palps after a night of heavy drinking. I've had EKG's done, an event moniter, ultrasounds & a stress test done. All tests were fine. Nothing wrong with my heart. Should I really be worried about this? Is there any way to stop them? I drink Vodka & Diet Coke. Doctor: Hello. Thank you for your question. Welcome to HCM. I understand your concern.During occasional or binge drinking, depending on how "trained" is the organism, in the human body happen a lot of problema and disbalances. An important disbalance is that of body fluids and electrolytes, which tend to produce also skipped heart beats (extrasystoles), at times even true paroxysmal episodes of supraventricular arrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation. Tha mainstay here is that you quit drinking alcohol or, at least, restrict it to a maximum of 30 g ethanol a day (which means one beer or one shot of heavy alcohol, such as vodka, a day). In my opinion this symptom should subside, if you undertake this lifestyle changes. However, if symptoms persist, feel free to ask again or consult a local cardiologist.I hope I was helpful with my answer. Take care.