This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Sign in
Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages without signing in

Warfarin and alcohol

Authoring team

The half-life of warfarin is reduced in heavy chronic drinkers. However patients with liver dysfunction who are well-controlled on warfarin may become overanticoagulated after an alcoholic 'binge'.

Patient advice (2)

  • it is dangerous to binge drink or get drunk while taking warfarin. Doing this may increase the effect of warfarin and so increase the risk of bleeding

  • do not drink more than three units of alcohol a day if you are a man or two units a day if you are a woman
    • it is not safe to save up units to have on one day

  • one unit is roughly equivalent to half a pint of beer or lager or a single measure (25ml) of a spirit such as vodka. A small glass (125ml) of wine is around 1.5 units

  • people with liver disease who are taking warfarin should not drink alcohol

Reference:

  • Drugs and Therapeutics Bulletin (1996), Drugs and alcohol: harmful cocktails?, 34 (5), 36-8.
  • NHS Choices (accessed 4/5/2014).Anticoagulants, warfarin - Interactions

Related pages

Create an account to add page annotations

Create a free account

Annotations allow you to add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation. E.g. a website or number. This information will always show when you visit this page.

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.