Hey there fella, join our club, even though to be on warfarin for life it is not certainly pleasant , as we both know. currently I am on warfarin for life either so I know what you are feeling like (I remember my first days of being on it) and I am a drinker myself. one would think that I do know what I am talking about… oh well…
Doctors are going to tell you that (of course) ideally not to drink at all and as you said, they are going to tell you that even if you are not on warfarin, but you would tell doctor’s that is bollocks. I would tell you that ideally you can drink but you need to pay attention not to binge like for example to get crossed eye drunk (or as you said, hammered) due to the fact that your liver is not going to be able to manage and especially when you are out of the practice since you are only drinking once in half a year or so. It is going to be like putting too much pressure on an untrained person. Here is putting too much pressure on your untrained liver. When you are being on warfarin, they are saying that the most important thing that you need to remember it is to maintain consistency, that is why in case you must drink then it is better to drink regularly (as stupid as it sounds) but not to binge otherwise you would find yourself pretty bad. In case you really must binge (but I don’t see how can that come), then ideally you should binge very regularly because your liver need to keep up or the chances are high that your INR is going to be pushed way over the edge in that one single session, something that you really do not want to happen. And regularly to binge is something that as much as I can understand is something that you either do not want to happen.
Also, it is important that your friends (who are going to be there) need to know about the fact that you are using warfarin, just in case because they should not panic in case something bad or whatever is happening but to be aware that you take warfarin and to try to help with whatever they can. it is not going to be a joke at all in case you are going to fall over in your stupor with your over the edge INR, that’s not going to be fun at all. this being said, you need to keep a very close eye on your body and watch it how it reacts when you drink for a couple of days after your drinks because in case you do notice some bruises anywhere that really should not be there or you start noticing that you piss blood then you should know that this is an hospital job immediately so you should call the ambulance without even thinking. In case it is not and you are all fine then your INR need and it is going to settle after approximately one or 2 weeks, in case you are not being sure or it is getting you antsy then you need to get it tested… as always.
Also, as an alternative then the next day after you have had the party then you need to get your INR checked – it is going to be the best (and that’s especially if you can get that done without seeing your doctor, that would be ideally). But if you do, then remember that they can help you to monitor your INR and to adjust the dosage according as your liver is slowly recovering. I also have to warn you that this can be a pain due to the fact that they are going to subject you to a lot of checks and test only to maintain your INR level within a good range that at this point it is going to be fluctuating like a rollercoaster that’s going up and down crazy. Whatever the case, I recommend you to have checked your INR about 10 days after you have had the session, only to be sure that it is all fine.
As has been stated, warfarin is thinning your blood. Alcohol does the same. And you know what they are saying? – it is always better to have your INR higher due to the fact that bleeding can be stopped (in case it is not too much, of course) and it is better to be like that than to have low INR which is causing strokes.
And yeah, one final note here, you might want to stick with beers due to the fact that they are less harsh for your INR. Personally, my first drink after I have had the valve replacement (this is the reason why I am being put on warfarin for life) it has been a quarter of glass of wine and this has taken my INR from the 2.0 to 3.0 only overnight.
Everything I have tried to say is that you need to be careful on what you are trying to do so you should drink yourself slightly because you should not get into any drunk fights because if you do – you have pretty big chances of ending bad. I wish you good luck and better stay away from unwanted outcomes.
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