My Doc said not to go on a bender, and if I did be careful. I would say you should be safe having two in the first hour, and then maybe one every hour after as long as it is only this one time and not every night. That said I am not a Doctor so take this with a grain of salt.

I've not drank more than two glasses of wine in one evening since april so its not going to be an every night occurance don't worry :P Just really wanted to enjoy a good couple of glasses for my sisters wedding.. its the first wedding I've been too (as a grown up anyway) and I really want to enjoy myself without worrying. Have you ever had more than a couple..?

No I haven't had any since my PE, but last week at the Doctor I asked about it, because not having any is driving me crazy. Just waiting for a good occasion at the moment.

Blunt answer about alcohol:

Everyone is different so you won't know what the effects are unless you experiment. And that's not always wise of course. To me, 4 or 5 seems excessive without knowing how it's going to effect you. I guess my question to you would be why can't you still have fun with 2 glasses of wine?

I usually limit myself to two cocktails. But you have to be careful because some bartenders make stronger drinks than others. But on occassion I've had 3-4 cocktails and I've had my INR checked the next day and there was no real sign of impact to my INR that I could see. That was me, though. It could be completely different for you.

If you want to drink, then drink. Just use common sense. I have a few drinks every week so my INR doesn't budge much from it but it's because of the whole consistency thing.

We all want someone to tell us it's ok. It's ok if you say it's ok, but seriously, we're on anticoagulants. What doctor in their right mind is going to say, yeah it's ok to have 4 -5 drinks.

I'll drink to that RMB!
Well, of course, I'm very permissive with myself, and so will drink whatever I want whenever I want. I don't get drunk. And in 2 years of warfarin, my tolerance for alcohol has gone way, way down, so it does not take much to feel a slight buzz or to have a really crappy hangover the next day.
If you get falling down drunk, you run the risk of injury, not to mention making a spectacle of yourself and pissing off your sister . You also run the risk of puking and possibly causing bleeding that would take a while to stop if you're on anticoagulants. Who wants to see THAT on their wedding day?!
A good thing to do is to space your drinks with water, since you'll be partying for a long time at the wedding. Make sure you eat well, and snack throughout the evening too. (tough on the waistline, but what the hell, it's only one night).
Just drink responsibly, and have a good time.

Oh Hell I'll drink to that too RMB!!! I think the main reason the doctors say not to binge or over do it while on Coumadin is because if you get falling down drunk then more than likely your going to end up in the ER with a head injury from falling on your head. Or ending up in a car accident after drinking to much and driving. Until you know how the alcohol affects you I wouldn't be doing to much binging. I agree with RMB have one or two glasses of wine, Heck I've even been to parties where I have nursed a glass of wine, a cocktail or a beer for several hours. No one seems to care that I wasn't getting drunk with the rest of them. If they do care that your not keeping up with their amount of alcohol consumption then they aren't very good friends in the first place. You need to take care of yourself!!!!
Good Luck and have fun
Hugs
Ferr

By the way I forgot to mention alcohol causes dehydration and while on coumadin you should stay fully hydrated. Also as Lauralu mentioned you also run the risk of puking if you drink to much which can and does often cause bleeding, What a way to spoil a wedding. Like lauralu said drink responsibly, eat well and stay hydrated. Drink lots of water too.
Ferr

I have personally had 3-4 drinks over the course of an evening and did not experience any ill effects.

One thing to remember though...if you do drink and get a hangover, you can't take Tylenol OR ibuprofen for the headache- Tylenol and alcohol are a no-no and ibuprofen is a no-no on warfarin.

Just be smart and you will be fine. Have a great time!

Really good reminder on the Tylenol teesmc!

I always take tylenol for a hang over. Look at me, livin' on the edge.

Aren't they really getting at that you shouldn't consume alcohol at the same time as taking tylenol. I don't know... at this point in my life, there are only SO many things I can worry about f**ing up my body.

I just recently gave in to my cravings for wine. I had two glasses and felt like I had 4 or 5. No ill effects just got really warm and had a beet red face which never used to happen to me before.
At a wedding this past weekend I had two glasses of hard cider and ended up with a HORRIBLE headache within an hour of having the drinks.
I agree with everyone else that if you are going to drink make sure you have plenty of water. I would even suggest 2 waters for every drink.

Ok I take tylenol all the time, as a matter of fact the doctor told me to either take tylenol or hydrocodone which contains tylenol, Since I work at a hospital and am always subject to drug testing I don't want the ordeal of explaining why I am taking or working while taking a narcotic, hence the tylenol.However I was ordered to stay away from Ibuprophen, naproxen soduim and any of the nsaids.
Luckily I don't get to many hangovers, since I don't drink very much anyway.
Ferr

My advice is to explain to your dr and ask for his advice. He may cut back on the Warfarin for a day or two before or after the wedding. Warfarin is not to be taken lightly. It thins the blood and alcohol further thins it..Be honest with him regarding your intended consumption. it might become so thin as to cause internal hemmoraging (sp?) or an uncontrollable nose bleed. I know its tough. I used to love my martinis especially after work but I haven't had any type of alcohol in a year. I miss it but I live alone and getting sick and dealing with it without support is my greatest concern. Let us know what your dr says, and have fun. Best wishes to the bride.

To explaine on tylenol - it's just hard on your liver, and if you've already put your liver through the ringer, it's probably not wise to do further damage. On the package, it says to consult your doc if you drink 3 drinks per day. Does that mean not to take it while you're actually drinking? Or does that mean, if you go over 3 drinks in any given day, not to take tylenol or acetominephen at all? Hmmmmm....iquiring minds would like to know....

Actually, I take imuran for my colitis which can cause liver damage, so I have a liver panel done every three months. I asked my GI doc about having a couple of drinks and he knows I can only take tylenol due to colitis and the warfarin and he says it's not a big deal, for me, based on how much I drink and the overall health of my liver. I personally think you'd have to take a lot of tylenol and be a heavy drinker for there to be some serious effects. But again, that's me.

The dosage on OTC meds is cautionary, but I've taken more than needed based on doctor's instructions. I think it's the same thing with all the warnings, sort of the worst case scenario.