Sudden development of intolerance to alcohol

Hello. I am a 44 yr old Canadian female of Estonian/Ukranian decent. I have had asian flush for several years, that appears after one drink of alcohol. Last summer, at the age of 43, I suddenly became very sick the next day, after consuming some beers. I was sicker than I had ever felt: not like a hangover, but MUCH worse. Figured it was the flu or something equally debilitating.

The next time I drank, I was sicker faster on less alcohol. Things progressed rapidly from there. Less booze, sicker immediately.

Now if I have only an ounce of alcohol, I am immediately flushed, nauseated, very hot, dizzy and horribly out of sorts and upset, so obviously, I do not drink at all.

My question is: WHY am I suddenly no longer able to tolerate alcohol? I was able to drink with the best of them, but suddenly, I cannot break down the enzyme or have developed some serious aversion physically.

I am seeking medical advice and further testing but want to know why my body just stopped allowing alcohol.

Thanks!

Tootsie

tootsie wrote:

Hello. I am a 44 yr old Canadian female of Estonian/Ukranian decent. I have had asian flush for several years, that appears after one drink of alcohol. Last summer, at the age of 43, I suddenly became very sick the next day, after consuming some beers. I was sicker than I had ever felt: not like a hangover, but MUCH worse. Figured it was the flu or something equally debilitating. The next time I drank, I was sicker faster on less alcohol. Things progressed rapidly from there. Less booze, sicker immediately. Now if I have only an ounce of alcohol, I am immediately flushed, nauseated, very hot, dizzy and horribly out of sorts and upset, so obviously, I do not drink at all. My question is: WHY am I suddenly no longer able to tolerate alcohol? I was able to drink with the best of them, but suddenly, I cannot break down the enzyme or have developed some serious aversion physically. I am seeking medical advice and further testing but want to know why my body just stopped allowing alcohol. Thanks! Tootsie

This has just happened to me, too, and I am rather worried! I have no answers for you, unfortunately, but wonder if you have found any information on why this happens. Are you still experiencing this problem? Thanks

I too am experiencing this same situation. I only drink about every other week and then it is usually no more than 2 drinks. About 4 months ago for a friends birthday we went to a wine bar. I had a couple of glasses of wine. I felt just slightly tipsy that evening. But at 4am I found myself violently ill, throwing up. It felt as if I was poisoned and lasted until 5pm. After that I avoided alcohol for months. Then on my own birthday I had a couple of drinks and experienced the same affects the next day. Again I didn't drink for months. Then I was at a dinner party and decided to give just 1 glass of wine a try and within 2 hours found myself already experiencing the symptoms of a severe hangover without any feelings of being inebriated. At this point I am not drinking at all. I have read severe posts now on this site with similar situations but no follow-up posts of causes or remedies. So is everyone just not drinking anymore? At this point that is what I imagine is going to be my situation. I just don't want this to be an indication of a bigger health issue that is going untreated.

Thank goodness for that! I thought it was just me! Christmas Day yesterday and I had a couple of glasses of wine and I feel like I've been poisoned ! It's gone on for about 4 or 5 years now and each time it gets worse and takes less alcohol. I feel like death today and know I will for at least another 48 hours.

Has anyone any ideas on how to alleviate the symptoms? I drink loads of water to rehydrate etc. but to no avail. I haven't sought medical advice yet but have often wondered if it was tied in with my IBS which was diagnosed around about the time the symptoms started.

I don't have to drink much to get a reaction. One glass of wine can do it so I tend to avoid alcohol 99% of the time. People who don't get the reaction don't realise how ill you feel with it. It goes beyond a normal hangover don't you think?

Any suggestions?

Linda

I have the same problem. I always had bad hangovers in my 20`s, but they would go away after 1 day and I good nights sleep. I am a 35 year old woman. The last 4 years I have had horrible, horrible reactions to alcohol. If I drink one glass of wine or a dark beer, I will feel dehydrated, tired and hungover the next day. Off of 1 drink! If I have a lite beer or a weak mixed drink, I can have one with no problem. BUT, if I go a litte crazy and have several drinks, I am sick for almost a week. I drank about 7 beers Sunday night, and still feel horrible today (Thursday). I have tried herbal supplements to help liver function, but those have not worked at all. I just need to learn not to drink. I don't drink most of the time, but every once in awhile it is fun to kick back and have fun. It is NOT worth it though! Anyway, I don't have any solutions, just wanted to let others know you are not alone!

I drink about once every 6 months due to the fact that I get feel like absolute crap and get severely depressed for a few days after. This happens even off of 1 or 2 beers. This does not seem to me at all normal in any case.

I am in the same boat and I am really worried. I used to drink a lot in my early 20's. I would always get hangovers but they would be gone after 24 hours. I am now 35 (woman) and I can't drink at all! This has been going on for about 4 years. I noticed it after the birth of my 3 son. I didn't drink for almost 2 years due to being pg and bf my son. If I would have 1 drink I would be fine, but if I had 2 I would feel crappy for 2-3 days. Now it has gotton worse. If I go nuts and have a wild night and drink alot, I can hardly function for 2 days, then will feel crappy and sluggish for about 5-6 days! Now if I even have one drink (light beer or wine cooler included) I feel bad for 4-5 days. I had a wine cooler on Saturday and still feel bad today on Wednesday. I am going to ask my Dr. about it when I go for my yearly check next month. I know the cure, just don't drink........ But I am worried it is something else. I don't know why I keep doing this to myself. I don't have a problem with alcohol but do love to have a drink now and then. Vacations are hard too. It is hard not to resist having a drink while I am relaxing on a beach~ but when I do, it ruins the rest of my trip.
I have tried herbal supplements, drinking tons of water, gatorade, etc..... Nothing works. Has anyone found an medical answer??? I did read on another post to have adrenals checked. I will have to mention this to my Dr.

I've had this progressively throughout my 20's and in my case, it was almost certainly stress. Other associated illnesses included insomnia, constipation, mood swings, depression and bad breath! I would drink one or two pints and my stomach would swell up like a balloon. I would feel very sick, get rashes up the glands on my neck and on my torso, I'd over salivate and had all sorts of weird stuff going on like cramps and spasms in muscles that I didn't even know existed. Three or four pints, led to hang overs that meant taking a day or two off work, when only five or six years earlier I was necking drink every night, getting four hours sleep and thought nothing of it. The answer is a lifestyle change. The more you stress your body and mind when you're young, the sooner you have to do it: Less stressful work, more daily exercise of brain and body, better diet, more water, counseling, breathing exercises, yoga, fishing etc. To get back into booze, you need to trick your mind and body that what you've consumed will be fine. Sweet is normally good - try a medium cider or an alcohol! You can become and alcoholic again, but it requires dedication

I believe that this is an intolerance/sensitivity/allergy type situation. Many times it appears with other autoimmune illnesses. One poster mentioned IBS, insomnia, and a few other symptoms that go along with autoimmune.

I am 24 years old and up until about two years ago was an off and on again party goer. I could drink myself silly, puke once and then thankfully pass out. About two years ago though I had one glass of draft beer drove home and began to vomit insanely. It seems to get a little worse the more time that goes by. At first I could switch and go from beer to liquor and most recently wine. The wine seemed to be not as harsh and as long as it was in moderation I was fine. Last night at my parents home for Easter I had one glass of wine around 10 pm and went to bed around 1 am. I woke up promptly at 2 am and began to vomit every ten minutes for the next 8 hours. When I mentioned this before to my doctor he seemed to think it was normal for ppl to grow intolerable to alcohol but personally nothing about this seems normal. One glass of very weak wine shouldn't have me feeling worse than a stomach flu. Has anyone actually gotten any sound medical advice? I don't want to get wasted every night but I wouldn't mind seeping a nice glass of wine in the tub after a long day.