adverse reaction to alcohol

Guys,

Seriously, try some Pepcid AC before you drink - it doesnt do the whole trick but it definitely reduces most if not all of the unpleasant side effects mentioned in this post. Also, drinking slowly is the key, as this problem is a direct result of your body being unable to properly break down the alcohol, so go easy on it. Try for some information regarding the flush and some measures you can use to counteract the negative side effects.

Regards,

J

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Blood Sugar-alcohol converts to sugar and less tolerance to sugar could mean a blood sugar disorder, other than that I guess its an allergic reaction and means that you should not drink

This is very wordy, but makes sense. It seems we are generally screwed but may have better luck with gin, vodka and the like. Wine seems to be the worst.

Effects of Alcohol Metabolites
Alcohol undergoes a two-step process
in its metabolism (see figure). First, an
enzyme (i.e., alcohol dehydrogenase)
metabolizes alcohol to an intermediate
product, acetaldehyde; then a second
enzyme (aldehyde dehydrogenase
[ALDH]) metabolizes acetaldehyde to
acetate. Acetaldehyde is a chemically
reactive substance that binds to proteins
and other biologically important
compounds. At higher concentrations,
it causes toxic effects, such as a rapid
pulse, sweating, skin flushing, nausea,
and vomiting. In most people, ALDH
Vol. 22, No. 1, 1998 57
Alcohol Hangover
metabolizes acetaldehyde quickly and
efficiently, so that this intermediate
metabolite does not accumulate in high
concentrations, although small amounts
are present in the blood during alcohol
intoxication. In some people, however,
genetic variants of the ALDH enzyme
permit acetaldehyde to accumulate.
Those people routinely flush, sweat,
and become ill after consuming small
amounts of alcohol.
Because of the similarity between
the acetaldehyde reaction and a hangover,
some investigators have suggested
that acetaldehyde causes hangovers.
Although free acetaldehyde is not present
in the blood after BAC’s reach
zero, the toxic effects of acetaldehyde
produced during alcohol metabolism
may persist into the hangover period.
Effects of Factors Other
Than Alcohol
Factors other than alcohol also may
contribute to a hangover. These factors
include the following possibilities.
Congeners. Among other reasons,
people consume alcoholic beverages
for their ethanol content. Most alcoholic
beverages contain smaller amounts of
other biologically active compounds,
however, including other alcohols.
These compounds, known as congeners,
contribute to the taste, smell, and
appearance of alcoholic beverages.
Congeners may be produced along
with ethanol during fermentation,
generated during aging or processing
through the degradation of the beverage’s
organic components, or added
to the beverage during the production
process. Investigators now believe
that congeners may contribute to a
beverage’s intoxicating effects and to
a subsequent hangover. Research
has shown that beverages composed
of more pure ethanol, such as gin
or vodka, induce fewer hangover
effects than do beverages containing
a large number of congeners, such
as whiskey, brandy, or red wine
(Chapman 1970; Pawan 1973). A
hangover also may occur when pure
ethanol is administered, however.
One specific congener implicated
in hangover effects is methanol, which
is an alcohol compound found in
alcoholic beverages along with ethanol.
The two compounds differ slightly in
chemical structure in that methanol
contains one less carbon atom and two
fewer hydrogen atoms than ethanol.
The same enzymes that metabolize
ethanol, alcohol dehydrogenase, and
aldehyde dehydrogenase also metabolize
methanol; however, the products
of methanol metabolism (i.e., formaldehyde
and formic acid) are extremely
toxic and in high concentrations may
cause blindness and death.
Support for methanol’s contribution
to hangovers comes from several sources.
For example, distilled spirits that are
more frequently associated with the
development of a hangover, such as
brandies and whiskeys, contain the
highest concentrations of methanol.
Moreover, in an experimental study
with four subjects who consumed red
wine containing 100 milligrams per
liter (mg/L) of methanol, Jones (1987)
found that elevated blood levels of
methanol persisted for several hours
after ethanol was metabolized, which
corresponded to the time course of
hangover symptoms. Methanol lingers
after ethanol levels drop, because ethanol
competitively inhibits methanol metabolism.
The fact that ethanol readministration
fends off hangover effects
may be further evidence of methanol’s
contribution to the hangover condition,
given ethanol’s ability to block methanol
metabolism and thereby slow the production
of formaldehyde and formic acid.
Certain people develop headaches
soon after drinking red wine but not
after drinking white wine or vodka.
Recent research finds that red wine, but
not white wine or vodka, can increase
plasma serotonin and plasma histamine
levels. The specific agents in wine
responsible for these increased levels
are not known. Increased plasma serotonin
and histamine can trigger headaches
in susceptible people (Pattichis
et al. 1995; Jarisch and Wantke 1996).

I've been dealing with pretty much the same problems as the rest of you guys for a couple of months now and I had no idea that there were so many people with the same problems! I looked up Asian Flush Reaction but that doesn't happen to me and I'm not Aisan. I've noticed that some have posted that they take medications, and I do too, but I always have even before the crazy symptoms appeared. I just don't take my meds when I know I'll be drinking. I'm only 23 so I've done my share of drinking but now just one drink or beer and by the end of the night, I'm stuck in the bathroom with horrendous stomach pains, diarrhea usually and for the next couple of days its just the same as most of the rest of you. As soon as I go to my next appointment I'm going to find out what's going on inside...

I used to drink 2-3 times a week and at worst, i get a hangover that lasted 1 full day after. 2 years ago, i was down with severe stomach flu after a night of binge drinking. Ever since then, i get sporadic vomiting and fainting spells after 1 glass of alcohol. At times, i could get away with a few glasses of alcohol and nothing happens. Sometimes, after 1 drink, i break out in cold sweat, my vision becomes black and spotty, surroundings was muted and fainted for 1-2 minutes. After i recover my consciousness, i will vomit and have a diarrhea. My blood pressure went down to 90/60 and after resting for an hour, it goes back to normal at 110/80. I don't know what is causing this and what triggers it as it happens sporadically. I am Asian and have the red flushes but i was able to drink like anyone else before. I have had full body checkup and everything was fine. I will be going for a stomach/liver check and hopefully can find out what the root causes are.

I was a wild child when I was young. I started drinking when I was in the 5th or 6th grade. I was at a party when I was 17, and if I remember correctly, I was just drinking malt liquor, but before that I had just smoked a small joint. Probably 20 minutes after I became ill. I had to separate myself from the party. I thought someone had put acid in my drink. It was like a bad trip. I was dizzy, my eyes were dilated, was short of breathe, was having hot flashes, and so on. Like most of you I could easily put it away before. But after that night I've never been able to drink more than a couple sips. I'm 31 now and so far throughout my adult life have not had a drink (college was a drag!!!). I'm sure I don't need to tell you how socially inept not being able to drink makes ones life. And what I hate is when someone asks why I'm not drinking, and after I explain they'll say something to the sort of "Well that's a good thing probably." Now I have post-traumatic epilepsy from a head injury, so I couldn't drink now even if I could. But it seems like no one understands or cares about how large of a problem this is for an adults social health. People have gotten together and drank since the discovery of the juice, and to be shoved outta the group can lead to horrible depression. I know, I live in it. :-(

I have the same symptoms and I was just told I have nodules in both thyroid glands from an ultrasound. I also have a pitutary adneoma which I knew about that has apparently thrown my thyroid off. I have a theory that something is off with the way I metabolize alcohol, so I would suggest that as something to consider. I am ready to stop drinking all together. Even a glass of wine, vodka or a beer gives me a horrible headache and anything more knocks me off my feet the next day.

I had a similar problem where my hangovers started to get worst, even after 1 or 2 glasses, which was a prob as I like to have wine with a meal and also hate being stuck in bed all day only making it up to go to the toilet to be sick. I went to my Dr's and he arranged for me to have an endoscopy, which found I had stomach ulcers. These were caused by a bug called H pylori so was cleared up with anti biotics and this eased (not cleared, I still cant drink vodka) my symptoms. Fortuntely now they can check for this bug easily, either by a blood test or stool sample, so might be something for you guys to check.

Unfortunately my hangovers have started to get really bad again, hence the reason im checking this forum, so ill have to go back and have some tests again, I hope its just the ulcers as I think its unfair for people to say just dont drink, everyone deserves a tipple now and again, and I need to socialise for my job.

Well, at first I was excited to see that I wasn't alone in this freakish problem, but now I'm just disheartened to see that no one really knows why. Like most others here, I used to be able to drink....alot.....and feel totally fine the next day albeit a bit dehydrated. Now that I'm 21, I have one drink and I'm out for at least 24 hours. Horrible migraine-like headache, and vomiting every 20 minutes. Though, just as someone else has said, it doesn't happen every time. Sometimes I can drink, and be perfectly fine.....the horrible reaction happens maybe something like 95% of the time. Incredibly frustrating....

ditto here, I have never been able to drink much, frutty mixed drinks seemed to be the exception but I couldn't drink beer which made 'happy hours' very expensive.. anyways I'm 39 now and past year I started to drink beer and I could drink upto 3 of them but I still don't like it, but every now and then I get this bad reaction.. and I just had the worst one a few days ago which led me to search the internet and find this thread.. what happened is me and friend were smoking pot earlier that day, we decided to goto one of those brewry places(that manufacture their own beer in big tanks that you can see behind the glass) for happy hour; I thought it would be ok to go because for some reason the beer at those brewry places goes down easier than bottled beer; and I ordered a lager, its big so 1 lagger is like 2 beers, the we split one more of those brown beers but I only drank 1/2 of my 1/2, we also had some pizza and pretzel..ok so far so good, we get back to his apartment and I get a bad headache and sore throat-I slept poorly that night, then next day I still had sore throat, and I decided that I must have just caught a cold(although it seemed odd that it started just about the time of drinking), day 3 was thanksgiving (today)and had sore throat and stuffy nose all night and woke up on thanksgiving day the headache returned and was as bad as ever but sore throat went away, after some turkey I took an asprin and that seemed to take care of the BAD headache and I'm about to goto bed.. as of now I think I'm over it but i'll know for sure tomorrow..

my advise, just smoke pot, never have i got sick from weed... but i'll probably end up drink ing again sometime because of social norm, i hope i never get a reaction like last 3 days, if i do i'm quitting for good.

Do any of you suspect someone in your life may be putting the drug antabuse in your drink? This sounds like classic symptoms...just a thought.

Hey I have a weird reaction to alcohol and on recently...
I am 18 years of age and am currently in my first year of university, now before going to uni I drank occassionally but not heavily. Obviouslygetting off your face at Uni is a fairly normal occurance and is part of the fun. The first few times I went out I drank, and I was hungover, but I wasn't sick or anything. Then I went out on a social and played this drinking game called "Pub Golf" and basically what you do is have a list of drinks which you must drink at each "hole" a.k.a pub/bar, and you have a certain amount of "Strokes" a.k.a sips, drinks, to do it in. This was my first social, and I kept being called FRESHER by all the older students, so I thought what the hell, I'm going to go for it and really tried to win. Until I threw up in the toilets of one of the bars, and therefore proceeded to go home where I was severly ill. However since then if I have any amount of alcohol, I am really ill either all through the night, or the next morning, either being sick, and violently sick, or constantly up with diarrhea. It's doing my head in, the only thing I seem to be able to get away with is a glass of wine with a meal and even then if i have to much I get a severe headache... I can't go out and drink and have fun with the other students out of fear that I'm going to be severely ill the next day. It's nice to know I'm not the only person experiencing some strange reactions.

I know this topic is a few years old, but I've just come across it when searching the internet for my symptoms which are basically like everyone else's on here. I'm 22, so want to be able to go out with my friends, not to get really drunk but just to have a couple of social beers or whatever. However, I haven't been able to do that for the past year and a half without getting terrible hangovers and being sick in the night off only a glass or two of rum and coke (or equivalent). I just wondered whether anyone has found a solution to this or at least knows what causes it?

Thanks xxx

I have this problem too, and it's getting to where just one drink will set me off.  I think we all have one thing in common.  We used to drink excessively.  I would bet our bodies are just telling us, "Screw you, I've had enough of this poison!"  I like a glass of wine with dinner, too, but I guess I had too much fun earlier in life and I've overcharged the alcohol card.  Paying up!

Hi All,

My wife has had this problem for 13 years, she is definitely not a heavy drinker, but, after just a small amount of alcohol, be it just a half glass of beer or wine, she suffers very badly the next day with; sickness, diaorhea, intense headache, fever, malaise, extreme tiredness, in fact to use her words; 'body shut down'.

My wife has spoken to our GP who says that he has never heard of this problem. We do however have a friend, female, who has a similar but not identical complaint.

I have read the earlier posts and presume, possibly incorrectly, that most if not all posts come from women.

Is this a recognised medical condition?

Thanks in advance.