adverse reaction to alcohol

This started happening to me when I was about 25.  I was never a huge drinker, but I partied here and there.  I started getting the flu, or a cold 3-6 days after drinking.  I had bad hangovers that lasted days, and then I'd come down with the flu a week later.  The more I drank the worse it was.  One time I got drunk, and a week later i was so sick with a flu like thing that I had to go to the hospital.

I stopped drinking after that for the most part, but I live the taste of beer and once in a while I'll drink half a one, and pay for it for days after.  A dull headache and general fatigued crappy feeling.  Modern Medicin has no info on this, all my tests were clear.  I started just doing different drugs for fun and tend to not drink at all anymore. 

I have this problem also, as many have described. Not the Asian hot flash, but the headaches. I am a 45 yo male. Drank like a fish in college. Now have 3 drinks usually at most. I had about 2.5 oz of bourbon last Thursday. I was dead Friday with a headache and not much better Saturday. Today (Sunday) finally feels good.

I read a bit about sleep apnea. They describe waking with a headache as a symptom and that sedatives or alcohol can increase the apnea. I have never been tested. I thought sharing this aspect might help shed some light. I also plan to begin doing some self blood testing over the next few months to determine what is happening to blood sugar/insulin with a few drinks.

I have similar symptoms and came across this article:

http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/bad-hangovers-why-alcohol-is-only-half-the-story-429260.html

Maybe these symptoms are related to an allergy in the drinks...sulphite!

I also suffer from extreme nausea and headaches if I have only a small amount of alcohol. I have a theory as to what is happening, although I don't know how to fix the problem. Typically, all ethyl alcohol is first converted to acetaldehyde, and then this acetaldehyde is converted into acetyl radicals. Acetaldehyde is a poison that is a close relative of formaldehyde.This acetic acid radical combines with Coenzyme A to form acetyl-CoA. The acetyl-CoA rhen enters the Krebs Cycle and is eventually broken down into carbon dioxide and water. I believe that my body doesn't have enough coenzyme A to neutralize the poison of acetaldehyde. Too much acetaldehyde causes extreme nausea and headaches. CoA can be purchased at health food stores. I've not tried it, but I think I will. What can it hurt?

This is called kindling guys.  You can google it to look up the exact details of it but basically our body starts to negatively react to alcohol on us.  Our nervous system gets trained over time to overreact on us and goes into overdrive.  I used to binge drink hard and now find i'm still shakey and feel hungover the next day even after 2 drinks.  

i am 54 yrs old and i am feeling exactly like you are.days to recover from even a moderate amt of any kind of alcohol..its a bummer

Hello guys,
I deal with the same situation: one drink, and I feel a headache is coming. After seeing multiple doctors and ENT specialists about this, I was finally referred to a neurologist, and this neurologist recommended me taking some depression/anti-anxiety medication. To my surprise it worked. All my friends know me as a fun sociable guy, so I would have never thought of even the slightest amount of depression.

The medication helped me a lot. I am 30, and I used to binge drink and enjoy life a good part of my 20's. The doctor might have picked up a hint once I mentioned my heavy drinking habits of the past, and as a result, asked me to try that medication. I DO NOT want to release the name of that medication for the fear of making you think that the medication I took is your solution. You should always consult with a professional when it comes to Drugs. Believe me, this comes from the crazy guy who has been daring, but also careful when it comes to drugs and medications.

Anyhow, I think alcohol may exacerbate the mentions that are going on in your head. Please seek a solution. A neurologist can help

i have been on antidepressents and it doesnt help at all for the poisening effect alcohol has on me now.i guess im gonna just to have forgo it.hey im 54yrs i had alot of hard miles when it came to partyin with booze.miss it but dont feel that 5-8 days feelin like hell is worth it

34 Years Old here in very good shape. It started happening over the last 3 or 4 months. I drank a 6-Pack of Belgian Ale a few weeks ago and thought I was going to die later that night and for days after. Pressure in my forehead, headache, and just feeling plain awful. I tried having only 3 beers and the same thing happened for a day and a half after. I have not tried drinking since. I'm a 220 lb 6' 1" man of Irish and German decent that can't drink 3 beers.

I USED TO BE A HEAVY DRINKER IN MY DAY...HAD A HEART BYPASS RECENT ...BUT PRIOR TO I HAVE TWO BEERS AND I FEEL FAINT I HAVE TO LAY DOWN..EYES ARE RED SHAKING WHAT IS THIS PLEASE

I am 48 and have developed symptoms very like these. I used to drink quite a bit at parties, weekends. Mainly beer or wine, then with beer i started to feel real hot and sweaty, after only one beer. It seemed i would get very tired and need to go to sleep for several hours.Recently i was at a party, and after two beers had the same sweaty feelings, along with a panic attack feeling. I went to the MD for blood work, but it all showed normal, he wants to further research it, but said definately stop drinking for the time being.I just drink non`alcholic beer, and feel fine, and am doing good. I am on a workout routine, and a low fat diet.

I am 29 and I too have been drinking for years, and i used to have a decent tolerance for alcohol. all of a sudden though about 3 years ago i started having weird symptoms when drinking the smallest amounts of alcohol, like literally just one or two sips. I get a flushed feeling all over, especially in my face. my face will feel numb and i will feel instantly drunk. my stomach will cramp and i get a burning sensation in my gut. i feel horrible and i have to lay down. i get a terrible headache too, but my symptoms usually only last about 30 to 40 minutes.

 

Hi,

 

I dated a girl, who had all these symptoms, and she found out that she had developed allergies to various elements in the drinks themselves.. Wine especially white wine, uses more chemicals than a meth lab to make the liquid cystal clear.

She can now only drink straight Vodka... it's like dating a Russian !

Hi!  I realize most of this thread is way old, but I just came across it, and was wondering if any of y'all had this figured out.  My Mom has had the same problem.  She has never been a binge drinker, but a few years ago, she started having a problem.  Can take literally two sips of wine, and start vomiting violently.  Now she is having some other issues, and we've wondered if it's all related.  While researching, I came across one website that said you can have a "violent" reaction to even small amounts of alcohol if you have underlying issues with any one of four things.  Think it was gastrointestinal, pancreas, kidneys, and can't remember the fourth organ.  Thought that was interesting and worth sharing.

 

I am a 42 year old female and have a horrible headache on the right side of my skull after drinking alcohol.  Each time it happens I wonder if I will live through it.  It is terribly painful and even effects the right side of my neck and my right eye. 

I rarely get this without alcohol being involved but occasionally it does happen out of the blue. 

I don't want to see a doc because I fear they will call for every possible expensive test under the sun to rule out aneurysm, tumor, sinus issues etc etc...

Sigh...I am basically healthy.  I do seem to have neck pain on the right side pretty often though.  Chiropractic did not help.

Why always the RIGHT side of my head?  WHAT is going on in there??