Alcohol intolerant after Gallbladder Removed

I am 20 years old and had my gall bladder removed 08/2009. I drink when in school on occasion, and used to be able to hold my alcohol very well. After my surgery, however, I am not able to tolerate any more than 1 or two beer, and am able to tolerate only three mixed drinks. Some nights, I seem to be doing well and am able to tolerate more alcohol, but three or four hours after I stop, I get ill. I will continue to be ill for every hour or half-hour for at least four or five hours. Even prescription anti-nausea pills don't help. The next day, I will be running to the bathroom for the rest of the day, then won't be able to for a couple days later. I just thought my body was revolting, but was happy to find this website. I too, asked my doctor about what complications could occur but he never mentioned this. I just find a little comfort knowing that I'm not the only one suffering from this.

omg so glad I have read this!!! I'm also 20, and I've just had my gall bladder out at the end of November 2010. I'd been sooo ill with attacks before having it removed. I was really looking forward to being able to drink again, as my consultant also said I shouldn't have any problems with alcohol.

Over Christmas, I tried my first few drinks, I didn't overdo it but did try on a few occassions. It seems after a few drinks I start to feel really really sick, and the next day I get a touch acid reflux and my stomach will feel rather acidy and raw, and feel like vomiting. Though I have not actually vomited because of the alcohol, but I think that's because the sickliness kicks in pretty quickly, so I can't manage any more drinks. :-(

Looks like it's just something we're gonna have to put up with!!!

Can you still drink now?

So glad to hear that this problem is common.  My drinking days are few and far between especially the older I get but I do like to have fun once or twice a year.  I had my gall bladder removed in October and in December went to xmas party and decided to enjoy myself.  Well I reacted like I had been slipped a Mickey.  I blacked out after only a few drinks and a couple of shots.  Before this would have been no problem for me before my surgery.  I did not remember anything from that night thank god my husband took care of me because I got violently sick and didn't start to remember things until about 4 in the morning and was so sick the for the next two days.  It scared me so badly I don't think I will ever drink again!!!!!!

I had my gall boater our 7 years ago and consumming alcohol didn't cause problems to me before or after. I just want to no if the gall boater helps the liver break bile down can nit having a gallblatet cause alcohal to stay in your system longer

I had my gallbladder removed 5 months ago and I have noticed i cannot drink very much. I only take shots too, which i realize probably doesn't help, but i am glad to see that this is not uncommon! My hangovers are always the worst, i spend the whole day vomiting, not being able to keep anything down, this includes water, powerade, ginger ale, tea and forget about trying to eat anything. I have also experienced what some others have, like the calf cramps/spasms in the morning. Reading other people's issues have definitely helped me confirm that having my GB removed is what is causing me to be so sick when I consume alcohol. I also can't process certain foods and i get pains where my GB used to be, is this common for anyone else?

Hi, I had my gallbladder removed in summer 09 and have drunk alcohol regularly since. Whilst I don't find it effects me at the time, the next day I have terrible diharea. This makes staying at friends houses or planning any kind of activity the next day almost impossible. I've read that this is common the first year or so but it's almost been 4yrs and if anything is getting worse :( any advice? (And please don't say stop drinking, I'm only 22!)

I had my gallbladder removed about a year ago and I've been drinking alcohol regularly ever since about two to three times a week. The main symptom I experience is frequent bowel movements the next day, which is similar to when I consume greasy foods....

I had my GB out in 2010 and since then I've twice gone out and drank quite a lot with resulting truly dreadful dreadful hangovers.  I used to drink a lot before my GB got taken out with little or no hangover.  Now though drinking anything more than a couple and it's very bad the next day and even the same night, being sick twice or more, diamond splinter headaches and unsettled, painful stomach.  Clearly my drinking days are over and I'll have to stick to the odd couple every now and then.  Very glad I found this website as I didn't know it affected people like this as my surgeon told me there would be no side effects! I wrote the first one off as a... well one off but the second happened today and now I know for sure I won't be putting myself through this again. 

Had my gallbladder removed in 2008 whilst in America on holidays from Australia. I can only assume it was the heavy foods and all the alcohol we were drinking lol :)Ive since discovered that where I was able to drink a bottle of scotch, by myself, every three days before hand ... I can now only have two drinks before I get that tell tale sign that Im on the verge of another bout of alcohol poisoning. 

The next day I am severely dehydrated, have diarrhea, and will honestly take me up to three days to feel normal again. 

I have discovered, like many here, that a litre of water before bed and a couple of aspirins help a great deal. In the morning I have a Berocca and a banana (for potassium) and Im a little better than I had before. 

Ive searched the internet and it seems we are in the minority. Many other people are fine and live nice normal happy lives.

Hi everyone! I'm so glad that I came across this, as I was worried that I was going crazy! I got my gallbladder removed 2 years ago. Before I had it removed, I could drink ridiculous amounts of alcohol and be I phased the next day. Due to being Scottish, I used to really enjoy going out and drinking far too much, and continued to do so until May. After I had it removed, I started suffering from really, really horrendous hangovers. I'd be vomiting bright yellow bile and foam, and having brutal diarrhea too. Alas, I didn't let that stop me for a good year and a half after the surgery. I drank far too much and dealt with all the horror the next day, claiming I would never drink again! I noticed that as time went on, even though I was drinking more, my tolerance was going down, to the point that I could only drink about 3 beers and then I'd be drunk, and the next day would be awful. Luckily, I grew some sense and quit drinking in May. I drank a bottle of wine for the first time in ages last night, and I've been paying for it today! It is infuriating that this won't change and I'll never be able to properly drink again, so it's nice to know that it is the gallbladder removal that caused this and that I'm not the only one! I hope you're all learning to deal with the effects of the cholecystectomy, and I wish you all the best!

Taking Excederin or indeed taking anything containing tylenol/paracetamol before, during, or to recover from alcohol is going to ruin your liver sooner or later. Try to take another perspective on your intelorance to alcohol, it is toxic to the body, so just be happy to settle for one or two drinks with your evening meal rather than feel compelled to drink more and risk harming your body getting liver and other diseases in the future. By the way, I am not a doctor but I am having the same problems you are describing, one small beer or glass of wine is all I can handle 2 weeks after surgery, and not even every day otherwise I feel nauseus. I'm now starting to look at this situation positively, I don't need alocohol to be a part of my life any longer!

Yeh, you were in the process of ruining your liver, keeping on drinking ridiculous amounts of alcohol, that's why your liver could not process more because it was failing. I hope that you kept off alcohol after that and are recovering in health. Alcohol can be great fun, but it is a poison and it kills millions of people around the world each year. Best to "enjoy" just a beer or two, or glass or two of wine WITH an evening meal, nothing more than that.

Nice to hear I'm not the only one! I had my GB removed about 1 year ago. I completely had to change my diet and still deal with phantom pains, calve cramps, bm issues, and the weakest stomach. Drinking alcohol is its own battle field, sometimes I'll be fine the next day but usually the stomach pain is so severe I spend the whole day either in the bathroom or laying around being worthless, unable to eat or drink anything. I've never been a big liquor drinker but my body now is pretty much intolerant to it. I love craft beer and as long as I drink moderately I'll be OK. I'm 23 and will have my nights (few and far between) when I forget myself and over indulge but I would suggest that you make sure when you go out with people you trust because the nights I don't watch myself I end up blacking out and throwing up everything in my stomach before night's end. Try to drink as much water as you can before falling asleep and pray its enough to let you survive the next day. I wish my doctor would have been a little more informational about post GB surgery side effects, instead of making it seem like nothing about my body would change. I hope over time things will start to even out but I also worry about future side effects that may come up. At the end of the day the issues I deal with now are better than the terrifying fire pain I would feel anytime my body was trying to digest something.

I'm shocked to a lot of these conversations as I had three gall stones and had to have them removed along with my gall bladder. I don't drink very often but when u do I drink loads. I still get up feeling fine and after a good breakfast I feel great