Alcohol problems/ intolerance

I've been having similar issues (which is how I came across this post). I'm 35 and for the past several months I've been experiencing similar symptoms. I'm an occasional drinker- well past my party phase I guess, though I used to be able to hang with the rest of them. I really only drink once or twice a month (and even less, lately).

The last few times I drank I only had a few beers and then come the middle of the night through the whole next day I'm vomiting, fighting a migraine, nauseas - way worse than any hangover I've ever had in my life. A year ago even I could drink 4-5 beers without much of a hangover, but now 2 beers WITH food and that's what happens. The first time or two I wrote it off to "it must've been something I ate" because I honestly didn't drink enough to get sick, but after 3 or 4 times I realized that it was always when I drank, even if it was just one drink with dinner. Last week I had one glass of sangria at a party and had a migraine the whole next day. It's awful. I've been wondering if I'm suddenly allergic, so I'm glad to see I'm not alone!

As for the gallbladder - I did see that post, but I actually had my gallbladder removed about 3 years ago (these symptoms didn't start until maybe 5-6 months ago), so in my case I know it's not that.

Fun stuff, isn't it?

I am 31 and I have been having issues as well. It has been happening for about 8 months now, but only recently have I started to think it had something to do with alcohol. For example last night we went to dinner with friends. I had about three glasses of red wine along with some pasta with a creamy tomato sauce. We went home and went to bed and about an hour or two later I woke up and felt so sick. I felt like I was not digesting and that all the food was stuck in my stomach. I went to the bathroom but couldn't go. I sat up watching infomercials and slowly drinking sprite and water for two hours. I finally felt the urge to go again and it was just straight diarrhea. I was so sick. I felt nausea, bloat, light headed, pressure in my stomach, anxious, sweaty and hot. This has been going on and off for 8 months. I have had all sorts of tests run. They have done blood tests, ultrasounds and they even had me wear a heart monitor because I sometimes have these feelings of flutter which feel more like an esophageal spasm than a heart flutter but they wanted to be sure. I guess I just need to stop drinking and see how that goes. It doesn't happen every time which is the odd part, but when it does, if feels awful and scary. It has to be an allergic reaction or something because you have that scary feeling. I don't know what other tests I should have run, but I have gottten some ideas from you guys. Thanks for listening.

you body converts alcohol to acetaldehyde, which is toxic, and causes many symptoms. Acetyl cysteine (NAC), vitamin C, and Thiamine have proven to decrease this. Alcohol does cause adrenal gland fatigue, B vitamins help this, especialy B5 (1,500 to 3,000 mg per day). B5 will also bring back the male sleeping and morning "wood', so watch out, only at 3,000 plus mg per day.

Also, depletes magnesium and other minerals.

Bottom line, take 500 mg of C and NAC for every two to three drinks during drinking. 250 mg of magnesium before and after.

You should be on a non iron multivitamin, and 400 to 800 of E and 4,000 MG of C a day, split up.


If this does not help, try French Green Clay. It will also rob you of nutrients possibly. Activated charcoal will definitely work, but it for sure robs you of nutrients.

One last important issue. Hawthorn berries slow down the heart, it is harmfulness otherwise. During my rapid heartbeats, I have taken up to 10,000 mg of this. It slows it down.

Hi I am a similar age to alot of people on here, 44, and have recently noticed a reaction after I have been drinking alcohol. I have a pain behind my sternam appear which is quiet painful and can wake me up during the night. I feel nausea and get pain either around my shoulder and down my arm or in my shoulder blades. I have had my gallbladder removed about 9yrs ago (one of those best thing I ever did) so this would not be related to my problem. I noticed this around a year again after drinking a bunderburg and rum on random occassions, and it became apparent recently after drinking three bunderburg and rum cans and ever since it seems to be continuing. Wine didn't seem to affect me until after this last bunderburg rum incident, now it seems that wine does it also too. I had one glass last night and all the pain and nausea has started again. I have noticed it seems to go for days. I am going to the dr next Friday to see if she can investigate it but when I mentioned it to her several weeks ago when I had the flu she seemed not overly interested saying 'don't drink'. I feel like I need my heard checked actually, cause I do get alittle worried with where the pain is coming from. The other suggestions of causes from others above are interesting and I am going to check them out, but in the end it may just come down to an alcohol intolerance and be a 'no go zone' which would be sad as I too like others enjoy the occassional social or relaxing wind down drink.

shazzyt, I was very surprised (and relieved in a way) to see you list shaking and abdominal pain as part of your symptoms. I am only 25, and despite many people my age drinking a LOT, I did not ever follow this trend. When I do drink, its only a few mixed drinks. If I drink as little as 2 or 3 on an empty stomach and do not monitor the symptoms, I will start out with the heart beating faster, flushing, all of that, and then within only an hour or two will have severe abdominal cramping and I will begin to shake. It always seemed to me like my body was rejecting the alcohol, and my family would just say I drank too much, but I just knew, I never drink THAT much. Not to where I should be having real issues like this. Compared to my peers I drink nothing. The last time I drank was New Years 2009, and I had a horrible reaction and thought I was going to have to go to the hospital. I felt so incredibly sick and shook worse than ever and the abdominal pain/cramping was very severe.

I know it isn't panic attacks for me either, I have never asked a doctor because everyone around me seems to think its strange but doesn't know anything about it. I'm not panicking, I am just very sick, and get worried as it gets WORSE not the other way around. It's not like I cause it, and it does ONLY happen when I have alcohol. The shaking is the scariest part to me, because I just don't do that. It's very strange to not feel in control of what your body is doing. The only time I shook like that beyond this problem is when I had food poisoning once.

I am hypoglycemic as well, I am not sure if that contributes to my problem at all, but I know the liver monitors the blood sugar as well, and i sometimes wonder if I have too high of blood sugar and my liver is working on that and it doesn't break down the alcohol to what my body can handle. That would explain at least why it feels as if my body is just rejecting it. I do not know if this is something you may have as well? If not it may not have anything to do with the issue.

I am very happy to see SOMEONE describe exactly what happens to me. If I ever figure out what is going on I will post here and hope you see it. The doctor you saw was wrong, I am 100% sure of it. If you are going through what I am, it has nothing to do with panicking and everything to do with an abnormal reaction to the alcohol.

These symptoms are alleviated by Benadryl. I have suffered with this problem for years and only recently discovered that Benadryl taken at bedtime after having a couple of drinks over the evening fixes these problems with incredible efficiency. I only wish I had made this discovery 10 or more years ago!

I get the same reactions, and found this forum to seek advice on what I might do. My alcohol 'intolerance' seems to be worsening with age (I'm in my 50s now) and includes a rapidly increasing intolerance to caffeine as well. When I drink any sort of wine or darker beer/ale, even just one glass, I wake up around 2am in full body sweat and can only get back to sleep with the help of Advil or Tylenol. My mind spins as if I've consumed coffee rather than alcohol.

Alcohol has high histamine. Eat a low histamine diet and have your genetics tested as you may have a polymorphism that doesn't allow your Dao enzyme to break down the histamine. YouTube high histamine Dr. Lynch. It's very complicated biochemistry that conventional doctors are not trained in. Good luck....