I have been reading this thread because lately I too think I am allergic to vodka and I have been trying to find similar stories. I am a 44yr old healthy female, I eat very well, exercise, etc. I don't drink in excess, but lately whenever I do drink vodka, after just a few sips, my face becomes extremely flushed and hot, my ears become red and hot, my entire upper body feels slightly itchy, and I get a headache, and I feel just miserable. I even feel a little "confused" for a bit, nothing serious, but just not myself. I don't think it matters what brand or type of vodka it is, it is just vodka.
I think I agree with "survivor"....my body is trying to tell me to stop drinking vodka as it has "turned" on me! It is very strange.
I think I agree with "survivor"....my body is trying to tell me to stop drinking vodka as it has "turned" on me! It is very strange.
White Male 28, drinks too much of everything. Smirnoff is the only vodka i've had lately, but the last two bottles have caused the same red blotchy symptoms that everyone is talking about. The only reason I add my post is that I also brew some of my own beer; using grains. I use different types of grains Wheat, Barley, Rice, ect... and I have no problems with drinking large amounts of the homebrew. Just thought I would share my doubts about the "grains theory", my money was originally and still is on the strain of yeast used and the by-products from it's fermentation process. I am however still looking for a slightly more diffinative answer.
At 50 y.o. I have had the worst reaction I have ever had, anyone else have the same symptoms? I had gray goose vodka and cranberry about 4 drinks in 4 hours and the proceeded to have the most violent abdominal spasms and vomiting and dry heaves for the next 12 hrs. Alternate chills and hot feeling. Severe pounding headache. I am assuming it was an allergy type reaction. Have had "cheap" stuff in Bloody mary's etc previously without any problem. Found out later my daughter had same type of reaction once, and it's to the "good" vodkas. Any thoughts?
I recently gave birth to my second child, so I haven't had a drink in about a year. Sunday was the Super Bowl and I had my first drink since giving birth. I've had a couple of drinks every night since then (today is Wednesday), never more than four but usually one or two. The first few nights I drank Bacardi rum mixed with Diet Coke, I don't recall having any type of reaction. Last night and tonight I drank Popov Vodka mixed with Monster M-80 (energy drink). Last night after my first drink I started to become congested, with a stuffy runny nose. Tonight after my second drink the same is happening, but my I have itchy eyes as well. I must be allergic to one of these things and I'm starting to think it's the cheap vodka. I think I'll experiment a little to see if I have a different outcome. Just wondering if any one else has symptoms similar to mine.
Glad to see this post still hangin' in there after three years or so!
Glad to see this post still hangin' in there after three years or so!
Ive been drinking quite a lot of vodka for the past 13 years, especially friday nights but then Ive starting to get a very red face the morning after which lasts the whole day or even days after. I have always drank most drinks but vodka was my favourite, I had lots of appointments with a specialist at the hospital and he thinks it is work chemical related but Ive realised that its fine when I leave the vodka. It almost got to a point of me leaving work cos I was so embarrassed of how red my face was. I gave up vodka and the redness went, I stick to beer now but last week after my beers I had a WKD and sure enough on the saturday my face was bad again which I think shows it must be the trigger. I would love to know if it is he vodka itself or an ingredient in it, maybe Ill never know. I have an appointment with a London specialist next week so will have to see how that goes, its a chemical patch test they are doing on me. Ive been told that even if your body hasnt got a problem with a chemical, drink, metal, etc, if it is subject to it over a long period of time it might suddenly become intolerant to it, like your body just says, "thats it, no more". I hope I will get more answers to this problem but trial and error day to day helps you learn and discover what your body has problems with too.
I am a 35 yr old caucasian female and have been having all the same symptoms that you all have been talking about after drinking vodka. This last year I found out I am allergic to wheat. I have completely cut it out of my diet and have felt much better. I also am allergic to nuts, so I cut my favorite drink- Amaretto Sour. Over the last couple months I switched to vodka drinks like cosmos. Most of the time I feel all the symptoms that y'all have been talking about. Recently, I found out that a lot of these vodkas are made from wheat. That's why I feel so bad after. And certainly, the more I drink, the worse it is - especially the next day. Now I just need to remember which vodkas I can and can't have so this won't keep happening. Here is a list:
• Wheat: Stolichnaya (made from a blend of wheat and rye), Grey Goose, Ketel One, Snow Queen, Van Gogh (made from a blend of wheat, corn, and barley), La Chance, Vox, Polar Ice, Absolut
• Rye: Belvedere
• Barley: Finlandia, Koskenkorva
• Corn: Smirnoff
• Potato: Chopin, Teton Glacier, Monopolowa, Vikingfjord, Luksosowa
• Grape: Cîroc, Bombora
I suggest if u are having a problem with a certain brand, try switching based on what they're made from and see if that fixes the problem. I do fine with Belvedere, for instance. But last night even though I asked for Belvedere in my Lemon Drop, I'm sure they added Absolute Citron. I feel awful today. Need to be more careful next time.
From Northern Ireland and find Smirnoff makes me go itchy and red in the face. Locally produced Scotch/Irish whiskey and poitin does not have this effect. Glens I have drank a few times and find it a rubbish vodka, makes you still relatively sober and insane at the same time
Same thing- I can drink other types of alcohol except vodka! Whenever i drink it i get really sick. As my friends like to remind me i tend to get white girl wasted, but when i drink vodka i barf everytime, and if i dont my head pounds and i get red.
The scariest side effect is my throat gets very swollen. I thought it was because i had been barfing, but it swells alot even when i dont barf.
Anyone else have throat swelling?
The scariest side effect is my throat gets very swollen. I thought it was because i had been barfing, but it swells alot even when i dont barf.
Anyone else have throat swelling?
I am a Caucasian (white) female who has a naturally low tolerance for vodka. How ever I sneeze whenever I drink Raspberry Smirnoff vodka and have not noticed an issue with plan vodka of the same brand. I am curious as to what makes flavored vodka potentially more allergenic.
I had a similar reaction: 9-2-12 I grabbed a couple of cheap steel reserve beers and a 12 pack of sierra nevadas on an empty stomach at lunch to a friends house. Had the two 24 ounce cheap beers and drank one sierra, had a burger then I mixed two drinks half and half with orange juice and a cheap mixer. I was planning on heading through town and have a beer, and I got this flush reaction like you folk. Anyhow i cancelled and was a bit concerned, never had it before. I am a red blooded american constitutionalist who just happens to be caucasion, but nevertheless I was flustered. Live in the mountains and ran the ac all the way home and crashed. Never have I experienced this before. However I am quite curious about two things: One being what grains they are using, and two if we are possibly being poisoned... afterall all this has to go through our oligarchic buearocratic ilk before we get to be the testing ground... Anyhow just pondering.
I had the same problem!! my face turned red and splotchy twice. i am a white female.
and i do believe it was smirnoff...
I too have had this reaction to vodka I went to my doctor he said I was allergic to the vodka, probably due to the way it is distilled in oak barrels
Wow...Was wondering about the vodka thing myself. All of a sudden at the age of 55 I have a terrible reaction to vodka the minute I swallow it. I begin sneezing and can't stop and my head gets congested. I did notice before the sneezing that last year I was getting the red blotches all over. It is driving me crazy. Have they changed the distilling process for the vodka's and this is causing the problem? It just seems weird to develope such an allergy after all of these years.
I think its Asian flush,look it up,the same happen to me,just recently,I thought it was only Vodka products so I gave Tequila a try and the same results, :( you body is giving you a warning sign, It's really a serious matter,it may or may not get wrost,look it up,I did and found tons of information on it,google alcohol allergy's