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Back and Shoulder Pain when drinking hard liquor

By dmsalmon | 72 posts, last post
Iliriana Bisha Tagani, MD answered this What Causes Shoulder Pain After Drinking Alcohol?
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dmsalmon

I have been scouring message boards trying to find an answer to my agony. Whenever I drink hard liqour or sugary mixed drinks, I am in AGONY. I have excruciating shoulder and back pain where my muscles seem to just tighten up and I get extremely hot and feel sick. It takes a while for this feeling to subside, and I always contribute it to sitting and drinking instead of getting up and walking around for some reason. Just the thought of my husband rubbing my shoulders when I start feeling that way makes me sick to my stomach. Has anyone else experienced this??? I have read many threads saying many people have stomach problems/possible ulcers, but the pain just radiates in my shoulders and back. I have always had back problems and pain with just being 24 years old, and hard liquor just seems to applify this. Occasionally beer will do this also, but wine never does. My husband always makes fun of me for this and says I'm acting like a baby - I am not a hypochondriac. The pain is so severe sometimes that not even laying down or stretching can make it go away. The best feeling ever is when the pain subsides! Sometimes I try to just keep on drinking in high hopes that the pain will disappear, but most of the time I end up just throwing away my drink and ending the night early. Any answers to this would be GREATLY appreciated! I can't seem to find an answer to this anywhere.

alliejd

I had the same problem; awful shoulder pain when I drank cheap vodka. Go figure. I also had bad uncontrolled GERD for years, so I attributed it to that. I recently discovered through a catscan and mri that I have liver nodes and cysts due to years of taking birth control pills. I read today that sometimes liver cysts can fill with blood when consuming alcohol and cause awful shoulder pain. Eureka! That may be the problem. I have well controlled GERD now and avoid vodka, but now and then I still have shoulder pain -- only when having alcohol. So maybe it's the liver cysts.
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Guest

I know EXACTLY what you are talking about. mine started in Oct. at a wedding. I had pain in my epigastric area when drinking liquor. I was in so much pain i was sitting down and crying. December I drank liquor again and had the same pain. I am a sonographer and I scanned myself and saw what I thought to be liver cysts. I have never had them checked by a doctor though. Tonight I went and had a sugary liquor drink and my back and shoulders tightened up so badly I couldn't breathe. I was in so much pain I couldn't get up off of my living room floor. About 20 minutes later the pain subsided (just like it did before) and I looked up info online and found your posts. I am puzzled as to why I was in so much excruciating pain. I guess it's either ulcers or liver cysts. I just had mri's, ultrasounds, xrays and cat scans and nothing was found. but none of the exams were aimed toward the liver area.....If anyone else has any more information on what this could be please let me know. I am never drinking liquor again it was so painful.glo
:-(
Thanks.
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Guest

p.s. it never happened when I drank beer...????~!~~
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jwitte

I feel the same pain, but mine is in my back, shoulders and stomach!!!! It does hurt so bad that i cry and roll all over the livingroom floor. by boyfriend thinks im crazy. It seems to happen more with cheap vodka. It last to 20 min or to an hour. I could really say, its wayyyyyy worse than labor pain BY FARR!!!! I really am to afraid to tell my doctor. ps. what does help with me is puking than drinkin pepto.. sick i know
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Jessica Black212210

In case anyone else comes across this thread while googling "shoulder/neck pain induced by alcohol," I want to add some information about the unique link between alcohol induced neck pain and Hodgkin's Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes. I had this alcohol pain in 2006 and couldn't find an answer for 9 months. Eventually I was diagnosed with stage II cancer. I am healthy today but always trying to help others to avoid waiting so long to figure it out. Pain in the neck, back, or chest pain that starts after drinking a small amount of alcohol and then subsides within a half hour--- is a very rare but very specific symptom of Hodgkin's. The good news it that its usually a very early symptom if that's what it is. The other good news is that Hodgkin's, while very serious, has a very high cure rate. Other symptoms (although you may not have them --I didn't) could be night sweats, fever, unexplained weight loss, or a hard swollen lymph node (clavicle area, groin, neck). Here is a medical article explaining the symptom (be sure to click through to the 2nd page as well, where it described the symptom). http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1010854/?page=1 Ask your doctor about running some tests.Typically blood work and ultra sounds are not enough. A chest x-ray would be a good place to start but a biopsy (surgical not needle) is the only way to get a definite diagnosis.

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Renee

ehI have the SAME problem. I get it in my lower back and it travels up my back into my shoulders and then it's gone..not before I end up laying down for the duration..it doesn't last long ( in retrospect) but it is excruciating when it happens. It doesn't happen everytime I drink but it happens often enough. I always thought I was the only one ( Like when I sneeze when I walk into a really bright space lol) Beigng as I KNOW the pain you feel, I am sorry for it ..but it is nice to know I'm not alone!

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poetslair

I have experienced the same exact thing for the past three or four years! I can't have one drink! After finishing the drink I am writhing in pain in my stomach, back through my shoulders...it is an all over body ache for about twenty minutes! I haven't been able to drink in years. I also have Fibromyalgia and haven't been able to lose weight easily. I get alot of kidney stones as well. Thank you for this thread, I will talk to my doctor about this next time I see her.
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ROBIN

FIRST TIME IN MA LIFE I EXPERIENCED THE SAME................., LAST 15DAYS EVERYDAY I USED TO DRINK ALCOHO.... 2DAYS BEFORE I TAKEN WHISKYY ND WAS HAVNG A SMALL STOMACH ACHE... YESTERDAY NGT I TAKEN RUM, OHHH GOD TODAY MORNING I STARTED PAIN OERALL MY SHOULDER ND NECK.... I WAS ROLLLING DOWN ND CRYNG CANT CONTROL THE PAIN......... TILL NW AM HAVNG THE PAIN............. DOES I NEED 2 HAVE ANY CHECKUP

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stecar_302265302265

I use to get a pain that started in my chest and worked its way up to my shoulders and the back my neck. I only get this from fruity drinks. I would be in so much pain I would lay down and force my chest out words to relieve the pain. It would last for about 10-15 min always thought it was an allergic reaction or a bad case of heart burn 

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Gf girl

So glad I finally looked this up and found this post! This has been happening to me for over a year now. Horrible pain in my shoulder, upper arm and back. It's hit and miss w/liquor. Vodka almost always does it and sometimes whiskey. I always think people are crazy when I say it's happening. It only lasts 10-15 minutes but during that time there is nothing that will ease the pain. Now after reading everyone's posts I'm curious what medical issue it may be :/
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Angeline

I wish we could find a reason for this. I too have the shoulder, upper trunk pain from certain cocktails. It only happens when I have what I call a "Foo-Foo" fruity cocktail. The pain is so intense it gets me up from the chair walking and pacing. If I'm home I roll around on the bed in pain for 10 -15 minutes. I have searched and searched thinking it was an allegy to the presevatives in some the mix ingredients but can't seem to narrow it down.  Never happens when I drink anything but the mixed fruity drinks. Wine, beer, vodka etc -- all good. 

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Carol in upstate NY

My problem, too. I can drink aliqueur glass of sweet stuff and I'm in agony fnything and in whatever volume, but half a or what feels like forever--chest pain deep in sternal area and radiating through the back, and aching in the arm down into fingers--a dull horrible ache so eerily like the acute pancreatitis attack I had years ago, post-gall bladder removal. Felt like gall bladder attack as well.  Never happened to me before the GB was removed. I'm wondering if the high  sugar content mixed with alcohol drives the sphincter of odi into spasm, similar to a gall bladder attack. Hurts so bad, you're banging your head and feel like you're dying, and time seems to stand still. Takes ages for it to dissipate (20 minutes or longer). I suspect the high sugar AND alcohol mix taxes one's ability to detoxify the alcohol while attempting to metabolize the sugar spike / insulin demand. I asked my endrocrinologist about this and she said she'd never heard of this problem before, so I doubt anyone has figured out we're suffering from it out here. Best thing to do is avoid the Buttershots and Chambord and Rum Runners, and stick to beer...

 

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Guest

Well, I felt this the first time after I have an epidural during the birth of my first son.   I just thought is was the fact that I havent drank in quite some time.  But then I began getting these welling pains.  First up my spine and then my arms! I have chonic arm pain & if I drink, it is horrible!  So I dont drink sugary drinks.  But dont get me wrong if I have an occassion, that sh*t will hit me hard!  WTF!  (whats that from?)

 

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Awalke

I have been to the doctor and chiropractor for this same issue. They all think I am crazy. It has happened to me for the past 15 years. I have no liver cysts and no cancer. I have found that I can drink any alcoholic drink as long as it has NO citrus. If it even has a little I am I extreme pain for 20 minutes or more. If I drink Wi e and there is citrus in my food, I will also have the reaction. It makes it difficult since many drinks have orange, lime, or lemon I them. Also many beers you put in one of the citrus fruits. Hopefully one day I will find the answer. It is nice to read that I am not the only oneed though.
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