CAN ALCOHOL AFFECT JOINTS?

This happens to me too. It can happen an hour after a small glass of wine, and last 6 hours. The joints in my hands swell and ache. I can't get my wedding ring to come off.  I was told I may be reacting to the sulfites i the wine.

good god i know how u all feel the pain gets that bad in my elbow joints i can hardly pull the cork oot the vino bottle .thought it was all in my head as i get it in the elbows, wrists,lower back ,shoulders ,chest really any where there,s a joint but it wears off during the wk as i dont drink when im working the next day and it does get better as i drink loads off water during the wk oh happy days

I've been suffering from joint pain for years after drinking wine, whisky or beer.  Not so much with beear but wine and any hard liquor always does the trick.

I started researching the matter further and found a possible link to a side effect from the sulfites used in most alcohol as an anti bacterial, anti discolorant and form of "natural" preservative.

Most if not all wine will indicate on the back of the bottle that it contains sulfites.  Sulfites have been known to cause headaches and although not enough research exists to link it to joint pain, my suspicion is that the cause of my joint pain after driking wine is that my body is having a reaction to sulfites.  I only get these pains after having a drink or two so I just avoid it altogether.

Funny how I was on vacation recently and had a few mojitos .... with no adverse effect.  Later that day I had a glass of wine with dinner and couldn't walk the rest of the night without intense discomfort. 

I live in Taiwan and visit a Chinese Dr. when I have muscle or nerve issues. Acupuncture can really help clear those issues up. Last time I went however, he told me (my GF in Chinese :) and she translated). He said I don't need acupuncture, I just need to stop drinking so much beer and avoid certain seafoods and mushrooms. The reason is because the substance in beer and these foods called purine apparently can cause gout...a symptom of which is pain in the joints.

I am sensitive to suliftes and have the same symptoms. Most alcohol contains sulfites. Wine definitely has sulfites. Sulfur is used in the process of making wine and beer. My symptoms usually occur about 12 hr later. Hope this helps

I think so. It just occurred to me that wine was causing my elbow and wrist pain. The same happened to me. I hadn't had any pain then the night I had two glasses of merlot I woke up with terrible elbow and wrists pain. I remembered when I had been drinking before this had happened. This is the first time i've made the connection.

this reply is from a heavy drinker. I am 45 and have been a heavy drinker since the age of 18. never had any problems until 2 years ago, when i started to get severe joint pain. Having never heard of that as a symptom of alcoholism, i went to the va and had all kinds of tests done, just to be told i am healthy. Although these pains dont happen always,it has started to affect me more regularly. i have severe pain in my buttocks, legs, knees,feet and right hand. tThe pain doesnt always happen to all parts, sometimes just my foot or one leg. After talking with other heavy drinkers ive found that these conditions are common, but they're just not talked about because everyone thinks it's something else(not alcohol). I am now cutting way back on my drinking, and trying to reach a point of No alcohol.

From what I've read it seems like some of these are worth a shot...

 

Add Lemon to your drinks

Maybe drink vodka w/ pinapple (b/c of the Bromelain)

Maybe try an antihistamine?

Definitely drink at least 1 bottle of water before you go to bed (the more the better.. alternating between drinks seems good too).

If you have the pain, try eating celery sticks.

I also read NAC helps.  I use to take Liver Fix by Myogenix every day (which has NAC in it among other great things for your liver) and I think that may have helped b/c today I felt the pain and I didn't take it for the last few days.

I found this suppliment from Now Foods, that I'm probably going to buy.  It helps digestion.

Here is a supplement w/ Bromelain and Quercetin (a natural antihistemine) - NOW® FoodsQuercetin with Bromelain 400 mg/100 mg / 120 Vegi Caps (I'll prb get this b/c of reading this tread)

Anyway, I'm not sure if this stuff will work, but it's def worth a shot.  Thanks!

 

i am curious about this as well.. i can be a hypochondriac and had joked to my friends that i had gout, but im in my late 20's and otherwise healthy.  i first experienced a pain in my hips i hadn't ever had before after a big night of drinking.. i'd had red wine at home , nearly a bottle and ended up at a bar later where i drank a lot of jameson.  needless to say i drank too much.. but if i drink too much wine or anything else alcoholic i dont get the hip pain.  it only happens with jameson for some reason.  now i know i should just stay away from jameson but im just super curious to see if there's a scientific explanation for this... or if anyone else had ever experienced it.  seeing all your comments has me thinking this must be a real thing with a real cause.. joint pain associated with alchohol.. but for me, why just jameson? 

yes it is beer cause more acidity and uric acid worsen the problem

you have some thing called Beat Knee as I have the same

According to webmd, heavy drinking can cause a form of nerve damage known as alcoholic neuropathy, which can produce a painful pins-and-needles feeling or numbness in the extremities as well as muscle weakness.  I am a heavy drinkier and suffer the same aches and pains as discussed. 

I've also read elsewhere that another reason that this is common among heavy drinkers is that they'll pass out on top of their wrist or hand or in an awkward position or whatever, with the body part "falling asleep," but the person is too drunk/passed out to move to relieve the pressure.  A sober person would just adjust their body while sleeping so as to remove the pressure.  Not sure if this helps - just wanted to add this since I didn't see it addressed it anywhere (although I could have missed it).

thank you for clearing my doubt

It is quite possibly Gout. I have been suffering the same myself for many many years and had every possible blood test and liver and kidney check out there - plus more, expecting it to be my liver. However I recently (after more than15 years of severe pain whenever i drank alcohol) had a Uric Acid blood test, and Gout was diagnosed. If it is gout (and it probably is) then it is possible to control it (and still drink) as you can get a steroid injection, along with a pain relief injection, and that can hold back the pain for up to 6 weeks at a time. I only wish I had of known this some years ago. Take note that it is best to have the blood test near to the time of your suffering this pain....as Uric acid levels can change drastically and high Urate levels are more apparent in your blood - when you are suffering a Gout attack and reduce greatly when you are not in pain. I hope this helps you,as all the money and doctors in the UK were of no help to me whatsoever, until I was diagnosed on holiday in Thailand at one of their excellent hospitals.

I have noticed that the left outer side of my knee and left ankle are terribly sore the morning after drinking. I've never been diagnosed w/ arthritis. It is so painful that for about 2 days I use heat and ice to try to get relief. I have just lately put 2 and 2 together, and now reading others have noticed the same problem, I'm laying off the alcohol for a time, so when I have my next bout w/ the bottle, I'll really take notice to see if that is the culprit!