chest pain and difficult breathing a few days after drinking

Well I thought this was caused by a electrolyte imbalance so I've been eating more salt throughout my day.  I posted about this a few weeks ago. 

Anyway, making sure I take in some salt at each meal has helped me a lot.  I get the chest pain much less.  Feel crappy a lot less too. 

I'm sure for many of you this won't make any difference and its not your issue.  But this could help a few of you.  If you only get this after drinking or after working out a lot and drinking a lot of water chances are your salt/electrolytes are not balanced.  Give it a try.  I had a very low sodium diet and I drink a ton of water.  So for me adding some salt has really helped.

Speaking of electolyte imbalances. Has anybody investigated the posibilty of the symptoms being related to a deficiency of magnesium, calcium and potassium.  Following a attack at 2am with restless twitching legs, difficulty in breathing and heart palpitations. I took anti-cramp supplement, and it seemed to help a little.  Further Googling has shown that alcohol (...and smoking but not so much) can interfere with Mg Ca and K balances and they all seem to kind of work together.  It would be interesting to see if a simple supplement could solve the problem or at least open the possiblity.

Next trip to the Doc, I will have him test me for Mg Ca and K deficiency.

 

Ive had this for 3 years now , I´m 29 years old . My cardiologist has told me my problem is sugar levels. I am not diabetic but after drinking alcohol - especially if i drink a lot and if I have been working hard or doing a lot of sport, the next day I experience all of the problems mentioned above . Its horribly . Phisically and mentally. Look up alcohol and sugar levels and see for yourself . Basically there is no cure or magic pill which will resolve our problem. It is very hard but the only thing we can try to do is not drink. AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHHHH. Or if you do drink - eat well , dont work hard or do exercise on the same day or the day after and eat some sugary food in emergency if you start feeling bad. But dont abuse as this problem will only get worse and more frequent as time goes by. Anxiety also has a part in this but after many years of alcohol abuse and destroying our sugar levels -  which has all the same symptoms as anxiety, this is more logical to me. Please contact me if you have any questions.  Ps. I didnt know so many people have this problem . Although it is sad to know so many are suffering like my self ,it is comforting to know I am not alone.

A few days ago I drank until I puked and I can remember as I was vomiting I experienced chest pains. It is 4 days later and my chest still hurts...help

The name of what we suffer is Hypoglycemia. Look it up on Wikipedia or ask your doctor. I only suffer after a night of alcohol abuse. If you suffer day to day , it is because you have a more severe case.  Carbohydrate foods will help but not cure.

Shortness of breath after drinking alcohol can easily be caused by a swollen liver -- especially for those already diagnosed with fatty liver. The process is very logical and straightforward. The swollen liver (just below yr ribs on the right hand side) pushes on the diaphram -- the sheet of muscle lying just below the lungs and which aids in breathing. Put simply the enlarged liver compresses the space in which the lungs have to operate and that causes a degree of shortness of breath.

Then other factors can kick in. Many people start to panic. This makes them hyperventilate. That in turn makes their breathing worse. You're already dehydrated and suffering withdrawal so your finger tips might start tingling. That frightens and disorients you even more. Quickly yr in a vicious cycle.

And then, as many people have said, you may or may not have acid reflux where tiny particles of liquid come up the gullet and over into the air passages. Again, that will restrict breathing somewhat.

In short, there are several things that could be going on at once if yr experiencing breathing difficulties with hangovers. If your hangover is accompanied by bloating, candidate number one is the liver. Ensure your doctor does a blood test looking for the usual markers of fatty liver and get it scanned. Good luck!

Just want to be one of the ones to offer reassurance to everyone here - I have had this problem in the past, severely, but it is no longer the case.

Hi,

I'm 47 and I've had about the same symptoms for 1 year.
I seldom or never get a hangover, but the day after in the afternoon, the breathing problems starts, and they are worst the next day again, and then usually I'm normal on day 3.
For the last year I also have had some strange sensations in my rib cage, to the left. It gets better if I use Diclofenac gel.
I've also had asthma since I was a child, and have acid reflux.
I think all this started after an infection where I ate a lot of antibiotics. Anyone else noticed this?
I also have a strange symptom, my throat gets horrible after I've been out in the sun, and I feel strange all over.
The breathing problems is usually not as bad if I don't do anything physical, no long walks, the day after drinking.
And the doctors are as usual clueless, and all blame reflux and/or stress.

Just to jump in on the bandwagon I too have experienced this exactly. After boozing shortness of breath. I've even experienced other symptoms that people have stated. Like not being able to sleep and feeling like the automechanism for breathing is temporarily out of service. I have to side with the advice people have provided here. I believe it is truly dehydration and some form of anxiety in the body. If anyone is experiencing this i would suggest they speak with their doctor for some confirmation. For me in the past I have taken xanax day after hangover's and it has resolved the issue. I would tend to believe that this is some how anxiety related for me. Otherwise xanax would not solve my issue. Also I used to be a chronic chronic smoker. I quit about 3 years ago and I would say that is when this started. Nothing cleared up hangovers like mary jane. So like I said it's all probably anxiety and dehydration. I'm going to the dr however to be sure.

 

Hi, was just wondering how long it took before it finally went away, im into day 4 now and like you still have the same effects?

Electrolytes

Hi all

First off let me say these symptoms are NOT anxiety, you get anxiety because of the symptoms which makes it worse.

I suffer from this and its really scary, and only happens after i drink a lot the night before:

Symptoms:

Heart pain
Tight Chest
Shortness of breath / feeling the need to breath deep but it doesnt work.

I have an accumulation of answers, i too have been to A&E and was given the all clear.

After drinking heavy your body suffers dehydration, vitamin and salt loss and your blood is thinned and high levels of alcohol are present.

Couple this with your heart working overtime and you can see why the day after its screaming at you.

Also my heart echo-cardigram showed that my heart was enlarged but only slightly.

SO

You have stressed your heart and blood to the point that it needs recovery, you can also find that alcohol affects the hearts natural electric function to beat properly.

the ONLY solution is not to binge but one way to help is to drink water inbetween drinks and make sure you replace the salts  and electrolites with either food or an ebergy drink.

Not a steadfast solution but its the obnly way not to drain your body and then suffer.

The shortness of breath i put down to the heart not working as efficient and also anxiety, but i honestly dont get anxious any more and it still happens.

 

 

 

Once again same symptom, after drinking heavily, shortness of breath, left chest pain and arm pain, big belly, unable to release gas or that how it feels, on top of your typical hangover effects like headaches etc. Well I am no expert or a Doc, but I believe it has a lot do with the breathing mechanism if you will. The diaphragm, it gets torn apart when we vomit, think about how much force/energy is required to expel the stuff the body does not want to deal with anymore. I get hammered about 3 times per year if that, and this is the first time that this has happened to me, it’s bad, I was about to go to the ER, I didn’t, instead I remained calm, the reason a person gets what they believe is anxiety attacks is because they are unable to breathe. Just listen to your gut feeling, I mean if you have some of these symptoms and you've been sober then go to the ER, seriously for a moment I believed I was about to have a heart attack, that’s about 24 hrs from waking up hungedover. I got hammered on Friday night its now Monday noon and the shortness of breath is going away slowly and still I don't feel like I am all here, might be the lack of oxygen, who knows. I am glad people communicate.

After reading everyone's posts, I was in shock that other people are experiencing the same or similar things that I do after drinking heavily.  Especially, the person that posted about the armpit pain, and shortness of breath. When I was younger, 17-23, I always prided myself on being able to "out-drink" everyone. I am a heavy beer drinker.  On the average weekend, I drink about 2 cases of beer, and maybe a few beers here and there through the week out of boredom.  Never really saw the point of drinking "a few beers" unless I got a "buzz" or sense of "relief" from everyday life.  I am now 26 and I realize how ridiculous that was/is and am seeking therapy. My symptoms consist of... trouble taking a "deep" breath, armpit/chest pain, restlessness, trouble swallowing, sweating, red blotches on my face, heart flutters, restless legs at night, confusion, depression, boredom, panic attacks, etc.  I am very concerned for my health, and the obvious solution is to stop drinking, or moderate intake.  However, we all know how hard that can be.  We get so accustomed to our social surroundings, and lifestyle, that it almost seems a chore to keep up with social events, family, etc.  I know that I drink out of boredom at times, and also that I binge drink for days sometimes to avoid the "after-effects" of heavy drinking the night before.  I too have had no luck with medical professionals. Diagnosed with "general anxiety disorder".  When one thinks of a "hangover", they tend to think of a headache or being dehydrated.  There is so much more going on than that, and I wish I knew more about what is going on with my body.  To the one that posted about the armpit pain, I offer this suggestion.  I have noticed that when I drink heavily, I sit on the couch in the same position for hours upon hours.  I lean on my elbow to the left, and I think that maybe some of that pain is from the position I sit in.  Possibly stretching the muscles in a unusual position, not realizing it. This is a complete theory, but I think that may have something to do with it; for me anyway.  Similar to passing out from intoxication in an akward position; floor, chair, etc.  Idk, maybe that's just what I tell myself.  I wish everyone the best in their search for answers.  And I will post an update if I find out anything pertaining to this topic..

Reading all these posts has been helpful.

FWIW, here's my story. I'm a 42 year old guy, 5'10" 220lbs (Wii Fit calls me "obese" but I've seen OBESE!). In general I don't think I drink much: A couple beers during the week, and a few on the weekend. I had a particularly c**p Valentine's, so I went out on a binge drink the following night. (Well, I actually went out for Mexican food, but ended up not eating and just drinking in their bar all night. Negra Modelo and Hornitos, if you want to know.) I pretty much think it was the most I've ever drank in one night. I had no intention of driving home, I just sat in my car in the parking lot and opened the door to barf every few minutes until I eventually passed out. I remember puking until there was nothing coming out.

The next day just felt like a hangover, nothing special that I can remember. I felt miserable, as expected, but that was it. BUT the day after that I woke up with chest pains and difficulty breathing. Most likely I'd hurt myself twisting around in my car seat while heaving my guts out the door.

I went to work and felt a bit out of it, still with the tight chest and difficulty breathing. I had Chinese for lunch - hot and sour soup and a big bowl of (delicious) dan dan noodles, and a couple pieces of my friend's deep fried fish. I was probably asking for it with the deadly combo of the spicy, the carbs, and the deep fried food. When I got back to the car I noticed I had gotten a parking ticket, which probably notched up my anxiety level.

When I got back to work, my boss had me working on an urgent project, which probably added a bit more stress.

Around 4pm I started feeling woozy. My difficulty in breathing came back, my chest felt tight - like a clenched fist in the middle of my ribcage, and I thought I was going to faint. I started to think it was a heart attack, and that probably amped up the anxiety too. I noticed my hands were sweating and my feet felt clammy in my shoes.

At the point I thought I wasn't going to make it, and that something serious was happening, I told my boss I couldn't finish the project and that I had to get to the ER.

All my tests came back negative. They said my heart was fine and the test for diabetes was negative. I was also diagnosed with an anxiety attack or perhaps acid reflux. They gave me meds for both.

Since all that (about two weeks now) I've had recurring episodes of the symptoms. I haven't been drinking and I've been very careful about what I've been eating, yet I get serious attacks where my heart starts racing, I can't breathe, and I get dizzy. I'd say there were four serious cases but each time I've tried rationalizing and riding them out. I'd say I've been feeling generally out of it ever since the ER - foggy headed and spacey, with an almost constant tightness below the ribcage slightly beneath it on my left hand side.

I don't think my anxiety levels were enough to trigger an anxiety attack, although I did panic when I thought I was having a heart attack and that added some bonus symptoms. I think I hurt the muscles in my chest from the violent vomiting, but the subsequent episodes of shortness of breath, irregular heartbeat, and dizziness have me concerned.