chest pain and difficult breathing a few days after drinking

Oh yes! thankyou everyone who has posted here, i have been suffering with breathing problems, chest pains, pins and needles in arms and legs, etc for around 6 months now. I thought i had something seriously wrong with me. It all started 6 months ago when i thought i was having a heart attack, went to a&e but came back all clear, and said i had a panic attack. From then on i have haeavy breathing mostly where i seem to have forgotton how to breath and i have to force myself. I had know idea this was linked to the booze until yesterday when i had another really bad epsiode where i thought i was on death's bed. The night before i had been drinking. Then i realised i had another bad epsiode a week ago on sunday, again after i had been drinking alot. It is strange but it comes on usually in the late afternoon when i had been feeling normal. I have found recently i will be panting for the next couple of days after too. I am so happy to have found the cause for this, i am now going to not drink at all for 2 weeks and see what happens just to clarify the situation. I am male and 32yrs old. Thanks all :-D

I have been suffering from alcohol related problems for about the last month or so. Started off with heart and chest pains which got me really worried. Was told it was gastritis and afte getting medication it went away after about a week and I Reduced drinking. Unfortunately for me my birthday was in may and being at university this of course meant alot of alcohol being drunk two nights in a row. Aftet this I got stomach pains. The medication stopped working although it went away after about two weeks. Again though it was our last weekend at uni so we went out three nights over the weekend and again now I feel like sh*t have chest pains and am haveing sever trouble breathing. Im back at home now though and am planning to lay off the alcohol as much as possible for the next few months to just clear all this stuff away. Its very frustrating and can be very worrying especially as i am a slight hypochondriac

I have had this for years, it all started when I would go out drinking days at a time, I also smoked while i drank, and the episodes started, very heavy chested, shotrness of breath, and the constant clearing of the throat. I could then go two days and the symptoms would happen, and then one day and it would happen, I literally pushed my body to the limits with my alcohol disease with numerous trips to the e.r. and every test imaginable. I got better for a while and now I feel like hell all the time and that is w/out alcohol. My body can't get over the hill to feeling better, If i try to workout, I over exert myself and get short of breath and always have achest pressure with constant clearing of the throat. I don't have asthma. I think I developed an allergy to alcohol and smoke. My body is deconditioned and just can't find a way to get a chance to better health and exercise. With the allergy, I think it might be anxiety, g.e.r.d., and nasal drip, and just the way I abused my body for years, I progressively wore it out and now everyday is a chore. I would like to know if anybody else has any info for me

Hi There

I too experience shortness of breath after drinking escapades. I imagine laying off the booze for an extended period is probably the best cure but is there anything else I should be doing or taking.

I have had my symptons for almost a year and have had lung function and blood tests that did not show up anything although I know I have a fatty liver.

Only just realised that it was after drinking that I got the symptons

This is the first site I've found with all the symptoms that I have experienced. I however am 59 and have been drinking beer all my adult life. The first time it happened was a few years ago. It was football season and I had a lot of beers that day. I woke up at 2 am and I couldnt breathe. I went to the er and they admitted me and kept me there for 3 days. All the tests they gave me came back negative and I could have stayed on the treadmill during the stress test because it was 3 days later. I abstained for 3 months and it was killing me not to have any beer. It seemed to go away but then it started to come back every time I had more than a few beers. I tried wine and it was not as bad but it still had an affect. The heart doctor (who doesnt drink) throws his hands up if I mention drinking beer so now I will only see him if I really think it's a heart problem. I also had asthma as a kid so I had all the lung tests but they came back negative as well. I am around a social group who drink a lot more than I do and it drives me crazy when I can't drink when I am with them. I am going to try hydrating more but I have my doubts.

i have been suffering from all these symptoms for years now. but it only happens when i drank too much and had nothing to throw up. i am suffering from all these symptoms as i type due to heavy drinking last sunday. i tried asthma pumps, i tried coffee and tea which i think is bad, especially when these are due to dehydration. maybe someone could give us concrete solutions to our problem. a before, during and after drinking solution for us not to suffer anymore. i drink 3 times a week, just enough for me to have a good night sleep, however there are times (evil times), maybe about once every 3 months, when i forgot how to control myself and ended up drinking too much. hope we could find ways to avoid this besides not drinking.

Google Alcohol and Anxiety. I have panic disorder. Whenever I drink heavily, my anxiety the next day increases ten fold. I experience the diffuculty breathing you describe.

Ditto here! I'm in my 40's and like my cocktails when I get home from work as it really relaxes me and helps me wind down and especially help fall asleep. I feel great and get up the next morning no problem. Around lunch time, it hits me. I feel the anxiety starting to set it. It starts with the heavy or labored breathing followed by belching so I take Xanax when I get to the belching part and I'm fine in about 15 minutes. I found that Clonazepam takes too long to work and does not help before the anxiety sets in. I'm glad I found these postings and understand it more. I was very confused why I felt fine in the morning then anxiety in the afternoon. I'm going to try the Gatorade and salts, and minerals such and calcium and magnesium, not to mention cutting down drastically on my drinking. I think today was the final straw and I've had enough of this. The funny thing though is that I'm in my 40's and this just started a few months ago. I guess my body is sending a message and chemistry is out of balance. I appreciate everyone's input in this discussion. Also, check out the herb Kudzu. It reduces alcohol consumption / cravings.

I am stunned to read this.

For the past 5 years but mainly 3 I have had this. I have had to make plans around it, knowing that the day after drinking I can't be in a space that I feel I can't get out of. I am a fit 28 year old, at the peak of fitness.

For me I have no pains but have horrid breathing issues and apnea that can last up to 12 hours the next day. Starts around 10 - 12 hours after the last drink. I don't believe I am alcohol dependant but my dad died of alcohol at the age of 53 in 2008.

Interesting theory on hydration, I find working out on a hangover and drinking loads of water cures this totally. I have not visited a doctor as I have learnt to deal with the symptoms. I too can have good days and bad days, but the pattern is consistent. I have had times so bad I have felt like death is imminient.

I find though that the fear of others knowing about it is the worst, so if I am in a restaurant or a car or a place I can'r escape from, it exaggerates it and makes it worse. That said, if I then remove myself from that enviroment it goes, so I know therefore this is not a punctured lung or asthma attack etc.

I am going to follow this thread and post again... Relieved to find others with the exact same issue - thought it was just me. I also was going to stop smoking, I found cutting down helped, but again I think it's all part of the pyschology of it all. I find swallowing and eating can be awkward in the state aswell. Kind of feels like your throat is narrower and your not getting enough oxygen.

I am the above person, wanted to add some info.

I only drink wine mainly, sometimes preceeded by a couple of pints if it is summer and I have been out. I am a binge drinker, usually spending a couple of nights drinking, and usually a couple of bottles a night. I can have more though. I never have just the 1 drink, as I enjoy drinking, so instead choose to have nothing to drink, or go all out.

I have sometimes had to deal with the symptoms at work the day after. I work shifts in an emergency service role, and sometimes if I dirnk before an afternoon at work, I get the symptoms. Nobody knows about them but I have had to be passenger/drive a car at very high speds before whilst feeling like I am running out of breath / that my throat is closing etc etc. In some ways it has helped as it literally cannot get any worse, and I have told my mind "cmon, lets see how bad you can make this". The worst it seems to get is I get quite dizzy as the oxygen is not being processed properly, and continue to breathe quickly and shallowly. It does always pass though.

When experiencing this phenomina, I am unable to hod my breath or down a drink of water, as I am unable to stop myself breathing. This is due to the feeling I am not breathing enough in the first place. I have checked in the mirror before to see if I am going blue, but I always look fine.

I tend to cope with the symptoms by fidgeting and if I try and stay still, sometimes I twitch which is out of my control. However, nobosy has ever noticed me suffering and I have ridden out the symptoms in some difficult scenarios like hemmed in a car, a restaurant, a small boat, a public gathering etc etc

Ultmimatley I know it is in my mind, but the symtpoms are very real. I too get some tingling on occasion, and sweaty palms. The thing I do notice though is my heartbeat. I can feel it pounding strongly through my body. A doctor friend of mine says any abnormal conciousness of heartbeat is a palpatation. I guess then that is what is happening - but I am not convinced. I can see my stomach move with my heartbeat when in this state. I can also feel my heartbeat in my throat and chest, like a hammer.

So happy to see this....i'm dying here at the minute!!! Just after a 4 day binge and have all the symptoms, sore chest, hard to breath kinda, tingles in right arm (noticed one other person had the tingles), find i am always reaching to rub my left chest and was confinced i had some heart problem!!

I am a cyclist and in decent shape, since iv started the cycling though, is roughly when i started noticing this problem and its interesting to note alot of the people on this thing have said they keep in shape?!?!?! I drink much less often than i used to at uni where i drank everyday, but now im off the sauce for weeks and then hit it much harder!!

I was worried but this has helped, should i still go to docs for checks anyway??

I'm not positive, but I feel like I'm experiencing the same thing. I drank heavily two nights ago, and since then every bite of food I eat is very painful going down, and it burns for a few seconds then eases up. My chest also feels very heavy, and I constantly have this feeling that there is food stuck in my throat. I know it isn't heartburn, because I know what that feels like. Does anybody else have these same problems when eating/swallowing?

I am so glad to hear that I'm not the only one experiencing this problem!!! I too have trouble breathing and chest pains after a night of drinking.... I have went to the doctor and they have also suggested asthma or anxiety as the issue, but neither an inhaler or anxiety pills have helped...i have also tried asid reflux medication and that hasnt helped either... i have missed work because of this and it gets real bad sometimes.... i think i get anxiety because i get scared that i cant breath right... i dunno what to do...obvious answer is no drinking....but i would really like to know if there is a serious issue that is being aggrivated?

Wow! Finally I find people in the same boat as me. I have ALL of the symptoms mentioned. Episodes of: Severe shortness of breath, tunnel vision, numb/tingling in the arms, weak in the knees, etc. The worst for me is the breathing problems. 30 year old male, good health, heavy drinker. I MAY be able to give some answers.

I started a new "heavy duty" 12 week workout routine. I was lifting and EATING like crazy. I got to week 7, did my wednesday workout, went out drinking and smoking like every wednesday, and started having difficulty breathing. Didn't think too much of it at the time, and over the next couple of days I could still feel the chest pressure and breathing trouble, but it got a little better.

The next wednesday; did my workout, ate a crapload of food and protein shakes, went out drinking/smoking, and BOOM, it hit me HARD the next day. I thought I was having an asthma attack. This was about 7pm the next night, and the "episode" lasted about an hour. Scared the sh!t out of me, and I really thought I was about to lose consciousness. Had my had on my cell, already dialed up to 911 just in case.

After that, I thought something was seriously wrong with either my heart or lungs. Stopped the workout immediately, and two days later went to the ER to have tests done. Had all bloodwork, ekg, x-rays, the full work up. Everything came back clear. Still had pretty bad breathing issue's.

Doc came back and said he thought it was acid reflux. I didn't believe him at all, and was quite mad that he wasn't taking my breathing trouble seriously. He gave me zantac and sent me on my way. I started keeping a sort of journal of my day to day habits to get down to the bottom of it. I noticed that after I ate, the shortness of breath would be worse. I had smaller and smaller "episodes" for the next few days, and the breathing still would not subside. At day 10 or so, the breathing FINALLY got better, but by this time I'm scared to eat, drink or smoke. I haven't had a drop of alcohol or a cigg since that one bad attack.

Well, the more I've looked into it and researched, I think the doc may be correct. It seems to be acid reflux, but not typical heartburn type acid reflux. The symptoms seem to be more LPR reflux (Laryngopharyngeal Reflux). Google that and I think many of you will find your answer. I put myself on prilosec otc one week ago, and feel a little better every day, but only because I haven't been drinking or smoking, or even eating for that matter. I've lost 14 pounds in two weeks, I can't eat more than 4-5 bites at a time or I feel the lump in my throat (which leads to the episodes if I continue eating), I haven't been working much at all, I'm broke, no insurance, and miserable. All I want to do is go to the bar and drink this away, but that's the LAST thing I will do. I don't know if I can handle another attack like the first one after a night of drinking.

I was getting better, and yesterday I decided to try a light weightlifting workout and stretch routine. Well, sure enough, I worked out around 2pm, and at 8pm, another attack. Lasted about half an hour, but afterwards I always feel loopy for another 2 hours or so. Woke up at 3am, couldn't breath, had to get up and walk around the house for 20 minutes.

I've come to the conclusion that it's probably because of the stretch routine. I do a couple of stretches and ab workouts where my chest/stomach area is higher than my head (i.e. standing on head type things). Well, I'm imagining this just forced the acid from my stomach back into my throat and lungs. The stomach acid hits the voicebox and can get into the lungs, burning the cells. This causes swelling of the tissues in the esophagus, hence the "trouble swallowing/lump in throaght/constriction". It also burns the cells in the lungs, causing the shortness of breath. It takes time for it to heal, hence the breathing problems taking time to dissipate.

I'm researching all I can on this c**p, but so far it's not looking too good. The strange thing is is that I also had slight asthma as a kid, and it happens the worst after drinking just like a lot of people here. I really do think it's the LPF reflux I mentioned, and the alcohol is a major trigger for it. I think mine was brought on from overeating, then going out drinking all night. I'm planning on giving it a little time, but I don't think I've ever been this miserable in my entire life. Another week or so if I'm not better I'm going to go to an ENT doctor to see what they have to say. I just can't function like this.

I wrote the above post. I just wanted to chime in and say that I was wrong about the acid reflux. Turns out that wasn't it at all. Panic Attacks are what it's looking like I've been having. If anyone is still reading this, I just didn't want to give out the wrong info. Google "panic attack" and see if you match up. Good luck.