Hey everyone I've been continuing to research this. I posted my experiences a couple pages back so I wanted to share an update. I am not a doctor and this is not medical advice, just a description of what I am trying. After continuing to work on this issue with my Dr, he has suggested we try Ranitidine (Zantac) 300mg per day(before bed) for heartburn (instead of a PPI), and 4 hours before I drink take otc Allegra (an H1 blocker). Allegra-D which has an additional pseudoephedrine decongestant is not ok, only the OTC Allegra Allergy without the decongestant. H1/2 being histamines, the drugs being antihistamines will therefore block all histamines in the body. My doctor thinks that this could be an allergic reaction to alcohol since fermented beverages are high in histamines. It may not necessarily be that I am "allergic" to alcohol but that I am histamine sensitive and that the alcohol may be putting me over the top. There are lots of foods high in histamines e.g. cheese, alcohol, vinegar, and cured meats(bacon, salami, pepperoni, luncheon meats and hot dogs). That pretty much describes my diet (bad I know). Haven't drank yet as I just started the drug switchover yesterday, but I will respond back once I have. If there is anyone already taking this combination of drugs and still experiencing this situation, please post your findings so we can eliminate that as a possibility. I read the entire blog (before it switched threads even), and I don't remember reading anything about histamines.
I am a weekend low carb beer drinker, 51 years old and tolerated alcohol Since I can remember. Last august i started to wake up in the morning with the pounding heart when I moved and it would last for an hour. It didn't happen all the time but enough that i started to worry about the mornings after having beers. Last weekend a had a few beers watching a movie and it began while watching the movie. It went all night . I finally woke my husband and had him take me to the ER. Like everyone else nothing wrong with my ekg or blood work. doctor thought I had anxiety . I told him i had alcohol and he agreed it was the alcohol and I was anxious. I am not an anxious person.
it just doesn't make sense that everyone on this thread had the sudden onset of this condition after years od alcohol tolerence. Could it be a vitamin/mineral imbalance or a metabolic change.
I had this exact same thing after years of drinking. What it is, is you have forgotten how to sleep correctly, just like I did. I stopped drinking and could not sleep for two days, on the third day my heart was pounding because the hormones and melatonin were just not back. When you are a heavy drinker after years of doing it you change how your body operates and you suppress all these compounds. The body needs them for sleep which is how we repair and restore ourselves. After that third day my levels came back and my rapid heart just stopped beating that way and I was able to get to sleep. Its funny when you are drinking you forgot how to fall asleep, yes there is away to do it, you actually concentrate on your breathing and as the compounds kick in they synch your breathing to heart rate and you don't feel it and you fall asleep. Sorry to be the bearer or bad news but it is the long time alcohol that is doing this. Good luck, if you want to quit its going to be a horrible 2-3 days until your body adjust back to being normal but after it does you will never look back. Hope that answers a lot about this issue. If you still want to drink and try to stop the rapid heart rate the only way is with more alcohol as that is the only way your body now knows to deal with it. Sorry....
Hi all,
I too suffer from this problem, but it comes and goes for me and its currently back. The way it goes down for me is I wake up after sleeping for about an hour, my heart is racing, and im really hot. Sometimes alcohol makes me really congested too, sometimes it doesnt. If I take a claritin D before I drink, I can breathe greath, but I usually pay the price later in the night with palpitations. I hate it, it makes me want to never drink again and I really enjoy craft beer. I too have had bloodwork, ekg's, worn a holter monitor and even had an echo done. All negative, my heart is healthy as can be. I dont know if any medical experts have chimed in because i didnt read all 10+ pages, but since I am a Cardiac Critical Care RN, ill weigh in with what I know and touch on some of the theories ive seen here.
Alcohol intolerance: This can be caused by an Aldehyde Dehydrogenase deficiencey, or simply by an allergic reaction to some of the ingredients in your drink. In either case, it should feel like an allergic reaction: Stuffy nose, possibly a rash, and lowered blood pressure which leads to racing heart. The heart speeding up is a compensatory mechanism to counter the low blood pressure. This keeps blood perfusing. Its unlikely that at age 40 you'll suddenly stop making Aldehyde Dehydrogenase, its a condition that one is born with. If you experience these symptoms then its probably an allergic reaction. This is also something that you would experience fairly quickly within having your first drink, and not suddenly at 3am.
Underactive thyroid: I can tell you from a medical perspective, this doesnt make sense as a cause for rapid heart rate. In fact, it usually causes the opposite; bradycardia. I deal with patients with atrial fibrilllation on a daily basis, and one of the blood tests we routinely check is the thyroid, but we are looking for overactive thyroid, not underactive. In extreme cases of overactive thyriod, you can have a condition called thyriod storm, and it can be fatal.
Dehydration: Alcohol is a diuretic, which can lower blood pressure. It also causes vasodilation, which drops blood pressure. When youre pressure drops, your heart speeds up to compensate. If youre heart is racing, you have a headache, and your mouth feels like the sahara desert, youre probably deyhdrated.
Anxiety: Well, alcohol can exacerbate existing anxiety. It can also cause anxiety. If you drink alcohol daily, or even 4-5 times a week, your body may likely have a built up a dependance to it. So at 3 am when all the alcohol is leaving your body, its possible you may be suffering from some mild withdrawal. If you suffer the next morning, its likely withdrawal. The relationshisp between Alcohol and Anxiety is complex. Be careful of using xanax or other benzos to fix this problem. Alcohol and benzos do not mix, they are cross tolerant. While they may make the problem bearable in the short term, you might wind up with an addiction problem down the road. Tread lightly.
Electrolyte deficiencies: Unlikely. Although long term alcohol consumption can lead to low magnesium levels and Mag does affect the heart. However, you would likely experience palpitations all day long, not just at 3am.
Sleep apnea: If you wake up suddenly with a racing heart, and it subsides within a fairly short amount of time, this could very well be the cause. Alcohol is known to cause and exacerbate sleep apnea. When you are apneic, your body gets low on oxygen, and your heart races. Again, this is a compensatory mechanism to make sure enough oxygen gets to all your body tissues. I feel like this may be the cause for me, and I do have diagnosed sleep apnea and do have a CPAP machine that i never use. I know, BAD RN! I think tonight I will have a few beers and wear my CPAP to see what happens. I will report back tomorrow.
I dont think there is a cookie cutter explanation for why we are all experiencing this. I think its probably a combination of many of the things that have been discussed. The key is to pay attention to your symptoms, when they started, and other associated symptoms (like dry mouth or stuffy nose). Youre blood pressure can also tell you a alot, so if you are able to, take your blood pressure when its happening. If your pressure is low and your heart is racing, its likely an allergic reaction/intolerance or dehydration. It your pressure is high, its likely anxiety.
A alcohol causes vasodilation leading to low blood pressure then heart rate increases to compensate
B. if u have sleep apnea decreases oxygenation then heart rate increased
Meanwhile beta blockers do give temporary relief from pounding heart.
I do want to enjoy drinks once in a while but not at this cost. Its extremely uneasy and threatening! I am 35 and have weekly drinking history for last 5 years.
Same here, could drink alcohol fine to around 20-21 years or so, i am now 27, and every time since when I drink only small amount I get this allergic kind of reaction(pounding heart, headache, high pulserate and excessive thirst and urination, and shitty feel. My life sucks after this, I loved to drink a glass of wine to diner for example = NO MORE. Nothing helps, beta blockers turn the heart pounding down but that is only symptom cover I think. Same happen with pure alcohol, beer, wine etc. Anyone have any clues? No anxiety, tried antihistamines, numerous supplements etc etc. Can it be a gene mutation?