Pain/cramp in jaw bone esp. after drinking alcohol

hey interesting suggestion, I might try this out, see what happens. :)

Actually I'm glad I found this thread.. at first I kinda thought I was alone on this.... but glad to know I'm not the only one......:D

Hmmm.. I have considered the genetic factor... I'm Asian btw... and wondered if it could be some alcohol allergy or something like that.. However, having said that... I live in an asian society where tons of people drink and don't experience my condition...

Hi all, I'm pretty sure I know what triggers this problem as I have suffered from it for years. I kept a food diary for 12 months to try and pinpoint the trigger for it. I found that every time an incidence of jaw pain happened what I had consumed contained sodium benzoate ( also known in Australia as Preservative 211). It is used in foods as a preservative and i found that wines and many beers aso contain this even when it is not stated on the packaging as an ingredient. Many cheap colas and other soft drinks contain this also. Nearly all premixed spirits contain it also. Have only found a couple of brands that don't.
This stuff is bad, look it up. It is creeping into alot of our foods and causes many problems especially in children. And as far as I can tell all things containing Benzene are carcinogenic. Our food manufacturers have alot to answer for!!! I hope this clears this up for many people, took me years to figure it out. Make a note of what you have eaten when an incident occurs and then find out the ingredients. I bet you will find that the nasty Sodium Benzoate is present every time.

You may well be salicylate-sensitive like I am and indeed sodium benzoate is culpable! Google it ans see!

Just tried the biting lemons thing and it works a treat . thanks .

I am going to repeat what a number have already said but i cant help it: WOW it's not just me!!

For years I have experienced SEVERE pain in the area of my jaw just below my ears where the two glands are when i drink. I find it occurs after the first one or two drinks. If i stop there it is only minutes before the pain begins and it is agonizing. However if I can drink a couple more, and the first few sips are excruciating, the pain immediately goes away. Water works too but not as quickly. Food tends to make it worse. It seems to have something to do with the salivary glands.

Crazy that there doesnt seem to be anything clinical on this as it seems there are thousands of us out there who share this.

Best luck all and glad im not alone!!!

 

Mark

Many alcoholic drinks are swimming with bacteria, especially beer and wine since it has to ferment. Like most, your lymph nodes over react and try to fight it off(especially if you have open gums or teeth coming in). Make sure to brush. Sleeping is the worst thing for your mouth when its swarming with bacteria and dehydrated.

just had a glass of gin, sure enough its triggered the response you are all talking about.

i have had this for quite some time and have associated this with a poisoning sensation as i have experienced

this with food alone! like previous posts i get it from wine and beer.

can anyone clearly  define a name for this sensation?

I can't believe I have finally found others like me. Me: "I drink alcohol and I get a shooting pain in my jaw and up to my ears". Doctor: "don't drink alcohol!" This is the simple solution, but doesn't answer the underlying questions of what or why. One glass of red wine tonight and my jaw is on fire. Just tilted my head back and swished some water for a bit. The pain is almost gone. I e had this for years, and have thought I had and underlying case of hodgkins, just like everyone else on here. We are not all crazy and this is obvisly very real. Just goes to show you that we know our bodies. If the doctor doesn't believe you, find a new doctor. Once, for a year i told the doctor i was tired and felt ill,Doctor said I was nuts and said nothing was wrong with me. Found a new doctor, immediately tested my TSH, have autoimmune thyroid disease. Take one medicine now, no more fatigue or malaise. Doctors are human, they can't know everything, they miss things, they make mistakes. I'm just glad tonight, iv found others like me...

Salicylate Sensitivity - Google it! :)

It is strange how the pain is bilateral though. I would have to have two stones at the same time on either side of my jaw if there was a blockage of saliva due to stones. Perhaps vasoconstrication caused by the the secretion of catacholamines could cause salivary blockage instead of stones.

That is interesting about the salicylate and sodium benzoate sensitivity. I also agree with the idea of a mild form of xerostomia can possibly be the culprit. Perhaps in either situation it would be good to look at astringents as a factor. Wine is a particular astringent, especially young red wines made from grapes such as cabernet sauvignon and merlot. I couldn't find a lot of information that specifically correlates salicylate sensitivity with jaw pain. Sodium benzoate, on the other hand, It is most widely used in acidic foods such as salad dressings (vinegar), carbonated drinks (carbonic acid), jams and fruit juices (citric acid), pickles (vinegar), and condiments. Fruits and beer contain tannins which are the main ingredient causing the mouth puckering effect of astringents. Probably the best way to deal with this is either avoid these foods, or chew on something; I use candy (perhaps due to the sugar). It will be painful, but won't last as long.

This is a very specific symptom of Hodgkins Disease...cancer in the lymph nodes/blood.  There are nodes in the neck/behind ear.  Read up on the symptoms of Hodgkins Lymphoma and get it checked out.  Best wishes to everyone. 

I get the same nerve shocking pain on botg sides of my jaw ! I try not craving the beer soo much before i drink and drink it and it seems to work but it kind of tricks ureself into not tasting what you are drinking i dont know its hard to explain but it works !