red/blotchy face whilst drinking alcohol

Hello Guest,

Interesting you found something to negate the effect. I'm 56 years old and have had the problem since I was a teenager. No Barretts Esophagus yet - but reading the comments is pretty disturbing. I live in a wine making village in Germany. We have 23 wine makers and 4500 people, so you can imagine we drink a bit of wine. I however, get very red and hot. I'll try the Pepcid AC, but you mentioned the following: "but there are much more effective formulas available on the internet that work significantly better. Beware of miracle 'pills' being offered, i have found them to be just repackaged overpriced antacids." I'm willing to try some, would you be able to give me the names please. Thanks very much,

Bill
Kiedrich, Germany

if you keep drinking it might help because yout body will become more adaptable to alcohol and reduce the level of red.

The redness is bursting of blood vessels caused by a failure for your body to break down some byproducts of alcohol, specifically, acetaldehyde. You may be deficient in the enzyme needed to break this down, and this could be genetic (especially if you are from northern Asia). However, your body might be low on this enzyme because it does not have the right vitamins to produce it. Be sure to include enough animal protein in your diet as well as enough grain vitamins (B1, Thiamine specifically, but I think B2, Riboflavin too). I find when my diet is poor in B1 and B2 I get red in the face. Hope this helps!

I'm german/irish too, and I have this problem bad. I think we should start our own country where we will not be ridiculed for this! It actually started when I started drinking heavily. I am an alcoholic, but it carries over into my normal life. Sucks

Interesting post. I am also German/Irish(%30/%40) and I experienced "the red face" today (not for the first time but in past episodes it was not really an issue/no one brought it up). I am usually a beer drinker but decided to have a couple rum and cokes after a successful job interview and my face started heating up and getting red/blotchy about 15 minutes after my first sip. I figure it has to do with some kind of histamine issue, as histamines trigger inflammatory responses of your body. Which is why I suppose a anti-histamine such as Benadryl works well to combat this issue.



As for how the whole thing is triggered I'd love to know.



Update: It's been 2 hours since I've started writing this post (took a break and forgot to post it) and the redness has moved to my ears and oddly my knuckles and also a red blotch on my right wrist. I'm scared.

I wouldn't recommend taking Benadryl before drinking, that is a bad mix and will get you real sloppy and possibly sick. I have the same issue with getting red while drinking (mostly in my checks and neck). I'm not Asian so it's not the "asian flush" reaction, and I also have checked my blood-pressure while drinking and found no change. It happens even when I drink at home in a relaxed environment so I have also eliminated the possibility of it being from sort of anxiety issue. The only thing that works for me is drinking more. I usually start getting flushed after anywhere from 2 to 8 drinks, but if I continue drinking, after around 10-12 drinks I notice the flushing starts to subside. Once I hit 20 drinks the redness is completely gone and I am finally able to relax and have fun. This ability takes some time because you must build up your tolerance, however, once you are able to drink heavily each time you go out it will only be a matter of time before you can make the redness goes away. Hope this helps!

From what I've read, it's only called the "asian flush" because it is a condition anybody can get that happens to be more common in asians. Thus, the name just comes from people commonly relating the condition with asians, as opposed to an actual cause-and-effect scenario.



As for details on my particular case, my knuckles get red first, then my face and neck, followed by my shoulders and upper chest. It's blotchy with rather defined edges. Usually when it happens, my face feels warm enough that I suspect it's happening before I see it. I've also found that it happens more often indoors during winter and summer months, especially winter. This makes me suspect that the dry air caused by heating and air conditioning has something to do with it. It happens with beer alone sometimes, but is more common when I drink liquor.

Tons of water seems to work for me sometimes, but the water fills my stomache up which makes me feel crappy. Would any kind of antacid work? Any other solutions? I'm getting married in 3 weeks and plan to have a few drinks at my own wedding, and it would be nice to not have to worry about these blotches when my new wife and I are in the spotlight.



My current plan is to take some daily vitamins, stick mostly to just beer, and get a humidifier and see how that works.

Guest,



You mentioned other remedies online that work significantly better than antacids. What are these remedies?

i get it aswell, its nice to knoew im not the only one, with me personally i can go and have ten drinks and nothing happens, other nights i take a sip and bang it hits me.... all across my chest.

i get it ALOT with nervs too

Guest,

This link will probably be taken away, but in answer to your question goto . It works, its the real deal, and they refund your money if you're not happy with it.

Regards,

J

***edited by moderator*** web addresses not allowed

In response to those who say they develop red blotches when drinking alcohol, my advice to you is to stick to clear, colorless liquors such as vodka, gin, or light rum. Dark colored liquors, along with many wines and beers, tend to contain high levels of sulfites, which I have found tends to make the blotchiness much worse. I have suffered from these embarassing, unpredictable, hive-like blotches for years, and while this little formula isn't foolproof, it has made a HUGE difference for me! Also, start reading the labels on the beverages you are consuming; usually if they contain sulfites it will say so in the fine print somewhere on that label.

The same thing happens to me. There can be various causes for this unfortunate and uncomfortable reaction. If you are Caucasian, this is not the same thing as the "Asian Flush" or reaction that often happens to people of Native American origin. Similarly, however, it may be due to an enzyme deficiency. You can and should speak to your doctor about this. You should have blood work done to determine any specific allergies or related health concerns. REALLY-make an appointment.

While getting a true diagnosis from a medical professional you trust is your best bet, I have found some relief through a combination of over-the-counter non-drowsy antihistamines and ranitidine. Ranitidine is the active ingredient in certain acid-reducer medication and has been shown to help. I do not suggest exceeding taking the maximum daily does of either, and you should not begin any drug regiment without talking to your doctor. If I take this combination about 30 min to 1 hr before drinking I usually do not have a reaction.

My boyfriend is 100% Sicilian. Rarely when he drinks, his face and torso get really red, blotchy and very hot to the touch from me and to him in general. We do drink often, yet, this rarely happens. He also has a hard time breathing during these 'episodes'. I was wondering if it is because he does have an ulcer or just a random allergic reaction or what is going on? I worry about him but it always goes away after a few hours of sleep. PLEASE HELP!

I have the same problem as most of you but mine is a little different. I have no allergies to any foods, or have any physical reaction when I'm stressed or nervous, but when I drink after the first one or two I notice my face getting tighter and almost feel a burning but it goes away soon after. The next day however my face will be red and blotchy all down the center of my face and starting down my neck, and under my arms. This stays for about three days and as long as I don't drink anymore it goes away after that. I have never had this problem before and I'm not sure what to do about it. I have also heard about the Asian flush, but I am not Asian.

I have been suffering from this flush for a little over a year now. It was just before I turned 21 that this started to happen every once in a while when I drank, but it never happened before that. Seems that it just popped up out of the blue... I get very uncomfortably hot and red/blotchy on my neck, upper chest, and face. My heart races, I get a headache, and sometimes it's hard to breathe. This confuses me because I have no idea what it is or where it came from, or even why it's happening now and it had never happened before.

Now I am 22 and I've been forced into self seclusion because of my embarrassment and being uncomfortable when I break out in public. I am of German/Irish descent. For some time now, I have been taking Pepcid AC about an hour before I drink, which sometimes seems to help. Other times, it doesn't help my condition at all. I don't get it.

I've also heard taking B vitamins help, but recently I've noticed that I flush more frequently, even when I'm not drinking. I thought this could be a niacin flush, but it doesn't seem like a niacin flush would happen still the day after I take the vitamin B complex pill.

So, long story short, I have no idea what's going on with my body. One time a doctor told me that I developed an allergy to alcohol, and recommended that I take a small teaspoon of alcohol every day, when I was already drinking more than that, so it didn't make any sense to me. That's why I feel like I can't see a doctor, because they don't seem to have any knowledge on this and they make stupid recommendations that don't help.

Anyway, I'm lost. I really need help. I really really want my social life back. I'm thinking about trying Eredicane, but I would just buy the GABA/passion flower/etc. supplements themselves instead of paying an arm and a leg for Eredicane itself.

I would be more than happy to be a lab rat for experiments if someone would take the time to study this condition more in depth, because I'm obviously not the only sufferer, yet it seems we are overlooked by health professionals who tell us to just "don't drink." Well, sorry, that isn't realistically going to happen for me.

I am open to any and all suggestions that anyone else may have, and if someone would like to talk about this with me privately, I would be more than happy to bounce ideas off of someone and have someone else with this condition that I can talk to for support.

Please help!!!!!!!!!!