Very abnormal hangovers, thinking it could be allergy to alcohol

I have had a similar problem and it's taken me nearly 2 years to identify the problem. It's taken a matter of weeks to cure it.
get your cholesterol checked. it might be a good reading, but ask about the results ratio between your GOOD cholesterol and your BAD cholesterol. My cholesterol was 4.9 but broken down, only .80 was good cholesterol and 4.1 was bad cholesterol. Doctor advised me to eat plenty of oily fish and nuts such as chestnuts and brazil nuts. I couldn't do the nuts but was happy to eat fish daily. have been doing so for 3 weeks and now i can drink a glass of wine, a pint of beer, a bottle of wine, 6 pints of beer. The next morning the hangover is minimal.
Not sure what the connection is and why this has worked but it's something my Doctor refused to encourage me to do because he said it's always better not to drink......of course it is....but it's nice to be able to have a glass or bottle of wine when you fancy with a meal out......without the fear of a major hangover the next day that would almost last two days....

get your cholesterol checked and see if you have LOW good cholesterol.....hope this helps

I'm blogging about this here soon >>> http://stevennott.wordpress.com/category/uncategorized/

Omg I'm so glad I'm not the only one. I'm a 28 female & I started getting hangovers at the age of 20. After a night out, even after just a few drinks, the next day I am completely bed ridden only getting up to go to the toilet or be sick. I feel stupidly dizzy, tingly all over , I have a pounding head & turning over in bed is even a chore because I feel that bad. I am like this for 2 whole days and only feel back to normal on the 4th day. I only go out about once every 6 weeks but have decided now that I can't even do that. All I do is worry about how bad I'm going to be feeling the next day so I can't enjoy myself anyway. Going out now is only something I have memories of which is such a shame because I am still young and I can't enjoy my life to the fullest and I get jealous of my friends. I have tried everything possible but in the end, the alcahol got the better of me and the only way to stop feeling so ill was to stop drinking altogether.

You can still go out and not drink alcohol, it's a myth that you can't have fun when you stop drinking, I have gone out with a non drinker a few times to bars and clubs, and it's him who ends up with the girls flirting with him while I look terrible at the end of the night after to many drinks. He said it no longer bothers him not drinking and he is happy to have stopped. All it takes is time away from drink to retrain the way you think about things such as socializing and fun. I've just spend 3 days in bed feeling wrecked after going out and drinking to much a few days ago. I look and feel awful and have decided enough is enough, I am nearly 40 and can't do this anymore, you got to wise up one day, you would look pretty stupid going out and getting hammered when you are 60 no?. I got people emailing me sometimes telling me they have quit drinking and feel good, and here I still am feeling like rubbish all the time. On good Friday I stopped smoking and drinking, and I am sticking to it, I don't care about how hard it's going to be going cold turkey is the only way for me to cut all ties and move on, leave it in the past and forget about it and make a new life , a healthier one, sure there is some fear of change, but also relief that I will not have to endure these hangovers and illness anymore. I do sympathize with people looking for a cure to their drinking, I know people like to drink, but I feel that people need to toughen up, take the plunge and give up drink if it's causing so many problems in their life, and if you do it don't feel like your life is over and you can never have fun again, go out with your friends when you feel ready, just don't drink and tell them you've stopped drinking because it doesn't agree with you anymore, simple as that. You got to stop being afraid and trust that things will be better in time when you decide to stop drinking , for me that meant also stopping smoking also as one lead to the other for me. It's really not that bad, many people have quit drinking and lead a happy life, why are people so afraid to stop drinking, you would think they were born with a bottle of whisky in their mouth. Most of the problems with stopping are all in the head, take control of your emotions and you can do anything. You will look and feel better when you stop drinking and save yourself a life of awful hangovers, is that not enough reason to stop?, why continue to beat yourself up with alcohol, it's like being in a abusive relationship, you need to get out as soon as you can.

I have read the postings on this forum with interest. Unfortunately, as a physician, I too have developed this "intolerance" to alcohol. What most of you describe is a migraine type of headache which may or may not be associated with nausea and vomiting. I would suggest that what most of you have (and I) is not necessarily an alcohol intolerence but rather alcohol induced migraines. Many of you will have a history of migraines. Take a look at migraine headache in Wikipedia and I think you will find that your symptoms mirror that of a migraine. Unfortunately, the only cure is to cut way back or stop drinking alcohol. You may be able to associate your intake of alcohol with some other thing in your life, (medication, a particular food (sulfite rich foods, high salt foods?) , that is also associated with your symptoms. If you can identify some other common factor other than alcohol, eliminating that may enable you to imbibe.

There are migraine medications, (the triptans) such as sumatriptan and maxalt that come as spray or dissolvable forms that you can use even in you are vomiting. These though, can make you feel detached and "stupid" for 16 to 24 hours.

Medically, I have followed the advice most of you have been given...give up the spirits since it is rarely worth it.

Maybe we all need to head back to the sixties....."sex, drugs, and rock and roll".

I'm 31 and I had to much to drink sat night The next day I was sick six times!! I couldn't keep water or food down and I also had the shakes! Something has changed in my body as I used to be able to drink a lot and work the next day! I really felt close to death yesterday and I've decided to knock the drink on the head! I'm never going to feel that poorly again!!!

Being a sufferer myself all I can suggest is to cut out alcohol 100%. That's what I am doing. 

There are lots of tips here that don't work for those of us who really suffer. For example drinking lots of water is bs because no amount of water helps. Sulphites? Not necessarily. why? because I can eat all the other foods you mentioned with sulphites without incident. 

I am open to doing a proper liver flush. I still won't go back to drinking, but the symptoms may suggest a sluggish liver. 

One thing I have found that helps is if you are drinking, do it during the day. Give yourself time to process the alcohol. Make sure you have zero alcohol in your system before you go to sleep. That has worked for me in really hot climate, Thailand' where I also naturally sweat so drank lots of water.

And someone suggested protein enzymes. You do realize what's in alcohol right? Let me gibe you a clue, it's not protein. 

 

I am a 31 year old female, and I suffer from all this as well. Actually just last night i was out and had 4 beers total. One was with dinner. I was home by midnight. I woke up with a migraine and have been throwing up all day long. I am starting to think i'm allergic to beer, as this happens to me all the time.

I'm 26 female. I've been having these erratic horrible hangovers since the beginning of my party days.. 16-17. Granted I used to be able to drink a lot more than I can now.  But the severity of the hangovers seems to have nothing to do with the amount or what I drink.  My family/friends are some pretty heavy drinkers and nobody gets hangovers like me.  Some people just don't understand. When my headache is pounding so bad it feels like my skull might actually explode.. I don't feel like getting out of bed and having a bloody mary with everyone so I can throw it right back up, adding fiery throat pain to the mix. So I graciously accept being the butt of the "morning monster" jokes. Its better than facing the world outside of my bed....   But I think I've found a cure.    2 ibuprofen and 64+ ounces of water BEFORE going to bed.    Its a pain in the ass to remember. And really hard to find the resolve just to drink that much water when your full of booze. But its better than facing the pain in the AM. It has worked 3 out of the 4 times Ive tried it so far. And the 4th I only drank 40oz and then went skydiving with a "slight" champagne hangover. No bueno. Luckily I held it down until we got to the ground! haha  Anyways, try it out sometime. Hope this helps someone other than me. Cheers! :)

I've been going through these post...and one mentioned pancreatitis....can it be a mild pancreatitis without the severe pain in the upper abdomen...I'm just wondering...I noticed her post was ignored...lol

I am 22 year old female and I am so relieved to have found this! I have been suffering with insane hangovers since I started drinking. Same as everyone else, doesn't matter how much I drink or what I drink I'm bond to be hungover. Not just a regular hangover, literally vomiting my brains out the ENTIRE day. I call it a "stomach hangover" because it lacks the symptoms are a "normal" hangover (I.e. headache, tiredness, etc.) I have has several people witness my awful hangovers and tell me they've never seen anything like it. I've had my blood tested and my liver checked out. I'm completely healthy. I'm frustrated that I can't partake in drinking activities, without taking into account what I will have to deal with the next day. Literally immobile, not able to go to work, eat, sleep, drink or do anything without vomiting.

I have had the same problem for years. I am a 25 year old female, and I have a history of migraines like many of the posters here. Many of my friends have posited that I have an allergy to alcohol and suggest that I consult a doctor, but it's hard to explain that I don't have any type of allergic reaction the night before - and that a doctor would surely just tell me to stop drinking. Sure, I could just stop drinking. But I like drinking socially. And explaining to someone that you don't want to drink b/c of your terrible hangovers elicits funny looks. They're thinking it couldn't possibly be that bad and that you're just making it up or that you're strange or uptight. There's a social stigma either way - avoid drinking or suffer judgmental looks the next day from people who think you're just being a big baby. I have migraine medicine, and that helps with the headache (sometimes) - but not with the nausea. In college I used to go to my health center, and they would administer me a shot of a drug called Phenergan. It worked like a MIRACLE. However, they too thought I had an alcohol problem after I visited several times with the same problem. Ask anyone - I DO NOT have an alcohol problem. Since then I've had to go the emergency room on two occasions to treat severe nausea and headaches. Part of the problem is that I can't keep migraine medicine down when I'm vomiting violently. The doctors there would judge me, but give me an IV of fluids and pain medications (basically high strength advil). I'm considering telling the doctor next time I go in that I have a very sensitive stomach and am prone to nausea and vomiting - downplaying the alcohol aspect of the problem. Hopefully then I could get a prescription for a nausea medicine like Phenegran that might actually help solve my problem. That combined with the migraine medicine might do the trick.... We'll see. More than anything I'm just happy to see this board and know that there are people out there who understand what I go through. Friends can only be understanding for so long, and missing out on things b/c you're too hungover and vomiting is so disappointing and sad. 

Hi, I'm a 24 year old female and I recently have seemed to have got this problem where I have a glass of wine and the next 2days feel shocking with tummy pains (similar to period pains?) sick feeling, dizzy and just a few weeks back vomited bile from 2 glasses of wine the next day!? I have had this for 7months and I am finding it difficult to understand Because its so unpredictable I'm really glad I'm not on my own with this but would love if someone could find a cure!!!! 

Could it be your pancreas?

Hi, thought I was the only one like most of you here. :-)

Currently I am in a hangover and have projectile vomited today and are stuck in bed - absolutely useless to everyone. My friend who was drinking got up and started cleaning her house but alas I cannot move, lucky me.

My hangovers start when I wake up after drinking, and can consist of vomiting, all kinds of gastrointestinal upset, foggy brain, massive anxiety, heart palpitations, shaking (for the whole day post drinking and does not improve),  and depression with guilt type feelings that lasts up to 3 days after drinking. I am literally glued to my bed - at one time after drinking I had such a bad hangover that I literally could not understand what my friend was saying to me and had some kind of panic attack scared me so much I gave up any drinking for over a year. 

I have tried all the 'hangover cures' but none of them work of course. Even if I have one drink I will have a foggy brain the next day and feel tired. Nobody else I know gets hangovers of course, maybe a small headache which is fixed by a paracetamol. My hangovers have always been like this since I started drinking when I was 16, nothing has changed. 

The only time I went to bed very drunk and woke up feeling okay was when I had a slice of pizza before bed one night, what I did that night is a mystery and it certinally has not happened again. 

I have pretty much accepted that this is what will continue to happen to me while I still drink. It literally feels like I have been poisoned, so I just figure that alcohol is a poison to my body and will never get used to it. It doesn't matter what alcohol I drink, people say vodka is the cleanest, but that happens to elicit some of my worst hangovers. In fact I think my vomiting record is 22 times in one day - literally nothing in my stomach but still wretching away to the horror of others. 

Eventually I will have to give up alcohol due to this, while my friends wake up 'feeling fine' and not wasting the next day like I do (including today, total write off).

Good luck all with your hangovers, I am right here throwing up with you.

It is currently 6:14 PM here in Australia and I am still stuck in bed, and do not feel one bit better than I did this morning.

 

I'm exactly the same as you, in fact it could be me. Why is it so difficult for anyone in the medical profession to give us an explanation??