The Surprising Signs Your Body Is Allergic or Intolerant to Alcohol

Although alcohol intolerance usually isn’t a serious issue, you may want to discuss it with your doctor at your next appointment. Alcohol intolerance occurs when your body doesn’t have the proper enzymes to break down (metabolize) the toxins in alcohol. This is caused by inherited (genetic) traits usually found in Asians. You may also have other symptoms, such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, heart flutters, and a stuffy or runny nose.

If you’re looking for an allergy clinic in Robbinsville, NJ, we serve the areas of Hamilton, Florence, Georgetown, Bordentown, or Allentown. Penn Medicine Becker ENT & Allergy offers comprehensive allergy services and can help you manage your late-onset alcohol allergy efficiently. Now you know why we were asking you to drop that glass right away. So, the next time you see any of these signs after boozing, then consult a doctor and call it quits for a while. As we raise our glasses to the complexity of alcohol-related reactions, a journey through the nuances of congeners, histamines, yeasts, sulphites, additives and plant-derived allergens unfolds. An exception, albeit a rare one, is the potential trouble posed by fungal spores (mould) from the corks of wine bottles.

Alcohol Allergy Treatment and Prevention

If you have alcohol intolerance but still find yourself drinking excessively, despite the pain and discomfort, talk to your healthcare provider. If they suspect you have a true allergy to alcohol or another ingredient in alcoholic beverages, they will likely conduct allergy testing. The most https://ecosoberhouse.com/article/alcohol-allergies-symptoms-and-signs/ common type of allergy testing is the skin prick test. During a skin prick test, your doctor will use a lancet to prick or scratch your skin. They will apply a drop of allergen extract to the pricked or scratched area. Your skin’s reaction can help them learn if you have an allergy.

You’ll have those same symptoms and a more intense reaction, wheezing, difficulty swallowing, low blood pressure, and heart palpitations, he says. Rarely, severe pain after drinking alcohol is a sign of a more serious disorder, such as Hodgkin lymphoma. Taking antihistamines regularly before drinking could also cause your body to build up a tolerance to the medicines. Your judgment may be impaired and you may continue to drink even when your body is trying to tell you to stop. Talk with your doctor before taking any medications to help prevent allergic symptoms from alcohol. Some people take medicines like the antihistamines diphenhydramine (Benadryl) or famotidine (Pepcid) about 30 minutes before drinking alcohol.

Ready to treat your alcohol allergies?

Alcohol allergies can cause your throat to feel tight, as if it’s closing up a bit. You can experience wheezing, shortness of breath, and coughing fits because of this, says Dr. Glatter. What’s more, “people with sinus problems may also develop more pronounced upper respiratory symptoms, including nasal congestion, stuffiness, and facial pressure” when they drink, he adds. What’s more, research shows that some people have a gene variant (ALDH2) that prevents the body from producing aldehyde dehydrogenase, an enzyme that helps break down alcohol. So if your heart races and your body temperature skyrockets after drinking, your liver may not be able to manage the concentration of alcohol in your body effectively.

Sulfites are preservatives, and most countries permit their addition to alcoholic drinks such as beer and wine. However, some people may experience allergy-like reactions after consumption. Having a mild intolerance to alcohol or something else in alcoholic beverages might not require a trip to a doctor. Simply avoid alcohol, limit how much you drink or avoid certain types of alcoholic beverages.

How can I prevent alcohol intolerance?

This may be harmful because it can mask severe symptoms that could be brewing like shortness of breath. Anaphylaxis is a severe and life-threatening allergic reaction that can cause dangerously low blood pressure and problems breathing. If you have a severe reaction allergic reaction to alcohol and carry an EpiPen (epinephrine), use it and call 911. If someone experiences a severe allergic reaction, they should go to the emergency room immediately. If they do not have an epinephrine injection to treat anaphylaxis right away, it could be fatal.

In some cases, they might use an oral challenge test to diagnose an allergy or intolerance. In this procedure, they will ask you to consume a sample of your suspected trigger. These compounds are often added to beer and wine to limit the growth of yeast and act as a preservative. Common sulfites include potassium bisulfite or potassium metabisulfite.

Can you really be allergic to alcohol?

If you’re allergic to a specific grain, beer won’t be your only problem. You’ll also experience symptoms when you eat other food products containing that allergen. If your symptoms are very mild, you may have a food sensitivity rather than a true allergy. It can be uncomfortable, but it’s not an immune system response and isn’t as serious. Although alcohol intolerance usually isn’t a serious issue as long as you don’t drink alcohol, you might want to discuss it with your doctor at your next appointment. Here’s some information to help you get ready for your appointment.