Dammit - I can’t drink at all??

[DianaCox]

For the last couple of years I have hardly had any alcohol, because I have had several bad reactions to drinking just a small amount - 1-2 drinks. Not immediately, but about 1/2 hour to an hour later.

Wine - I woozed out, cold sweat, had to excuse myself from my own dinner party and lay down and then I puked. A sweet dessert wine - not quite so bad. Champagne - no problem. Tonight, I had a modest amount of vodka in a short Bloody Mary while preparing dinner with friends over - again, had to excuse myself about during dinner about 45 minutes later, and I puked. It was literally about a jigger of vodka. No common denominator (except maybe my own cooking?? But the champagne was in a mimosa I had with a brunch I cooked).

I’ve always had a low tolerance for alcohol - I’m a cheap date - and I don’t like the feeling of being drunk, just a mild buzz is nice and all I’m looking for. But this is ridiculous.

I’m guessing my body has stopped metabolizing acetaldehyde properly, which is what alcohol is converted to.

Ethanol metabolism - Wikipedia

en.m.wikipedia.org

Older Adults | National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)

According to a 2017 analysis, alcohol use has steadily increased in the population age 60 and above over the past 2 decades, particularly among women. Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health indicate that approximately 20 percent of adults aged 60-64 and around 11 percent over age...

www.niaaa.nih.gov

Maybe it’s an intermittent interaction with a medication? Like my low dose Pristiq?

I would like to continue to have an occasional drink, but not at the cost of spending 1/2 hour sweating from my head and puking. Grrrr…

 

[JackieOnLine]

damn. it sounds like no, you can't drink at all.

 

[southernlady]

Other than the nausea, sounds much like an allergic reaction. Apparently there is a place in the brain alcohol and some classes of drugs affect. Keep exposing yourself and it gets worse. I had my last drink Dec 1999 because I hated the reaction more than anything else. While I’ve gotten use to it, there are times a glass of wine would help me relax.

I can’t find a mention it on allergic reactions cause anything mentioning the drugs and alcohol confuses google.
But something else I found:
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/alcohol-allergies#summary

We know that allergies can occur at any time.

 

[Larra]

Well, I looked up Pristiq and the info said, and I quote, "avoid drinking alcohol". It didn't say what would happen if you drank alcohol, but it sounds like you already have the answer to that. So yes, this may be the culprit, and if you really, really miss the minimal amount of alcohol you drink, you could discuss with your prescriber whether or not there is an alternative that would work for you and allow for an occasional drink. Or, if Pristiq works well for you and is otherwise well tolerated, you could live with this limitation, since you aren't much of a drinker anyway.

 

[southernlady]

Well, I looked up Pristiq and the info said, and I quote, "avoid drinking alcohol"

Most meds I’ve used over the years say avoid alcohol.

 

[Munchkin]

Damn. That sucks! It probably is the pristiq.

 

[DianaCox]

I can’t imagine myself looking to stop taking or change meds because I can’t drink - it’s just not that important to me. And it might just be biological - not making enough acetaldehyde dehydrogenase due to age, or because of my moderate liver disease. But geeze - one drink a month and I puke?? I’m pouting.

 

[JackieOnLine]

I don't blame you: it's a simple pleasure you should be able to have now & then.

 

[southernlady]

I’m pouting.

I gave up pouting about it 15 years ago. Been alcohol free for 21 years.