Author: Gary Jackson

Why Do I Sneeze When I Drink Alcohol?

People with alcohol intolerance could still consume alcohol, although they will likely experience side effects. If you’re allergic to alcohol, you may experience hives, itching, swelling, difficulty breathing, and wheezing. If you experience these symptoms after drinking alcohol, you must see a doctor as you may need to be treated for an allergy. For many people, wine is the drink that causes them to sneeze.

But there aren’t any tests for sulfite or histamine sensitivity. There are genetic tests that can tell you if you have an ALDH deficiency. Your healthcare provider can order this test or you can purchase one through private vendors. If you’re starting a new medication, it’s always a good idea to talk with your healthcare provider or pharmacist about how your medication can interact with alcohol.

The Reason Behind Sneezing After Drinking

Symptoms may occur within seconds or minutes of alcohol exposure and could trigger after exposure to even tiny amounts of the allergen. Anaphylaxis is a life threatening condition that involves a series of symptoms, such as a rash, low pulse, and shock. If sneezing after drinking alcohol impacts your quality of life, talk to your doctor about ways to reduce or eliminate the problem. Maybe you’ve been concerned enough that you’ve already thought about or actually tried to cut down on your drinking — and it didn’t happen. Alcohol masks unhappy emotions, so those feelings may come back when you quit drinking, making it harder to stick to your goal.

• In some people, drinking alcohol may also trigger an allergic reaction, which can cause sneezing and other symptoms.
• Alcohol intolerance occurs when your body doesn’t have the proper enzymes to break down (metabolize) the toxins in alcohol.
• Sulfites are preservatives, and most countries permit their addition to alcoholic drinks such as beer and wine.
• Aldehyde is toxic, and buildup is one of the key reasons people develop symptoms of a hangover.
• An allergic reaction might not occur the first time a person encounters an allergen.
• If drinking from a glass makes you sneeze, try drinking through a straw instead.

There are times when you want a drink so badly, you can’t think about anything else until you get one. That strong need or urge can be triggered by people, places, things, or times of day that remind you of drinking. Certain emotions or physical sensations can also trigger a craving. When you have a drinking problem, your brain reacts to these triggers differently than a social drinker’s does.

What to expect from your doctor

People with this condition usually experience swelling in the lymph nodes in areas including the neck, armpits, or groin. The enzyme diamine oxidase breaks down histamine that people consume from foods and beverages. If people do not produce enough of this enzyme, they may not break down histamine efficiently, which may lead to intolerance symptoms. An alcohol allergy and alcohol intolerance are two different conditions. If drinking from a glass makes you sneeze, try drinking through a straw instead.

• There’s also getting the alcohol, feeling sick after you drink, and recovering from the effects later.
• When your alcohol use, including being sick from drinking, often prevents you from keeping up with responsibilities at home, work, or school, it’s a problem.
• Unfortunately, nothing can prevent reactions to alcohol or ingredients in alcoholic beverages.

So, people are typically born with a tendency for alcohol intolerance, which also runs in groups of people who are more closely genetically related. For example, people of Asian descent tend to have lower levels of ALDH. A true allergic reaction happens when your immune system goes into overdrive to attack something it sees as a threat. Allergic reactions can cause hives, facial swelling, nausea, and vomiting. They can also lead to life-threatening reactions like anaphylaxis. Depending on whether a person has an alcohol allergy or intolerance, they may need to avoid alcohol entirely.

Drinks That Are Most Likely To Make You Sneeze

For instance, the nerve endings in the nose might react to triggers too easily. If you’ve ever had an alcoholic drink only to find your nose running and your stomach roiling, you may have an alcohol intolerance. Or you may have an alcohol allergy, a stronger reaction that involves the immune system. Occasionally, a doctor may ask a person to consume alcohol in a medical setting and observe any reactions or symptoms. This dilation occurs first in the brain, so you may feel flushed or warm after only a few sips of alcohol. The dilation then extends to blood vessels throughout your body, including those in your nose.