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Beer and hangovers

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Posted 11/27/2010 10:22 PM (GMT 0)
I am of the opinion that having UC can contribute to utterly miserable hangovers, more so than the general population. I have found a few things that allow me to drink without being completely incapacitated the next day. I take an Align probiotic every night, and if I drink I will chew a Gas-x tablet prior to bed.

I wanted to post to ask people if they have the same experience with me with different brands of beer. I like to drink Budweiser, but I restrict myself to one 16oz can and then usually drink a few Heineken. If I only drank Budweiser in a night, I would feel like complete death the net day. Budweiser gives me a much stronger buzz than Heineken, but that's a trade off I make.

I read on wikipedia that both Budweiser and Heineken are pale lagers with about 5% alcohol. I wonder why Budweiser gives me such a headache - also I get stuffy/congested nose and feel warm...I also get a bit of this with Heineken but less so.

Interestingly, last night I went a bit overboard with Guinness in a can, I admit I had about 8 of them over a 5 hour period. The strange thing is that my only symptom today seems to be that I'm a bit dizzy, I think I may have had some drainage into my ear canals while sleeping.

Now if I had 8 budweisers last night, I would be sick as hell!
Posted 11/27/2010 10:43 PM (GMT 0)
I drink about one beer a year - the fizziness makes me uncomfortable.
But, in early adulthood, I remember going fishing with my dad and out for a hot dog and beer after, and he told me that Budweiser always gave him a headache!
He was a sailor who sampled many kinds of beer in his day.

Maybe there's something used in the brewing process....
Posted 11/27/2010 10:49 PM (GMT 0)
I don't think that UC would make it any worse...however.

Beer is high in histamine, it's also a vasodilator and can raise blood pressure. There are also some preservatives that could affect one once they're in the system regarding discomfort, etc.

Beer is also a high volume of liquid compared to straight alcohol...the kidneys will work harder as well as the liver...maybe one gets dehydrated as well quicker while drinking alcohol.

q
Posted 11/28/2010 3:58 AM (GMT 0)
I used to drink beer a lot and made my own beer. The headaches thing is very common with some brands of beer and some beer drinkers. The stuffy nose thing I have heard more than a few times but is less common. The strains of yeast in different brands and mild allergy or intolerance might explain it. Headaches is usually claimed to be caused by impurities or byproducts. Dehydration might be the real culprit.

Beer doesn't sit well with my UC. Loosens things up to much. I drink wine.
Posted 11/28/2010 4:16 AM (GMT 0)
Beer aggravates my GI tract. So if I do consume beer and it's rare, it's no more than 2 in any one day.

Reason why I stay away from beer? lol 2 glasses of dark keg beer did a better job than any bowel prep I've used (and I've had to do about 12-14 bowel preps in over 11 years now....). Oh that was a fun party....not. The next morning as I repeated trips to the toilet, I kept saying - it was only 2 glasses.....2! So I added dark keg beer to that list of foods/liquids I'll never have again.
Posted 11/28/2010 6:17 AM (GMT 0)
Alcohol is also a stimulant...may not agree with many guts...a flaring UC gut or IBS might cause diarrhea, loose stool...etc (although some IBSers might have the opposite causing a more relaxed state and gut).

If it doesn't agree, don't drink...although drinking has many emotional/physical rewards...many would find it worth the side effects.

q
Posted 11/28/2010 10:34 AM (GMT 0)
first off if your drinking regular budweiser swap to bud light, pretty sure bud light is like 4.9% alcohol so you wont be losing much there. most people i know agree that budweiser is terrible for hangovers. heinekin also not a good anti hangover beer. If you really want a top of the line hangover get drunk on corona. Ive only drank corona one time cinco de mayo like 4 years ago and that will be the last time.

Also drinking water after your done drinking will help tremendously.

Posted 11/28/2010 10:45 AM (GMT 0)
Beer has always made things worse for my colon. But if i wanna have one or two, i drink Heineken. It seems it's the most mild one for me.

I ussualy have cogniac for when i am in the mood of drinking alcohool.
Posted 11/28/2010 11:11 AM (GMT 0)
I completly ruined a remission with alcohol. It was because my dad was dying and i had to take him off life support the next day. i couldnt sleep the night before so i drunk some really surgy coffee alcohol stuff and some wisky. the very next day i had blood. I had a perferct remission no blood and no mucus. perfectly formed poos 1-2 a day i runined that. i remissioned my self with no durgs too so i know it was the alcohol. so it does effect UC very much so.

Post Edited (Hellokitty) : 11/28/2010 4:20:36 AM (GMT-7)

Posted 11/28/2010 11:19 AM (GMT 0)
Quincy alcohol is not a stimulant it is a sediative. that is why they used to give it to people before they had surgery.
Posted 11/28/2010 1:57 PM (GMT 0)
both assertions are correct - alcohol works both ways...
Posted 11/28/2010 2:02 PM (GMT 0)
I almost never drink beer...I just don't like the taste of it. But one time we went to a concert and all they were serving was Miller. So I thought eh what the heck, I will give it a shot. The last time I even had a sip of beer was like 15 years prior to that; thinking that maybe my taste buds have changed. It wasn't that bad to be honest, but it has to be very cold. I only had one large cup (they had cans and poured them in plastic cups). Within an hour I had the most severe headache that it was hard to concentrate on the concert. By the time I got home I thought my head was splitting open. And the next day, I couldn't stop going to the bathroom and my head was still killing me....and this was after just ONE tall cup of beer.

For me personally, I think I have an intolerance to malt. Because if I drink other malt beverages such as Mike's Hard Lemonade, I get the headaches and a slight heaviness in my chest with very bad hangover type symptoms the next day even after only having a few. To me, it's not worth it. So now when I drink, I don't drink malt beverages and I limit what I drink. I also drink lots of water before I go to bed and eat a piece of bread (supposedly bread helps soak up any of the alcohol in your stomach - an old wives tale so not sure if it's true or not but it seems to work).
Posted 11/28/2010 5:41 PM (GMT 0)
all alcohol dehydrates you, that's a big part of what causes the hangover. Drink lots and lots of water while drinking the liquor. The best thing i have found is to not go to sleep drunk! i choose jello shots as my poison and that seems to give me the less chance of a hangover. Also, if you throw up before you go to sleep it helps.
But as for UC making the hangover worse, i didn't drink while i had UC but it may be the meds, certain meds can interact and make the effects worse, also the dehydration effect is stronger on someone with, or with an ostomy both are predisposed to dehydation anyway.
the cheaper the alcohol the worse the hangover, usually. If you drink cheap vodka you will probably have a worse hangover then you would if you drank grey goose or kettle one. If you drink a good beer you probably won't have as bad of a hangover as you would from a miller. Its just because of how they are prepared.
Posted 11/28/2010 8:48 PM (GMT 0)

Hellokitty said...
Quincy alcohol is not a stimulant it is a sediative. that is why they used to give it to people before they had surgery.

 

 

 

Yeah, that's why all those slovenly drunks dance on tables and make complete fools out of themselves thinking they're entertaining.  It definitely removes inhibitions..   LOL.  Yes, it is a sedative, and to add to its complicated structure, it has stimulating properties, vasoconstricting, vasodilating, raises blood pressure, lowers it..to only touch on a few...oh, let's not forget the addicting qualities of it as well.

Posted 11/28/2010 9:29 PM (GMT 0)
I cured any desire to even taste beer again at the ripe old age of 13..probably for the best! Now..I'm trying to figure out why tequila can knock me on my butt in two sips, but something like vodka hardly effects me?
Posted 11/29/2010 2:47 AM (GMT 0)
Red - Try some craft/microbrew beers. I used to hate the taste of beer before I ever had good quality craft beer and now I really enjoy it.

I also get the really stuffy nose thing the next day. I never met anyone else that had that, but it's always part of my hangovers and really annoying! I also get headaches. My UC surprisingly seems better during most hangovers than it usually does...no idea why.
Posted 11/29/2010 4:27 AM (GMT 0)
Try Pilsner Urquell-- Czech beer is the best. But it really is best not to binge-- anything in excess is potentially bad for a UC colon. / Old Hat (30 yrs with left-sided UC; presently in remission taking brandname Colazal)
Posted 11/29/2010 12:45 PM (GMT 0)
Does the microbrew beers contain any sort of malt?
Posted 11/29/2010 1:01 PM (GMT 0)
Beer always gave me a stomach ache, bloating and gas even before my diagnosis. Have you tried switching to gluten free beer?
Posted 11/29/2010 6:44 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, Sherry, all beer contains malt, and since you're sensitive to it, I'd just avoid it.

As for beer, I'm a big beer snob and don't touch anything like miller, bud, etc. I rarely drink more than one or two a night, though, since I'm a mom to a young kiddo.
Posted 11/29/2010 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
I love beer, but I have cut back considerably since being diagnosed in July. Budweiser has always given me a headache - but Bud light does not. Miller Light also gives me a headache, but Coors Light and Milwaukee's Best Light does not. I tend to drink one of those 2 beers (Coors/ MBL) when I do drink some beers. I'm glad to hear that Guiness doesn't seem to bother you too bad. Guiness is one of my favorite beers and I haven't had one since I was diagnosed. I will definitely be trying some Guiness this winter.
Posted 11/30/2010 12:56 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Red - I think almost all beers have malt in them. I'm sure there are some without but I don't know of any.
Posted 11/30/2010 3:37 AM (GMT 0)
Gee..all this talk about drinking and I've been avoiding alcohol like the plague!

Before I had UC I lived in Germany in 1993-94. The other American's I was with even mentione that you don't get the hangover with German beer lik eyou do with the American types.  I heard it was because there was more alcohol in the German beer.

Also each state regulates the amoun tof alcohol in beer. I was at a brewery that served a beer in a cognac glass becasue the alcohol level was too high to be beer in that state!

I used to driink wine...and it's a hard thing not to do being in Virginia with all the wineries. My dad is 89 years old and can't drink due to meds too.  I try not drinl to support him as well.  Boy for an 89 year old he can certainly have a tantrum over not getting a glass of wine! Next time I shoudl tell him to "act his age"..lol!

I also got conflicting info from my GI. In his office he said a glass of wime with dinner is ok, but in my med records he wrote "no alcohol".  I normally get headaches from a single glass anymore. I even tried wine with low sulfites. I just hate how the push alcohol everywhere were you go out to eat!  Sometimes I feel like telling them I'll have a glass if they want to watch me give birth to my colon!

Posted 11/30/2010 3:51 AM (GMT 0)
P&H -- Maybe your doc's notes meant you told him you weren't drinking any alcohol?? Otherwise, yes, that makes no sense. :)
Posted 11/30/2010 9:55 PM (GMT 0)

Sara14 said...
P&H -- Maybe your doc's notes meant you told him you weren't drinking any alcohol?? Otherwise, yes, that makes no sense. :)

Nope..didn't read it wrong...he just doesn't make sense.  It not the only thing he put in there either.  He said the same thing with taking Advil. Not seeing him anymore. He contradicts himself!

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