a little worried here...DH breaks out with hives after drinking alcohol...sometimes...WHY?

[mamatwig]

hi ladies,

so here is the story, every once in a while my DH breaks out with hives on his face and chest and back after drinking. right off the bat this would sound like an allergy. what confuses me though is its only sometimes ( 8 times in 5 years) and it can be different drinks, its happened from rum, gin , beer, malt beverages, i cant find a common drink that causes it. He doesnt have to drink a lot either, it happened last night and he had 2 beers in 2 hrs. It confuses me because wouldnt it happen every time he drinks if it was an allergy, or always happen when he drinks that specific drink? he drinks beer ofter ( he is not a huge drinker, probably averages 2 drinks 5 days a week give or take one .

i looked online about alcohol allergies and they said that it very rare because our bodies make alcohol. one article i read said it could be an underlying ilness, but the only ones i have seen mentioned are hep b ( he 100 % doesnt have that) and lupus, but i dont think thats the case, he has always had a very strong immune system and has been very healthy. I DONT NO WHY THIS HAPPENS, IT MAKES NO SENSE!!!

THe food he eats when it happens too is totally inconsistant as well, the only thing that is consistant is it happens after he has drank alcohol.

Please please please share some thoughts!

[Annie Mac]

Sulfites? A type of colouring? Some sort of preservative? 

IME, it is possible to be allergic to alcohol. I don't drink anymore because it causes horrible gastro distress -- akin to food poisoning, for about 12 hours following. It's not like I'm drinking too much and get sick, this can happen after just 2 sips. There are also other things that can compromise liver function. It might be worth it for for DH to see a doctor about this. At the very least, it seems like his body is telling him it doesn't like alcohol!

[lotusdebi]

I don't know the reasoning, but I had the same problem. It seems to have been somehow related to breastfeeding for me, which doesn't help your DH at all. Shortly after my youngest weaned, I was able to drink again. For the 3 years he was nursing, I would have reactions to alcohol - any kind: beer, wine, liquor. I would break out in hives, get red, even have trouble breathing sometimes and feel light-headed. It was incredibly annoying!

I hope you're able to find some answers soon!

[deminc]

Histamine tolerance level? That could account for the occasional breakout - he could have had a lot of histamines already in his system and the alcohol at the end of the day tipped him over his personal threshold. I have a salicylate threshold. It can take a couple of years to tip, depending on my general diet.  

[dollyanna]

The same thing happens to my husband every now & then.  It's always from drinking the same beer, which he drinks all the time and gets a rash like 2-3x a year.  It seems to be totally random, BUT, I do have a new theory.  The last time it happened he had eaten shrimp beforehand.  He rarely eats seafood since I'm allergic.  I seem to remember hearing something about the interaction of seafood and alcohol in some people causing some kind of reaction.  I guess we'll wait & see if it happens again.

[kjbrown92]

I used to get them all over my chest whenever I drank (which was wine coolers) in college. Happened for 2-3 years, then went away. I have no idea what it was. They weren't itchy for me, but people would say, hey, what's all over your neck. I'd say sulfites, but that wouldn't be in the distilled spirits. And it wouldn't be gluten, because that's not in all the ones you mentioned either. Is there a common mixer?

[mbbinsc]

Happens to my DH with Sulfites.  He started with just hives, then progressed to having greater reactions (GI) until he decided it was not worth the drink for fear of a greater reaction.

[Doodlebugsmom]

It happens to my dh occasionally too. At first I thought maybe it was just beer, but it has happened with both red and white wine as well as liquor. He takes a Benedryl (I know! Not indicated to take with alcohol.), and the hives are gone within 20 minutes. The same thing happens to his mom sometimes. It hasn't stopped dh from having the occasional drink. We chalk it up to some type of allergy or intolerance, but don't understand why it doesn't happen every time he has a drink.