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Instant headache when drinking!?
I'm a 18 year old girl and I'm not a big party person I'll drink maybe 2-4 times a month if that and haven't ever been a hard core drinker like some of my friends I've only been drinking since I was 17 and recently I have noticed that I will immediately get a headache from any kind of alcohol, beer, champagne, vodka. Doesn't matter what, after abut half a drink I get a horrible headache above my eyes. This is a total bummer since I can't enjoy having a few drinks with my friends anymore. The headache is sometimes but not always accompanied by a heavy feeling and feeling like my head is extremely hot even if I don't have a fever. I don't ever get hangovers either the next morning. I make sure to drink lots of water before and during drinking, can anyone explain or give me advice on how to fix this? New years is tomorrow and my friends 19th b day is only a few days after so any advice is appreciated!
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I usually will not disagree with experts. To the extent that the National institute for Headaches is saying that "alcohol expands the blood vessel in the brain lowering blood pressure in the brain causing headaches"; I have a problem with that. We know for a fact that the immediate effect of alcohol is the constriction of blood vessels. This is why the worst thing you can do when cold is have an alcoholic beverage to warm up. Where I will agree with them is the reason for the hangover as this is more plausible.
If you will accept the fact that initially alcohol constricts blood vessels restricting blood flow throughout the body. Then the probable reason for your instant headaches is alcohol has a profound effect on you constricting blood flow to your brain. You could say you are the type of person who smells the bottle and gets instantly buzzed.
One of the problems I foresee with this problem is it may get worse, if so it may not be a headache you have to worry about but you may have to worry about passing out. The worst case scenario here is depending how long you are past out how much oxygen is your brain deprived of and would it result in any type of brain damage. This is a real possibility.
Before I retired I was a firefighter attached to a rescue squad. Early one morning we were called to a fatality on the highway. A car had run in to the rear end of a truck decapitating the driver. As I walked up to the highway patrolmen I was about to ask if he had determined the cause. There was brain matter all over the place and as I inhaled to ask the question I changed my question to; "wait don't tell me the cause of this is ETOH?" the legal term for alcohol or substance abuse. The entire area around the car reeked of alcohol.
Alcohol goes straight to the brain and is why you get buzzed as it starves the brain for oxygen and stays in the brain long after you stop drinking. You are probably one of those people who should not drink at all. Not to mention the fact that you are 2 to 3 years shy of being of legal age to drink; another subject all together.
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You lucky, lucky, lucky …
If I was allergic to beer, I'd own a house by now. And I wouldn't have this gut.
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I did research on line for instant headaches. What little was written about that mentioned bodies that biologically had reactions to something in alcohol.
Here's one site:
[Link](Mouse over link to see full location)
Most Drs. on line answering those questions suggest simply never ever drinking. It's like considering that you are allergic to something that you ingest. Some are allergic to nuts or shellfish and if ingested, can cause reactions very severe like swelling and closing of ones throat so you can't breathe.
They had reports that women are more prone to the instant headache thing and that women with migraines or a tendency in their genetic makeup to eventually get migraines are ones who end up with the instant headaches. I get the feeling that there hasn't been enough studies on the phenomena but there are some basic scientific principles that ring true. Such a quick reaction is not just a weakness in you but more likely an allergic reaction. With a tendency for women with migraines to also get the instant headaches with drinking, I'd be afraid to continue drinking in fear of kick starting a life long problem of migraines that never go away. If you haven't experienced them, you dont want to do anything that will bring them on. I had only 4 episodes over my life, one lasting about 5 days. It is excruciating, I couldn't function in any way and also the pain made me nauseous enough to throw up as well. I couldn't do anything, bed ridden in a dark room. Since alcohol affects you differently than others, in a real negative way, I suggest you avoid it too, as Drs on line have noted.
If it's really just being part of the crowd, tell friends you are allergic to alcohol and leave it at that, everyone understands having to stay away from some food or drink that makes them ill or knows of someone with allergies. If it's a buzz that is most important to you, find something other than alcohol to give you a buzz. Something safe that is. If your state is okay with marijuana use, that's the only thing I can think of right now but there may be something else. I have learned to have fun, let inhibitions go, get giddy in public settings like parties without any alcohol or pot. I have had a couple people ask if I had had too much of something when I was totally sober.
So again, there is currently no medical explanation on cures for this. Simply avoid alcohol.
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