Strange Symptoms: Allergic to Beer?

[parmenides]

I am a 24 year old male, and I've always loved to have an occasional beer with dinner. About 8 or 10 months ago, though, I started getting ridiculous hangovers (extended vomiting, headaches, etc.), after having only 3 or 4 beer. (These symptoms would never occur, however, until around 9am the next day.) So, I switched to rum and whisky, and the sickness stopped happening. Over the past couple of weeks, I've been testing my luck again, trying one beer on occasion, and nothing happened. So, two nights ago, I shared about 3 or 4 glasses of draught with some friends, and at about noon yesterday I quickly broke out in a strange skin rash -- 100's of small red spots (like small blood blisters) from my shoulders to my knees. They are still there today, although it's not getting much worse now (I've been taking an antihistamine, and I'm awaiting the results of a blood test).

Are these normal occurences? I suspect I might be allergic to something in the beer as it digests... But, I have noticed that these weird things have only occurred when I'm drinking domestic (Canadian) beer, while imported European beers have never yet affected me like that... Any thoughts on this would be appreciated! Are there different ingredients that might be doing this? I really hope I there something I can do...

[jifnif]

wow I have heard of alcohol allergies but yours sound pretty severe.  although i enjoy imports myself i am not sure if they differ from domestic ingredients.  well, besides maybe more hops and grains in the imports???  are you allergic to wheat??  I hope you find out, sorry i dont have any answers.  I just wanted to reply.

[boninclyde]

My friend had the exact same problem. She drank Budwiser for years and started to have hives. She eliminated everything she could think of and changed all products she uses. 3 months ago she got off the bud and switched to yuengling beer. No more hives. There is a difference in beer ingredients. Don't know if bud recently change theirs that made her sick.

[FGQB]

I also am wondering if I developed an allergy to ingredients in beer....My symptoms: Seems like a virus...about 9 am I get a terrible headache, get sick...yellow bile...and alternate between sweats to chills. I get sick about every 20 minutes, and basically hang out in the shower, bath and bed for about 12 hours and then am just fine. This happened when I drank way to many Budweiser beers on the river, so thought it was from over indulgence about a month ago. Friends came over last night and I drank 3 cheap beers, from Wisconsin and the exact symptoms within the same time frame. I have no food or medicine allergies. It is so severe~~worse than any hang over I have ever experienced...even in college!! Comments?

[laura1977]

have you ever thought about the yeast?

[lel2259]

maybe you have a yeast allergy??

[Momma_Bear]

It sounds as if you may have celiacs disease, which is actually an allergy to gluten. The symptoms that you describe sound very much like the symptoms of celiacs. Your doctor can test you for it and if you do have it, then you can control it with dietary changes and save yourself a lot of pain and medical costs down the line. Also, you'll be happy to know that there are a lot of wonderful gluten-free products on the market now. They are not always easy to find, but they're out there - even gluten-free beer!

[limberlostgirl]

FGQB I have the EXACT same symptoms!!! Am doing research as well. Have heard a rumor that the beer companies are starting to use GM (Genetically Modified) grain which could lead to more of us becoming gluten intolerant. This would also explain why in the past we were ok and suddenly now we get sooo sick. If you find any additional information please pass it along and I will do the same.

[macti01]

Hi, i am a 38 yr old caucasian female who has been drinking beer since 16.
I started getting an allergic reaction about ten years ago. I drank mostly  Miller Light.  My chin started getting red and flaky under the corners of my mouth.  I couldn't figure out what it was for a really long time.  Then i went to London and drank European beers with no problems to my face at all.   I decided to switch to Coors Light.....no red chin but gives me diarrhea.  I started drinking Bud Light.....red chin was back, the more i drink the night before the worse my chin is.  So im completely confused about why this is happening.  I wish someone would do a comparison study to different beers ingredients and how much so i'd know what to drink now.  Anyone else have this problem??

[macti01]

Hi, i am a 38 yr old caucasian female who has been drinking beer since 16.
I started getting an allergic reaction about ten years ago. I drank mostly  Miller Light.  My chin started getting red and flaky under the corners of my mouth.  I couldn't figure out what it was for a really long time.  Then i went to London and drank European beers with no problems to my face at all.   I decided to switch to Coors Light.....no red chin but gives me diarrhea.  I started drinking Bud Light.....red chin was back, the more i drink the night before the worse my chin is.  So im completely confused about why this is happening.  I wish someone would do a comparison study to different beers ingredients and how much so i'd know what to drink now.  Anyone else have this problem??

[helga123]

hi i am 23 years old, i have noticed that when i drink beer like redhorse, the next day, the palms of my hands would turn into red and its sooo itchy.
But when i drink wine or tequila, i dont experience this.
Any informations regarding this matter?

[Soonerman]

The beer would contain gluten whereas the wine and tequila are most likely gluten free.  As mentioned above Celiacs disease could be the cause of all of your troubles; the other common allergy would be wheat.  If you have been tested for food allergies and found no allergies, it doesn't mean you don't have celiacs; in allergy testing (skin ***** test or blood test) they do not look for Celiacs.

Another option which was previously mentioned is yeast; not an allergy to yeast, but an overgrowth of candida (just google candida and have a look for yourself).  The candida love the yeast/sugars, like that found in beer and would allow them to thrive in your stomach.  Can cause a variety of problems.

[miasma]

Hi, I'm a 28 year old bloke and I've been drinking since I was 17 or 18. Two years ago I started sneezing. Initially I blamed the cat but after a while I noticed it coincided with when I drink beer or wine or even spirits. So I had to lay of the booze but every now and again I'd be tempted back to it.
Then I read that most allergies, or more accurately for me, intolerances, are the bodies way of saying enough. I thought well if i'm not drinking very often why when I have one drink do I start sneezing again. So I tried to cut out yeast through not eating bread, which I now realise I ate loads of. Breakfast lunch and sometimes dinner.

The best thing is now I can drink all alcohol without sneezing and I can still eat soda bread which tastes just as good as normal bread. So if you're suffering from beer sneezing try ditching yeasty bread for a bit and see what happens. Good luck, Dave

[pcat]

I too have the same problem with beer. I used to drink it all the time and had awful hangovers (no vomiting but I couldn't get myself out of bed and had a brutal headache). I switched to just drinking liquor and have not had a problem.

Last night I had a beer with dinner. I didn't feel too bad while drinking it (I usually found that I would get a headache after my first one but after a couple it went away) but this morning I have another brutal headache. My stomach feels okay, but my head hurts so much I can barely keep my eyes open. I also didn't sleep well because of it.

I know its not as severe as some of the above, but could this also be a gluten or yeast issue?

[swampcritter]

Comment from a home brewer. I'll tell you a little about beer and make some suggestions.

Beer is a pretty simple concoction -- yeast, malt, hops, and water. The traditional grain to use is barley, but its typical to find beers with corn, rice, and wheat used during the brewing process. They make the beer feel lighter to the palate, and brewers call these adjuncts.

As grain is a very common allergy, you might consider if you have problems with particular grains. Chemicals unique to each grain survive fermentation.

Hops are the flower of a vine, and each beer uses a blend of varieties depending on their acid content. Beers have differing hops contents, and you cannot always tell from the taste. This is because the acid in the hops mixes differently during the brewing process depending on water chemistry, grain content, and brewing technique.

So you might also consider -- are you allergic to other foods? Is your stomach sensitive to acid? Do you react more to beer with a higher hops content?

There are two basic types of yeast used in beer, ale yeast and lager yeast. Breweries use the same strain of yeast in all their batches for each beer type they brew. The genetics of the yeast, and thus the chemicals it produces during fermentation, are unique to particular breweries.

It could be that you are not sensitive to yeast per se but to one of the chemicals produced by the yeast from a particular brewery.

I am not a doctor, but if you get rashes on your stomach after drinking, this could be a sign of a liver problem. You might want to chat with your doc about that.

[alexmac708]

I have also been drinking beer pretty consistently for the last five years but then this summer I think I drank too many too fast and got sick. Ever since then I have been experiencing the same symptoms and if I have one I will even feel get a terrible hangover and feel sick, but if I drink any other hard liquor I don't get the same thing. I have drank many Canadian beers, Amstel, Coors and this all happens. Unfortunately the only beer this hasn't happened with is Colt 45, what the hell?

[tomdale]

Also, American beers contain adittives to enchance beers foaming action, mouth feel, ect. In Gremany its against the law to use any thing but the four basic ingredients, grain, hops, water and yeast.  Cheep american beer could be the problem, try some good home brew, or German beer.

[EuphoricX]

I would like to direct this comment to those who have 'allergy-like' symptoms the next day while drinking SOME types of beer, but no symptoms when drinking other types.  Try an experiment: Find out the filtration process of the beer that gave you the killer headache/nausea the next day.  I bet it is unfiltered, and therefore the beer would contain active yeast.  Then, try drinking a beer (such as an import or higher quality domestic) that IS filtered (i.e. no active yeast present).  If you don't feel the same after this night of drinking, then you probably have a yeast allergy.  Other than that, my only other suggestion is to drink a lot more water when you drink beer, especially if you are outside in the sun or drinking a lot of coffee, etc... dehydration can give you extreme hangover symptoms!

[atrepasso]

Omg finally someone with the same syptoms (symptoms) as me..I am 23 as well femaile..I have been drinking beer since I was 13, never had any problems, until I was 21 i started getting rashes red bumps on the palm of my hands and on top the next day after drinking, it doesn't seem to happen everytime, i try to just drink vodka and it doesn't happen. Its confusing, one time i only drank keystone and the next day I was fine, but other times when I drink bud light i get the rash the next day and a bad hang over!!

[funtimefranky]

Peroni beer brings me out in a red dry rash on my scalp, on the sides of my stomach, chest and I get little rashes & dry skin all over. It took me 3 months to conclude that Peroni was the cause. It a pity as its my favourite beer. I would love to know what it is about Peroni that set of this reaction.

[phil52]

Most people do not know that beer contains a lot of sodium (salt).  If you have borderline high blood pressure or are salt-sensitive, or you have a lot of fluid retention, it may be better to switch to moderate booze which does not contain salt.

[eve363]

i'm 18 and female and around 110 pounds and the past three or four night i've drank decent amounts of budweiser.  i usually drink bud light.  but this morning and yesterday in the morning i woke up with hives all over me.  this mornings is way worse than yesterday.  last night i thought it was my cat or my bed or something, so i slept in a different room, but it happened again.

i really hope i'm not allergic to bud, because its my beer of choice.

[bocceball9_9]

I have reactions to all alchol. At first I was diagnosed with allergies, to all grains, corn, wheat, barly, oats, and the other grains. I am allergic to so many thing I forget. But regardless, after a year I was dianosed with celiac disease, in addition to all my allergies. They work together to make my life very difficult.

[Leppy]

Sounds familiar indeed. I have come to the conclusion that I'm allergic to certain TYPES of beer. If I have even a single bottle of Sam Adams lager for example I feel terrible...even my heart rate increases. Later I will get eczema on my hands/fingers and terrible hangovers including ear ache. I can drink other beers such as Guinness without a problem (phew). Interestingly I also feel bad after eating white bread so it could be either the wheat itself or perhaps the yeast that causes the problems. Interesting to test diff combos and see how your body reacts (I'm a biologist by training so I got some satisfaction by playing around and narrowing it down). Good luck to all...listen to your body and it will reveal all

[Dr_Aparna]

Hi,
It is usually not the alcohol that produces the allergic reaction to the wine or beer. The other ingredients in the alcohol, such as yeast, sulfur dioxide, and additives are often the culprits. Reactions include hives, worsening of shortness of breath in an asthmatic, and skin rashes. Alcohol can cause a reddening of the skin due to dilating blood vessels, however this should not be mistaken as an allergy.
There are many ingredients within wine and beer that can cause allergic reactions.
True allergic reactions following beer ingestion are uncommon. Beer may contain a variety of ingredients, including barley, corn, wheat, and rye that may precipitate an allergic reaction.
you feel that you are experiencing an allergic reaction to wine or beer, find out all the ingredients that are present in the beverage. Then, visit an allergist/immunologist and undergo skin testing to the available ingredients in the beverage. If the skin testing is negative, it is likely that you are intolerant to wine and beer. If the skin testing is positive, you should avoid food and drink that contain that specific ingredient.
Working with an allergist/immunologist, the best qualified medical professional trained to manage the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of allergic diseases, will demonstrate improved outcomes and quality of life for people suffering from an allergic disease.
ref:http://www.aaaai.org/patients/advocate/2006/winter/wineandbeer.asp

[sherbear299]

my husband is 47. he has been having severe stomache pain for some time now.  none of the typical tests are turning up anything, which is good, however, he suffers greatly with stomache pain and also seems to have a food allergy that we cannot determine (wont go to the Dr.) that makes his throat close and causes red blotches on the joint areas - elbows, knees and his face.  scares the **** out of me and he wont go to any more dr. appts.  we are going to change beers.  he has been drinking budweiser for at least 10 years now.  he used to drink miller MGD, and had no issues, I think we will go back to trying that for a while.  anyone have anything similar happen to them?
worried wife!

[rprchk]

Hi there.
It sounds like u are not alone.  I Have a chronic problem with red, scaly, very itchy dry skin around my mouth as well and still am not certain what the exact cause is.  I have pinpointed beer as a potential culprit but am not 100% sure as the trend seems to be a 2-day delayed onset of the reaction.  
With your condition, does it occur immediately or a few days later?  I am interested to hear more about your story as it is one of the first I have heard that closely resembles my own symptoms.

[el_dub]

Wow. that's me exactly. Not all beers, usually the cheaper ones. for example the all BUD brands, all MIller brands, Coors...etc.. I Live in portland there are TONS of breweries here. I can drink most micros, but definately can't drnk any IPAs. IT's taken me so long to figure out it was beer/bread. It takes a day or so for the symptoms to come, then depending on the severity could take as long as week, sometimes longer for them to go away. Interestingly I had a haunch and completely switched to wine/liquor and stayed away from bread completely. All my symptoms went away. Then for some reason, I decided to have some cheap beer, Miller light, and bam. It all came back.

my symptoms
red rashes on the hands. kind of like blisters. sometimes a swollen abdomen and sometimes a horrible headache and if really bad, teeth hurt and get a slight ear ache.
btw. I'm white male 35yrs.

[messjess]

I am a 28 yr old female and am so glad to hear that I'm not the only one who has strange symptoms when drinking beer! I have drank alcohol for many years and Coors light has always been my beer of choice. Unfortunately, on three separate occasions(the last three times I have had more than one beer) I have had hives, a small red rash on my stomach that has lasted for 2 days, and most recently terrible diahrea where I couldn't stay out of the bathroom for more than five minutes and it lasted for 12 hours at least followed up by a bladder infection. There have been many times in the past where if I only had one I would have terrible headaches too. I was tested for Celiac last year and it came up negative. Not sure what could be causing this but I will try to switch next time I drink beer.

[Housecalls]

Hello new here

[Housecalls]

I had 5 Guinness 4 days ago and am still sick, I thought I could get away with it but alas that did not happen.  I can eat bread, cereal, pasta, no problems.  However, I am sure it's Sulphites.
I found this out the hard way of course and it wasn't through beer.
I was eating a bag of dried apricots and after 30 minutes of eating 10 of the tasty bits I felt suddenly very ill.  Pain, diarreah, nausea beyond belief and amazing sweats to near passing out and it went on for 4 days.
  Well lets just say I read the package and it warned about Sulphite allergies.  So that was my verdict.
If you can get through 10 dried apricots (sulphite apricots) than your problem would not be sulphites but probably Celiac Disease or a troubled liver.
Sulphites will also create breathing problems and a stuffy nose and hives.
Sulphites are used it almost everything packaged. So I prefer raw, fresh foods.
Dried fruits and wine and beer are the highest of the culprits.
That and drink a ton of green tea with ginger and a tad of honey in it and water.
In the meanwhile, I'll remember this experience and stay away from the beer, I havn't had a glass of wine in 3 years, so it's not a problem, I bought Square One Vodka, sulphite free so I'll stick to that.

[KushielsTart]

For about the last year I have been having a lot of the same problems, but it seems to be hard alcohol for me, or occasially wines depending on the brand. Even if I only have one drink I will be so sick. I wake up about 4 hours after I go to sleep, and can't sleep again for around 24 hours no matter how tired I am. I get major acidic stomach that is so painful, and this empty feeling about an hour after I eat no matter how many times I eat. I also get the pulsing headache, shakes, and increased heart rate. I have fibromyalgia, and sometimes all of this will set off a fibro flare up, so then I will be miserable for about a week. I've been hoping to pin down exactly what ingredients are bothering me, but it's really difficult to pin it down.

[therrien]

Something to consider in this debate over whether it is "just the beer", celiac, or an allergy to a specific ingredient (hops, wheat, etc.) is the type of beer you're drinking.
Someone mentioned unfiltered beer as being lower grade which is completely opposite the truth– most unfiltered beers are high grade micros with very fresh unprocessed ingredients.  
Besides that, I noticed many people talking about bud light or coors or other cheap domestic beer which gave them reactions.  MANY of these beers contain HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, a major factor in intolerant reactions in people today.  Of course, there are plenty of people for whom this is an allergy to a specific ingredient or celiac disease, and it should be taken seriously.  However, for those who can drink some beer and not others, I would suggest just trying to drink good beer and stay away from anything with high fructose corn syrup.

[rkobielusz]

has anyone tried the new budlight lime ? ive been drinking it for 2 months and now all the sudden im getting hives!!!!!!!!

[crystalfresh]

I am allergic to beer. Tested last week. Hops, yeast, and something else. Never knew it was an allergy. I just puke before it even hits my stomach. Never understood why people would like it. Now I guess it was part of the allergy.

[crystalfresh]

BTY allergies can just pop up. Like you didn't have them for 15, 20, 25, even 30-50 years and wham. That's what happened to me.

[rkobielusz]

Yeah, i had hives 6 out of 7 days this week and when i went to my doctor and asked her if you can just start being allergic to something which i knew you could she said it's very unlikely . Well I knew she was wrong but i didn't want to admit it was the bud lime, but hey I think very differently now. I'm done with that ****. Thanks for the input

[rkobielusz]

I'm pretty sure it's only the budlime but i'm testing it out tonight with my bud select. I'll let you know.

[rkobielusz]

well my test with just drinking bus select worked i didn't get any hives. I also emailed anheuser bush last night and asked if anyone complained about hives and they called me straight up today and got some info from me and i told them my story and they are having me send a bottle that i had left over to test i told them there was probably something in it my body that  just didn't like it  and they called me back to offer me a voucher for some more bud lime and i said well i don't think i want anymore of the stuff that gives me hives so they are sending me a couple of vouchers for some bud select. Pretty nice of them considering i had hives for 6 days and an allergy shot. I guess it's a happy ending.

[sarahben]

I'm new here and this has been very interesting reading.  I have been drinking beer since I moved to Germany 15 years ago.   Never had a problem until about 5 years ago when I started getting a puffy face. It came on gradually and because I was also gaining weight, I didn't realize it was an allergy. I just thought my face was fat. I would also get dizzy from any physical exertion (climbing stairs for ex). Has anyone had this reaction?

I stopped drinking all beer/alcohol about 2 yrs ago, and eventually I had my normal face back (also lost weight).   Then I started drinking beer again last summer, and my face started swelling again. My doc told me it's an allergy and to STOP.  Well, I did... off and on.  But now, I get this reaction that I've been reading about here: vomiting in the morning. For me it starts about 12 hours after the first beer.  Worse yet, sometimes I just feel nauseous and that lasts all day. (I don't get the headache because I drink a lot of water before going to bed.)  It started first with beer in cans (Becks)--then any beer in cans.  Now any beer, any brand, any vessel.  But not EVERY time.  Seems to be every other time.  And always the swollen face anyway. It's driving me crazy because I never know if I'm gonna be sick, but my doc says I should just simply stop drinking it. Seems logical. Problem is, I like the stuff...

[Glo2ube]

I too get itchy hands and feet, on the inside and hot flashes. Lately swelling issues back of my head and lower back, moves eachtime. To my hands and feet too. I did get gout a couple of times last year. Very painful, fresh cherries helped alot. So why do I drink beer again?

[jrush72]

does anyone get itchy ears and tons of phlegm within minutes of drinking certain beers? Guiness and Bell's Oberon seem to be two notable exceptions. Not sure why...

[freddirkse]

I'm a 35 yr. old male and have a very painful reaction to beer and an odd reaction to margarita's of all things.  When I was younger (early 20's), I remember feeling flushed and would wheeze a bit when drinking beer; usually on a very full stomach, but it didn't happen too often and wasn't horribly severe....not enough to make me stop :)   When I was about 26 I began having symptoms of GERD as well as a painful reaction to beer in particular, and after a couple years was prescribed Prevacid.  That cleared up my general GERD issues, and I was very hopeful that it would also clear up my issue with beer but it has not.  If I drink only a small amount of beer (1/4 cup), I have an immediate stomach pain similar to GERD but even worse. It feels like I just drank a cup of bleach and it's eating my insides.  It happens immediately and lasts quite awhile.  I haven't drank more than a taste of beer in over 5 years now, but if I were to actually drink a whole beer right now I'd be in agonizing pain for at least 1/2 a day to a day.  I can drink all the shots and mixed drinks I can handle until I fall over and with no stomach issues at all, but just a little beer and I'm in misery.  I would love to figure out what the issue is, as I LOVE beer and very much miss being able to drink it.  Any suggestions?

When I drink margaritas, I still get a little flushed and start to wheeze, like I'm asthmatic.  Doesn't happen all the time, but often enough that I generally avoid drinking margaritas, or at least too many of them.  Any other alcohol and I'm completely fine.

[alzil]

I have been drinking beer for about 5 years. About 6 months ago I started vomiting in the morning after drinking alot of beer, I figured it was the draught beer so I cut that out. I continued to drink bottled beer and had no problems. I stopped drinking for a bout 3 weeks, but the last 3 Saturdays after drinking beer I have been sick. The first time was understandable because I had consumed quite a bit the night before, the next weekend I vomited violently after consuming only a 6pack, and then yesterday I was throwing up again after a night out of drinking beer. It cant be an allergy to yeast or glutan because I eat alot of bread and pasta without any problems. I dont know what it is, if anyone has any other ideas, help me out. I love beer and would prefer not to give it up.

[emperor_munchy]

i am 18 years old and hav been drinking since i was 15, used to drink lots of spirits now just beer... i have just returned from a 3 months trip of ireland where i consumed alot of beer (drinking heavy 3 to 4 times a week) , off the tap and out of a can....i used to get really bad hangovers, headache feeling sick just in bits the next day... since i have got bak i now longer get any hangovers at all i just get really bad rashes all over my chest, arms and behind my knees....its really worrying because its come on very quickly and fairly severely....im also on Roaccutain at the moment (acne treatment) but this alone shouldnt bring on such severe effects...any help would be brilliant

[el_dub]

I just wanted to follow up from my previous post. I can completely confirm that all of my symptoms go away as long as I don't crappy beer. And by crappy I mean all the major brands. I suspect it's the preservatives they use, but I'm done with my science experiment :). No longer will i drink them. Thankfully I live in Oregon where there are TONS of awesome beer which are brewed fresh and are much more pleasurable and satisfying to drink.

[ZombieVixen]

I am a 24 year old Caucasian female, I love beer and have been drinking it since i was like 20. In the past 6 months or so, every time I would drink beer, the next morning I would be miserable, not even hungover, it felt like I had a really bad cold. Completely stuffed up nose, swollen sinuses, itchy throat. Recently I did a little experiment where I drank beers all night and woke up with the weird stuffy feeling. Then the next night I went out and drank Tequila margarita's all night, about 7, and woke up feeling fine. I still occasionally drink beer, but now, I can't even drink 1 beer before I feel awful. One time I had such a bad reaction that when I woke up around 9 AM, my hands were incredibly tingly, that feeling lasted til about 5 PM. As soon as I drink beer now, I instantly feel my face swell, mostly around my sinus area, I get all stuffy in my nose and now recently my eyes get itchy, bloodshot and swollen. I drank a few Mike's hard Lemonade's and still felt a little stuffy. And my symptoms start right away, not the next morning now, within minutes of drinking beer I feel flushed, hot, stuffy, just totally miserable. I'm sure its the hops in beer, as Sam Adams (which is known for their massive amount of hops) is the worst for me, half of one of those and I'm in pain.. Am I allergic to hops? I can't think of anything else it could be.

[margo12]

I am getting a rash around the eyes the crease line around the mouth,the corners of the mouth , hair line.I feel fine mabe a little shortness of breath.  I have no hangovers just this rash. I drink bud lite,thinking it maybe allergy to that. I am going to start experimenting
with different beer and see what happen.I may just be allergic to acohol.
I crave beer they say you are always allergic to the food you crave the most whether  milk,chocolate.yeast,etc.

[ANHRN]

JEEZ there are a lot of responses to this question.

Perhaps it is in the way that it is fermented.  American beers may use a different method?  I have a mold allergy and drinking a lot of beer/wine exacerbates it because anything that has  been fermented feeds into the mold.  Maybe you could have allergy testing done to identify what exactly it is that you're allergic to (like mold) and maybe they can give you some advice as to what else you could avoid.

[FoxPeter]

Hi
   I am a 25 years old male from the philippines, believe it or not i dont drink beer recently (4 days ago) we were celebrating my friend's birthday and for the first time i drank a beer that is light. just a while after that i got rashes coming out of my skin(stomach ,back, hands, none in the face and feet) these red rashes appears to be inside my skin,its not hurting when u try to touch them and its been 3 days now. my problem is that my back is giving me the itchy feeling every once in a while as if someone is hurting my back with a needle. when i scratch the itchy part i dont feel relieved so its kinda annoying.

  so i started searching the net for a solution, this page seems to contain what may have caused the allergic reactions but im done with that,im certain im allergic to beer ,millions drinking the same beer and only a few getting the symptoms.

  I guess what im looking for in this page is something to heal the allergies even for a while... a medicine of some sort.

[bcampbell2]

Hi iam a 18 year old college student and over the last month it seemed when i drink beer my left eyelid gets a horrible rash and yellow junk comes out of it.  After the day i put aquaphor on it and it seems to go away.  I stopped drinking for a week and my eyelid was better.  So a week later i drank beer again and the same thing happened.  I was wondering if anything was wrong or maybe i developed an allergy to something in the beer.  In the past i could drink all the beer i wanted and nothing would happen.  
ANy suggestions or some idea what might be wrong?

[forcedsobriety]

I am a 28 year old black female.  My mother was an alcoholic, so naturally I started drinking at 16ish...more heavily once in college.  Ive never been a binge drinker but I have had at least 1 or 2 beers, sometimes more, EVERYDAY for the past 10 years.  I just recently got a rash from drinking beer,  I thought it was from swimming in a pool, I haven't been exposed to chlorine since gradschool.  After a week of internal steroids to clear the rash, I drank more beer, the rash came back!  So I figured this was my end to drinking...I had some wine to test my luck and it spread from just my torso to my face!  Ive been back to the doc to get a topical cream, it seems to be helping.  I spoke to a herbalist friend who said she'd heard of 3 other cases besides mine of this happening to friends.  WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO US???!!!  Why now?  Why don't doctors know about this???  The 2 docs that I saw looked at me like I was crazy and said instead that it is a reaction to dust...um...NO ITS NOT!  What can be done to stop this?  Thank you to everyone who posted their expirences, it helped me to confirm that this really is related to alcohol.  Good luck everyone!!!

[Neth23]

Yes, I am having it right now. And it is so painful.  How damn itchy it is!! I will have to go to the doctor today!!

[el_dub]

There seems to be at least 4 distinct symptoms.

1.Crappy feeling the next day with stuffed sinus and bad head aches.

2.Break-outs around the mouth and eyes. (interested to know if you were drinking out of a tin can)

3.Break-outs on the torso.

4. break outs on the hands. (this is me).

I've figured mine out. Mine is a nickel allergy. Take a look at the list of foods you should avoid if you have a nickel allergy and see if you get the same or milder symptoms from eating the foods.

One day I had a hunger for some mushrooms. I went to the store bought a little carton of mushrooms, doctored them up with some balsalmic vinegar and at the whole carton. Maybe 15pcs of regular button shrooms. The next day I had a fierce break out on my hands.

Turns out you should avoid mushrooms if you have a nickel allergy. Also I get a similar break outs eating almost anything on that list. Whole oat breads, cereals, raisins, mush rooms, etc, etc..

Now I'm wondering if drinking beer out of a can exposes me to nickel.

http://www.geocities.com/vyera/dyshidrosis/nickel.html

[el_dub]

by forcedsobriety, Jul 09, 2009 09:53AM
To: all
I am a 28 year old black female.  My mother was an alcoholic, so naturally I started drinking at 16ish...more heavily once in college.  Ive never been a binge drinker but I have had at least 1 or 2 beers, sometimes more, EVERYDAY for the past 10 years.  I just recently got a rash from drinking beer,  I thought it was from swimming in a pool, I haven't been exposed to chlorine since gradschool.  After a week of internal steroids to clear the rash, I drank more beer, the rash came back!  So I figured this was my end to drinking...I had some wine to test my luck and it spread from just my torso to my face!  Ive been back to the doc to get a topical cream, it seems to be helping.  I spoke to a herbalist friend who said she'd heard of 3 other cases besides mine of this happening to friends.  WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING TO US???!!!  Why now?  Why don't doctors know about this???  The 2 docs that I saw looked at me like I was crazy and said instead that it is a reaction to dust...um...NO ITS NOT!  What can be done to stop this?  Thank you to everyone who posted their expirences, it helped me to confirm that this really is related to alcohol.  Good luck everyone!!!

[JLJAK]

37 y.o. female. No rash, but sick: migraine, shakes, vomiting, diarhea (diarrhea), chills, 12 hours to 3 days after drinking Microbrews and "finer" bottled beers. Can't re-hydrate because water causes more vomiting.
First it was wine only (in 20s), then wine and spirits (mid 20s), now beer and malted (i.e. MIke's) too (early 30s).
HOWEVER, recent experiment with MGD, was OK. Shocked! Just dull the next day - not violently ill. Like a normal person... So theory that I can only have watery "cheap" beers. :(
Noticed worst reaction with Wheat Microbrews - but no probs with bread...

[Vanillieujel]

I'm a 14 years old boy, on the farewell party of my cousins, we held a party.. with beers of course.. I have drank 3 bottles,.. and then, it caused rashes on my back... Is this a serious symptom also?

[Letsrock475]

I usually get sick the next day.  I've noticed that I get sick from a pilsner lager or blonde beers and I'm ok with bud coors corona.  Try avioding blonde beer

[emily687]

I just switched to Miller Genuine Draft 64 and my symptoms are really stuffed nose, sneezing and sore throat.  I know drinking beer in the past has made me stuffy but now it is really, really bad.  Does anyone know if there is something in the MGD64 that could be causing these symptoms for me?  Thanks.

[NiritKadmon]

I'm 49, white female.  Had been drinking beer for years without any problem, and then...

About two weeks ago I got this horrible very itchy rash (red spots) various parts of my body (arms, knees, feet...) plus weird rash on the palms and backs of my hands, which looked like small hard clear blisters - also terribly itchy.  I was told this was an allergic reaction, but I had no idea what to.  The rash (both types) went away only with oral cortisone, and while I was taking that I started feeling sort of sick and quite dizzy all the time, which I attributed to the cortisone.  I finished my dosage of antihistamines and cortisone, and last night the red spot rash came back.  The dizziness, on the other hand, wouldn't go away.  Then it dawned on me:  beer!  

Thank you all for the info on this page!!  It makes me feel things really do make sense.  I'm almost 100% sure it's allergy to beer - probably all of the symptoms, including dizziness...   You know, when I got this rash, I was itching so bad I drank more and more beer, which made it worse and worse!  No wonder antihistamines and topical cortisone didn't help...   I guess I'm lucky that one is not allowed alcohol with oral cortisone, since that made me stop the beer.

Grrr.  What a bummer.  Still dizzi and itching...  But it IS a relief to know what to do to make it stop.  Time to get some Vodka, maybe.

[VanessaPerez]

Heyy my name is Vanessa Perez im 18 and from Beaver Oklahoma I started drinking beer.., when I was a freshman and never had a problem with it until the middle of the summer that I graduated.. I drank just a few budlights at my friends house and broke out in hives  and got all itchy. The 2nd time went to a party and had another set of just a few broke out in hives and itched and passed out and puked. 3rd time I drank just a couple again, but that time I got the rashes and itchy and passed out and puked and turned yellow and my eyes rolled back. ive tried drinking alcohol and it still gives me some what of an allergic reaction but not as bad as budlight.

[Oh_Geez]

I am a 25 yr old female who has been drinking beer since I could hold a can. About 7 yrs ago, freshman year at college, I started waking up with my entire body in pain. The pain was also usually accompanied by nausea and headaches. At first I assumed I drank too much, until I started to notice a correlation with beer. Beer was the only thing that made my body hurt like that, and it didn't take many. So, for awhile I stuck to liquor. But I love beer!!! For the last couple of years I typically drink a beer or two a night, like a lot of people drink tea or soda or whatever your pleasure, and I've been fine. I had other things wrong, but nothing I could directly relate to beer. Occasionally I will get drunk from beer, but the side effects have been minimal, nothing out of the ordinary. Then, the other night I had 3 beers (a kind I hadn't had in a while) in a span of 3 hours, followed by a big glass of water before bed. I didn't feel intoxicated by any means and I was not worried about the next morning in the slightest. Unfortunately, when I woke up I felt ok, but an hour or so later it hit me...my entire body felt like someone stuck me in a cold drier on high, I hurt ALL over! Then came the nausea and headache! I took a couple of ibuprofen and a couple of hours I felt fine. But I wanted to get this figured out. I should not have felt that badly after only 3!
I came across Soonerman's post regarding Celiacs and Candida, and omg I'm on cloud 9! I had previously been tested, with negative results, for Celiacs, but I had never heard of Candida. So, I did my research and found out that every problem I currently have with my body is a symptom of Candida. All of these years I've been put on so many medicines to treat all of these different problems. Well, it turns out we were just treating the symptoms of problem.
I'm still researching, but I'm really hoping that since Candida is a yeast overgrowth, I can still drink filtered beer (thank you EuphoricX for that explanation)!

[take_back_america]

I have been drinking since i was 15 or so now in my forties i could never drink Budweiser would pass them up if that's all there was. I wouldn't even introduce 1 can in my night because it would give me such a pounder the next day all day. I drank many types of beers  but switched to natural light  for a time because it dident hang me over at all. Well a few years ago the beer i always drink out of cans natural Light began to stink like rubber or something really bad. At first i thought i got a bad or skunked batch but that wasn't the case  they changed something. it also began to hang me over bad so i stopped drinking natural light . I switched to Keystone light and it was perfect. That beer reminds me of beer back in the day  and don't hang me over . Until 2 weeks ago i got a bad hangover so now im watching it closely. Also the beer i have noticed does not taste the same as it has so i am pretty sure they changed something also. I was thinking rice maybe but i don't know at this point. Any ideas or replies would be appreciated.

[choo_choo]

During finals week back in college I drank some Samuel Adams, maybe 5 ot them.  I got hives from head to toe...in my mouth, on my feet, on every conceivable part of my body.  I spent half the night in the ER.  I drank some Bittburger beer in Germany and that didn't work for me, either.  I don't know what I'm allergic to in beer, but I stay far, far away from the stuff.  It never occured to me that there may be a correlation between beer and other foods until I read all the posts.  It would explain some of the issues I have with foods (getting itchy after I eat certain things, etc).  I'll talk to my doctor at my next appointment.  

[reditch]

It all started about a year ago when i started to get stomach pains and rashes/hives on my body. I saw my doc. They performed every blood test possible and nothing turned up. I was very stressed out for a long period of time not knowing what the problem was. I was at my buddies the other night and had a few Budweiser watching the football game, the next day i could feel the itch coming back. Red bumpy rash in the creases of my elbows and forearms, very itchy! Even my penis would get an itch!  Very strange, but like i say, i have had "every" blood test done with no result. I have also seen specialists. The rash will last for a couple of days then dissipate. I have tried to narrow it down, and only one thing that sticks in my mind is the BUD!

[eckman182]

I am a 44 year old male living in the San francisco Bay Area.  I love beer!  I rarely drink to excess (maybe 5 time a year).  Recently I had a Heiniken with a friend and experianced a hot flush of the face and some very minimal hives around my neck and chest.  It happened again the next night with Coors light.  I went to doctor and he (believe it or not) had me drink a beer in front of him.  20 min. later I got yhr same reaction.  I don't drink wine because it gives me diareah.  The doctor concluded that I was most likely allergic to sulfites.  I researched sulfites and found that beer is at the lower end of the sulfite scale.  Products like dried appriots are at the upper end.  I will be conducting a test with appricots this weekend (will have a benidrill chaser close by).  Also, after 20+ years of taking Excedrin for headaches I developed hives when I took it.  What is happening?

[dpthots]

I agree with you, I experience problems with Beer, and it appears I have a problem with Candida about the same way you did. Overuse of Antibiotics is causing a lot of people problems, and they don't do enough checking before they prescribe it. Actually, it sounds like nasal cortisones, and antibiotics both create what is called an"overgrowth" of fungus in a persons body.

I am sure from the sound of how a lot of people here had no early trouble, but trouble popped up later could probably think back to a time when they were prescribed antibiotics. I sincerely hope these people google Candida if they are having weird problems. Totally surprised me, what I found. There is a symptom test you can take. Don't know about Celiacs...  will look at that.

I figured out the Candida problem a few days ago, was just looking into why I got a racing pulse and congested sinuses after a couple of beers, figured it was related. Try not to use antibiotics, people. If you have to, research rebalancing your body. Good luck everyone, hope you find the answers you need.

[Simpleman74]

Did you know they are putting propylene glycol in some beers now. Don't worry, they are not trying to kill you. Just make you sick. Funny how they took the ingredients off the bottles and cans and boxes just before they started doing that.
Get headaches from Bud now when you didn't before for example? Bingo! That is one. However Bud light doesn't.
The excuse is that it is a foam stablizer. haaaaa
Why are the other beers foam stable without it,

[bertthesquirt]

HI I'm 61 and have been enjoying beer since I was about 15. I have had food allergies, however they seem to be less of a problem now than when I was young. If you are having reactions that you suspect are from beer, I suggest that you switch to only beers from Germany and the Netherlands. The problem with domestic beers is that they use whatever grain is cheapest at the time of manufacture in place of barley. I suspect that I still react to corn and rice. German beers still have to follow the beer purity law (reinheitsgebot) that states that beer can only have water, barley and hops. Also domestic beers may have other additives such as preservatives that can cause allergy problems as well.