Question about CF'ers and alcohol

[giantsfan91]

Last weekend I was at a friends for a birthday party and there was a bottle of Jagermeister and we all took a celebratory shot. I know I'm not 21 and shouldn't be drinking anyway but I was concerned with the fact that my face and arms got really red and I developed little bumps on my arms after just one shot. I've had beer before and never experienced this but with stronger alcohol this reaction seems to come back. I don't experience any change in my breathing just the redness and little hives. The problem went away after drinking a water bottle but I'm wondering if this is the start to a serious alergic reaction or just an odd thing that happens to people with CF. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

 

[giantsfan91]

Last weekend I was at a friends for a birthday party and there was a bottle of Jagermeister and we all took a celebratory shot. I know I'm not 21 and shouldn't be drinking anyway but I was concerned with the fact that my face and arms got really red and I developed little bumps on my arms after just one shot. I've had beer before and never experienced this but with stronger alcohol this reaction seems to come back. I don't experience any change in my breathing just the redness and little hives. The problem went away after drinking a water bottle but I'm wondering if this is the start to a serious alergic reaction or just an odd thing that happens to people with CF. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

 

[giantsfan91]

Last weekend I was at a friends for a birthday party and there was a bottle of Jagermeister and we all took a celebratory shot. I know I'm not 21 and shouldn't be drinking anyway but I was concerned with the fact that my face and arms got really red and I developed little bumps on my arms after just one shot. I've had beer before and never experienced this but with stronger alcohol this reaction seems to come back. I don't experience any change in my breathing just the redness and little hives. The problem went away after drinking a water bottle but I'm wondering if this is the start to a serious alergic reaction or just an odd thing that happens to people with CF. Let me know what you guys think. Thanks!

 

[mag6125]

Sounds like an allergic reaction. I've drank a lot of jäger before and other harder stuff and never had anything happen.

 

[mag6125]

Sounds like an allergic reaction. I've drank a lot of jäger before and other harder stuff and never had anything happen.

 

[mag6125]

Sounds like an allergic reaction. I've drank a lot of jäger before and other harder stuff and never had anything happen.

 

[duke1234]

The first time I took a shot of vodka the same thing happened to me, flushed red face and arms, hives, but overall I felt fine. It might just be the fact that you took a shot and the alcohol hit your blood faster than usual, since you said it doesn't happen with beer, and it probably won't happen if you take sips instead of shots.

 

[duke1234]

The first time I took a shot of vodka the same thing happened to me, flushed red face and arms, hives, but overall I felt fine. It might just be the fact that you took a shot and the alcohol hit your blood faster than usual, since you said it doesn't happen with beer, and it probably won't happen if you take sips instead of shots.

 

[duke1234]

The first time I took a shot of vodka the same thing happened to me, flushed red face and arms, hives, but overall I felt fine. It might just be the fact that you took a shot and the alcohol hit your blood faster than usual, since you said it doesn't happen with beer, and it probably won't happen if you take sips instead of shots.

 

[rubyroselee]

The same thing happened with one of my friends - she became allergic to certain alcohols. Not all of them, just certain ones and only at certain times. It was really scary though when she broke out in hives all over her body the first time. So it's not a CF thing, but definitely sounds like an allergic reaction.

 

[rubyroselee]

The same thing happened with one of my friends - she became allergic to certain alcohols. Not all of them, just certain ones and only at certain times. It was really scary though when she broke out in hives all over her body the first time. So it's not a CF thing, but definitely sounds like an allergic reaction.

 

[rubyroselee]

The same thing happened with one of my friends - she became allergic to certain alcohols. Not all of them, just certain ones and only at certain times. It was really scary though when she broke out in hives all over her body the first time. So it's not a CF thing, but definitely sounds like an allergic reaction.

 

[Havoc]

I had a very similar reaction whilst on an antibiotic, but I can't recall which one I was on at the time. I didn't get hives, but I became very flushed. My friends asked me if I was ok and I replied that I was fine. Back at the hotel room I saw what I looked like and was shocked. My face chest and back looked like a really nasty sunburn. It went away in a few hours, and I never had that reaction before, so it had to be some strange combination of the alcohol and the antibiotic.

 

[Havoc]

I had a very similar reaction whilst on an antibiotic, but I can't recall which one I was on at the time. I didn't get hives, but I became very flushed. My friends asked me if I was ok and I replied that I was fine. Back at the hotel room I saw what I looked like and was shocked. My face chest and back looked like a really nasty sunburn. It went away in a few hours, and I never had that reaction before, so it had to be some strange combination of the alcohol and the antibiotic.

 

[Havoc]

I had a very similar reaction whilst on an antibiotic, but I can't recall which one I was on at the time. I didn't get hives, but I became very flushed. My friends asked me if I was ok and I replied that I was fine. Back at the hotel room I saw what I looked like and was shocked. My face chest and back looked like a really nasty sunburn. It went away in a few hours, and I never had that reaction before, so it had to be some strange combination of the alcohol and the antibiotic.

 

[tarheel]

Okay- So I'll point out again it's illegal but everyone who doesn't have their head in a toilet knows underage drinking happens.

That said- being allergic to alchohol is nearly impossible. If you were, you'd get hives from alchohol wipes used to clean your skin before any procedure- which in my knowledge has never happened to like, anyone. What probably happened is you had a reaction to one of the impurities in the alchohol. Kind of like how the majority of people allergic to shellfish aren't allergic to shellfish at all, but allergic to iodine which the shellfish are sometimes exposed to and absorb enough to cause a reaction.

 

[tarheel]

Okay- So I'll point out again it's illegal but everyone who doesn't have their head in a toilet knows underage drinking happens.

That said- being allergic to alchohol is nearly impossible. If you were, you'd get hives from alchohol wipes used to clean your skin before any procedure- which in my knowledge has never happened to like, anyone. What probably happened is you had a reaction to one of the impurities in the alchohol. Kind of like how the majority of people allergic to shellfish aren't allergic to shellfish at all, but allergic to iodine which the shellfish are sometimes exposed to and absorb enough to cause a reaction.

 

[tarheel]

Okay- So I'll point out again it's illegal but everyone who doesn't have their head in a toilet knows underage drinking happens.
<br />
<br />That said- being allergic to alchohol is nearly impossible. If you were, you'd get hives from alchohol wipes used to clean your skin before any procedure- which in my knowledge has never happened to like, anyone. What probably happened is you had a reaction to one of the impurities in the alchohol. Kind of like how the majority of people allergic to shellfish aren't allergic to shellfish at all, but allergic to iodine which the shellfish are sometimes exposed to and absorb enough to cause a reaction.

 

[Havoc]

Alcohol wipes= isopropanol
Drinking alcohol= ethanol

You are partially correct, in that some people, often linked with Asian heritage, have a reaction to acetaldehyde due to a lack of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase. Certain antibiotics and antifungals can inhibit aldehyde dehydrogenase (which I generically and anecdotally stated in my earlier post for convenience).

Alcohol is a poison, the body can metabolize ethanol, methanol on the other hand will kill you (or at the very least make you go blind). In a case where one is deficient in ALDH (either from a genetic mutation or inhibited by a medication), ethanol cannot be converted to acetic acid as readily and the result is an immunological response which is similar to an allergic reaction.

There is some evidence that H2 blockers can reduce this reaction, but they also tend to greatly increase BAL through an unknown mechanism.

CF's relationship with alcohol is that it's metabolized in the liver on the P450 cytochrome. People with CF tend to have more efficient metabolism on the P450, which means we tend to have a better tolerance for caffeine, alcohol, benzodiazepines, narcotics, amiodarone (anything metabolized on the P450) etc.

I realize I'll probably catch hell for this post. It's not my intention to make people feel badly, but I feel I have to clarify when I see misinformation, or just guesswork, in a reply where someone is seeking information.

 

[Havoc]

Alcohol wipes= isopropanol
Drinking alcohol= ethanol

You are partially correct, in that some people, often linked with Asian heritage, have a reaction to acetaldehyde due to a lack of the enzyme aldehyde dehydrogenase. Certain antibiotics and antifungals can inhibit aldehyde dehydrogenase (which I generically and anecdotally stated in my earlier post for convenience).

Alcohol is a poison, the body can metabolize ethanol, methanol on the other hand will kill you (or at the very least make you go blind). In a case where one is deficient in ALDH (either from a genetic mutation or inhibited by a medication), ethanol cannot be converted to acetic acid as readily and the result is an immunological response which is similar to an allergic reaction.

There is some evidence that H2 blockers can reduce this reaction, but they also tend to greatly increase BAL through an unknown mechanism.

CF's relationship with alcohol is that it's metabolized in the liver on the P450 cytochrome. People with CF tend to have more efficient metabolism on the P450, which means we tend to have a better tolerance for caffeine, alcohol, benzodiazepines, narcotics, amiodarone (anything metabolized on the P450) etc.

I realize I'll probably catch hell for this post. It's not my intention to make people feel badly, but I feel I have to clarify when I see misinformation, or just guesswork, in a reply where someone is seeking information.