Your doctor may recommend avoiding drinking beer altogether or suggesting alternative beverages that may be less likely to cause an allergic reaction. They may also recommend allergy medications or tests to diagnose a beer allergy. Alcohol intolerance is most often due to genetic conditions and sensitivity to histamine and sulfites in alcoholic beverages. Symptoms of an allergy or intolerance to beer may occur because you have a sensitivity to an ingredient in beer. Common allergens in beer include gluten, histamine, sulfites, and yeast.
The Darker Side of Alcohol Intolerance
If you have an alcohol allergy, you can develop an itchy rash, swelling, nausea, and even breathing trouble. For example, many people use drugs or alcohol as a way of coping with stress, numbing their problems or escaping their lives. In this case, substance abuse is probably indicative of a deeper issue — substance dependence or a mental health condition like depression or anxiety. Those with a genuine alcohol allergy should completely avoid alcohol. Paying attention to which beverages cause symptoms can help people manage their alcohol intolerance. However, some people develop allergy-like symptoms, such as an itchy throat and nasal congestion, in response to the sulfites in wine.
How to tell if you are allergic to alcohol itself
Symptoms of a beer allergy can include hives, itching, swelling, difficulty breathing, and even anaphylaxis, a severe and potentially life-threatening allergic reaction. Beer allergy is relatively rare, and diagnosis requires a medical evaluation, including skin prick testing or blood tests. If you have symptoms after drinking beer, but not after drinking wine or other alcoholic beverages, it’s not alcohol intolerance. More likely, you’re allergic to or sensitive to a particular ingredient in that beer. A beer allergy is an adverse immune response to certain ingredients in beer. These ingredients may include malt barley and brewer’s yeast, along with hops or assorted flavorings.
Sulfite Allergies
While organic wines cannot add sulfites to their products by law, some contain enough natural sulfites to trigger a reaction in sensitive people. A group of sulfur-containing compounds known as sulfites occurs naturally in wine and beer. Some vintners add more sulfites to wines because they act as preservatives. This is caused by inherited (genetic) traits most often found in Asians.
Symptoms of a Beer Allergy
Some people experience flushing, headaches, and nausea shortly after drinking alcohol. If you’ve ever had an alcoholic drink only to find your nose running and your stomach roiling, you may have an alcohol intolerance. Or you may have an alcohol allergy, a stronger reaction that involves the immune system. If left untreated, an allergic reaction can quickly become worse.
Be sure to tell your doctor if you’re taking any medications or supplements. For example, many children outgrow food allergies to milk, soy, eggs, and wheat. However, allergies to peanuts, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish are less likely to be signs of beer allergy outgrown. Busting myths and misconceptions by answering some of the most common questions about food allergy. Although alcohol intolerance usually isn’t a serious issue, you may want to discuss it with your doctor at your next appointment.
ou’re Feeling Anxious
- An allergic reaction to beer usually happens within a couple of hours.
- Two common symptoms are facial flushing, in which the skin on the face quickly turns red, and nasal congestion.
- If drinking alcohol—also known as ethanol—gives you food allergy symptoms such as flushing or hives, you may have an intolerance to alcohol.
- The way a person’s body reacts to a food one time can’t predict how they will react the next time.
- They’re present in higher amounts in certain types of alcohol, like red wine, than others.