# IBS and Alcohol



## ASTGIRL (Nov 10, 2001)

I know that trigger foods for IBS are different in everyone, but mostly everyone i've talked to says that alcohol effects their ibs in some way. I think i have IBS, my doctor over the summer said i did after he did a colonoscopy and bloodwork, and both were fine. I'm not positive if he was right or not. I went to see him a few weeks ago and he laughed at my stomach diary and told me that i take my medicine (hyoscamine) too much. So i'm in the process of finding a new doctor, but anyways, back to the alcohol. I can drink, and it doesn't effect me. It doesn't matter if it's alcohol or beer, and it doesn't matter if i only have 1 or if i drink so much that i throw up. Does alcohol not effect anyone else's ibs? Do you guys think I should mention this to my doctor, when i find one? I am very sensitive to milk products and greasy food, but only sometimes. But so far i haven't noticed any sensitivities to alcohol. I'm not complaining, i just thought it seemed strange that something that is horrible for your body doesn't make my stomach hurt, when pretty much everything else does. If anyone has any info on this i'd really appreciate it!


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## Tamgirl21 (Sep 2, 2001)

ASTGIRL, Hi! I am completly stumped by your question!! I have the same similarities to your IBS, where I am sensitive to dairy and greasy foods. However, I can't drink at all!







I can have a beer or two and be fine if I have something in my stomach but besides that, any mixed drinks or shots etc. I can't tolerate. I get major cramping and D the whole next day. I'm not a big drinker to begin with but its hard b/c I mean I'm only 21!! I read on this site that taking an Immodium before drinking might stop the D I get the next day, I'm going to try it out! Your lucky it doesn't bother you!! Tammy


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## zayaka26 (Jul 5, 2001)

I can have beer and that is usually what I drink. I like Blue Curacao, but the last time I had a couple the next day was totally D. I cannot say it was the drinks as that day I had stuff to do (could have been anxiety), but I am very careful where I take liquor. With beer I do not have a problem; still if there is no bathroom, there will be no alcohol just in case. And just so you know I am not a big drinker. Oh, wine gives me stomach pain, a no-no.


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## methical (Feb 11, 2000)

before i realized i have ibs-d, i used to be a big drinker; i was in college and did a lot of "binge drinking" with peers/friends all the time. sometimes it was beer, but often it was shot after shot after shot of hard liquor; even worse, i would be hungover the next day and have horrible D (and didn't know about ibs yet) and i would often be this way until the nite came and i'd be anesthetized with more alcohol...which of course would lead to worse D the next morning...etc, etc...so...fortunately, it sounds like you're ok with alcohol, but yes, i would be careful with it, at the least with hard liquor...meth


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## atp (Jan 18, 2001)

I find that I'm usually OK the night I have alcohol, but the next day or two my symptoms are usually worse... especially if I have enough to get me tipsy, I would have worse symptoms for the next few days...like lots of D.You're lucky if you tolerate alcohol OK. Everyone has different sensitivities. But, I wanted to check to make sure you're not drinking so regularly that your symptoms occur when your body reacts 48-72 hours later?


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## ASTGIRL (Nov 10, 2001)

I'm not sure exactly what you mean. I only drink maybe once every few weeks, once and awhile i may dirnk a little more, but i'm not a heavy drinker. And i hardly every get drunk, i just have one or two. I notice that i am very sensitive to milk products the next day, but that's all i've noticed so far. thanks for the help.


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## EntyEnt (Dec 24, 2000)

Well I actually have very good effects on my IBS when I drink. In fact anytime I go out to dinner if I have a glass or two of wine or a couple of drinks I am fine that night and have no problems the next morning. Alcoholism unfortunately is pretty common in my family so I only use this solution when I need to (going out on dates, out with a group of friends or when I know it would be a problem) but your results my vary. The other thing that has really helped me is taking calcium, which you can find much more information on in other forums.Kyle


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## Guest (Nov 14, 2001)

my religion doesn't allow drinks !!! story is over !!!i am sorry for that !


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## lindsay* (Jul 23, 2000)

i avoid alcohol like it's the plague.


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## Guest (Nov 15, 2001)

i avoid booze like the plague too, it makes me soooo sick. but that's besides the point. have you seen a good allergist? i think you should find one and get allergy tests done (they're not that bad!) because of what you said about dairy and greasy foods bugging you. see, lactose intolerance is one thing, but there are actually allergies to milk too. if you're really sensitive like i am, it could possibly be allergies that are triggering you. you could even just try going off dairy/cow for a while 2-6wks, and see what happens. to do this properly, no: milk, cream, butter, yoghurt, ice cream, cheese, any milk products! plus, if you try this, also be a label reader--caseine, sodium caseinate, whey, whey powder, lactose, lactase are all milk chemicals, stay away from these. and some people are allergic to the whole cow--so also beef, lard, beef fat (used at lots of fast food restaurants), and gelatine. plus, no goat or sheep (or any other animal) cheese/milk either.i used to think i was lactose intolerant, but the lactaid milk, and lactaid pills never helped, and cheese and yoghurt bothered me. when i got tested, it showed a really strong (level 4) reaction, and i went off all that stuff, and it's helped quite a bit. good luck!midge.


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## last_mad_poet (Nov 15, 2001)

The effects of alcohol on my IBS actually varies quite a bit. Sometimes, heavy drinks like vodka makes my IBS start acting up extremely bad. Other times I can drink several mixed/hard beverages and not be affected at all.


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## Guest (Nov 15, 2001)

Like we are all used to, everyone is different with their IBS in some way. For me, I can drink certain types. I found I am allergic to beer, so I stay far from it. I used to drink Jack Daniel's and Coke,I know it was pretty harsh but sometimes it settled my stomache for years then it started bothering me. Now I keep to the less harsh alcohol like Malibu. I also found that red wine helps my symptoms too. It all depends on you.


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## kinetic (Oct 19, 2001)

alcohol for me never used to be a problem until this spring... around march anyway.... I never used to drink a lot... mostly because I have (had) a naturally high tolerance and it simply cost way too much to get drunk... (16 shots) but then this march my tolerance suddenly dropped drastically... for 5-6 years it was always really high, but since march if I even have one drink I start to feel drunk whereas 8 shots before I still felt mostly sober... and now 3 drinks and i'm nearing the pass out stage... AND my ibs acts up really bad whereas before it never did.... so I guess it's possible for things to change... just because you aren't sensitive to alcohol now with your ibs doesn't mean you won't be in the future.... oh yeah and the same thing happened to me with cigarettes too... I quit smoking in january


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## atp (Jan 18, 2001)

kinetic, are you taking any medications that have a warning label to not drink with them? I don't mean to state the obvious, but I have definitely noticed my fairly low before tolerance is now super-low when taking Zoloft.Lots of medications can affect the way your body processes alcohol. I also notice my tolerance is a lot less when I have less food in my system (and IBS can cause that!).


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## kinetic (Oct 19, 2001)

atp~ nope i'm not taking any medications at all... the only one i have is levsin and i don't take that often at all... maybe once a week if that


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## Nikki (Jul 11, 2000)

Err...Hello? Your talking to the alcohol queen here. Vodaka, malibu, Jack Daniels etc- are all very strong, almost equal strenghts to each other as far as i know! Vodka is no *harder* Than JD. Malibu is actually fairly strong i believe. 21 %. Bacardi on the other hand0-way strong- 50%!I work in a pub- i know these things.


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## Guest (Nov 26, 2001)

Hello everyone, well i just found this website tonight as well. I am so glad to hear that there are other people out there like me. I've been through so many tests and everything comes back ok. I mean i'm glad for that but it is just frustrating that there is nothing to be found. My own doctor made me feel like i was crazy and that it was all in my head. I just had to relax and calm down, enjoy myself. Well i'm not crazy and making any of this up. It is depressing because it does consume my life. I've had two really bad relapses of it. It seems to be kind of seasonal, i'm not so sure. I was never a drinker at all till i got to college, then i guess i went crazy, who knows. since my attacks have started, i've pretty much avoided alcohol completely, i didn't want to add to anything else that is already bothering me. I just turned 21 and spent my b-day completely sober. It's just been a really bad two years for me with this. I also tend to get weak spells and nausious. Is this a normal symptom of IBS or do you think it could be something else. My doctor's have tested me but once again, nothing wrong with me. That's just what really scares me the most.


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## Tamgirl21 (Sep 2, 2001)

Lee, Hey I just turned 21 also and I know what you mean about having a "sober" birthday!!!!!!!!! It really sucked!!! LOL..I also get the naseuos feeling and weak spells...there are some days I just don't want to get out of bed and then when I realize that I just wasted a whole day doing nothing, I get mad at myself!!!!!!!!!! Can't win!


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2001)

Tamgirl, I know what you mean about wasting a day. I tend to not do anything because i am always worried about how i will feel if i go out. I've been a lot better with that lately though since i realized it and it's my senior year at college, i don't want to miss anything. The thing is, the nausea and weak spells really scare me more than anything else.


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## Guest (Dec 2, 2001)

I think i should consider myself pretty lucky. I dont' go out to parties all that often but when I do I like to have a good time. I'm a beer drinker and it doesn't bother my at all.. and I can have any other kind of drik too with no effect. the only thing I can't drink is anythind with coke(caffine is what makes me sick.) so other than a pretty nasty hangover in the morning i'm fine. I do feel bad though for those of you that can't drink.


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