Found this article and thought the community might find it interesting
Does your EM flare worse after you drink alcohol? .
Does a mere sip of your favorite tipple induce that miserable heat and itch ?
Why we turn red when drinking alcohol might have a simple explanation, called the 'Alcohol flush syndrome'. Its caused by a deficient enzyme that is not able to metabolize alcohol correctly.
Read this article and learn whether you could have this gene mutation
We would love to hear your thoughts!
Alcohol definitely leads to a flare for me. Sometimes even numbness.
I flare with alcohol, but at the same time, when being judged of course, I have had flares and been accused of either drinking or being on drugs, cant win can we
I would think the main reason for a flare after drinking alcohol is the dilation of the blood vessels after drinking, the effect is called vasodilation, increasing blood flow and causing a flare. You would have the same effect if you take niacin, I do not recommend anyone with EM taking niacin! It was a very painful experience…
It is because it opens up the blood vessels I believe:-/
If I have a drink at lunch time (I don't drink much honestly!!) then I am fine; however if I have a drink at night.... It is not pretty!
Simon
For some reason I have found relief while drinking. I'm not sure if it's because it thins the blood thus creating less chances for pooling, or if it's because I lose some relative awareness of my body. I have only noticed the relief while drinking here in Montana in the winter, so my toes are mostly always cold! I also only drink gin and tonics and no beer. I have been drinking more lately because of the relief :[
Alcohol is a flare waiting to happen. I miss driking a cold beer without the anxiety of what part of my body is going to flare
Self medicating seems to work for me too!!!
It was weird , I had a glass of a wine , maybe a couple of glasses of wine …because I was so fed up I needed a brake
And my EM symptoms like disappeared for the rest of the night …it was like it was before I had any EM symptoms
It was crazy,
.
.
But the next days I paid for it
Lol
My leg swelled
Don’t know how to explain
But was great to have a night of relief …
A whole night of no pain!!
…
I thought it had something to do with PAD ( peripheral artery disease )
Because I read drinking wine is good for PAD
But I was checked three times with different doctors and showed no sign of PAD on me
Artartartartanthony:
Just a theory, but since alcohol is a depressant it might have inhibited hyperactive nerve fibers and the subsequent autonomic dysfunction underlying your EM symptoms. However, alcohol also suppresses the production of vasopressin, a hormone which helps the kidneys reabsorb water. This increases urine production and leads to dehydration, which is often a trigger for those with Erythromelalgia.
Alcohol strongly inhibits the central nervous system for about 4 hours after consumption, while the dehydrating effect of alcohol typically lasts much longer and is often most noticeable the next day. This could explain why your EM symptoms were alleviated in the immediate aftermath of your alcohol consumption, but then worsened the following day.
That’d be my guess for that reaction.
