H2 Blockers (Tagamet, Pepcid, Zantac, Axid) (Page 36 of 52)

Well I tried Pepcid AC after reading all the hype about it. I'm not exactly sure of the results, I took 2 chewable Pepcid AC tablets and a cup of water and waited 45 min and cracked open a beer to drink myself. The first half of the beer I was OK but as soon as I finished the beer I did turn a bit red and had a bit of a headache, heart was throbbing, felt dizzy, but maybe this was all because I was drinking alone. I only drank 1 can so I'm not sure what would have happened if I kept drinking. It did help a little but, not so much so that it would enable me to actually drink...maybe I'm just affected more by the deficient gene. I'll keep trying and experimenting maybe the pill-form Pepcid AC will work better instead of the chewables. Cheers.

hi guys, i suffer from the redness also and it has had a negative effect on my social life my whole high school career. i always have to make excuses of why i cant drink. i started taking pepcid a while ago and for the most part it really works. i still get pinkish but its much better than the usual beet red face. however, i just bought the gelcap pepcid ac pills and for some reason it didnt work at all last night. is there a difference between the regular pills and the gel caps??

also iam going on vacation in about a month and was wondering if pepcid ac could go through baggage claim and all that stuff without getting stopped and having a big scene caused.  thanks

hi guys
this is the first time i have visited here since about january 07 after finding the 'perfect cure' for my oriental flush (mine is severe i get it all of my arm joints, chest, face neck everywhere haha)
im full asian but born in aus about 176cm 60-65kg and drink heavily about 1-2 times every weekend

my usual routine which was most effective was
taking 1 zantac relief (rantidine hydrochloride 150mg) and 1 claratyne (loratadine 10mg) [both available OTC] 1 hour after i have eaten
i then waited an 30mins to 1 hour before i drank my first drink slowly
after that i could slam drinks down and pretty much get an unnoticable flush, especially if it was in the dark.
this was all good and i didnt always follow the strict routine sometimes dirnking and tableting straight after eating and it stilled worked okay

however a word of warning who think this is does not do some harm to your body.

over the course of the year i have noticed that i have been starting to get tremors (you know mohammed ali how he has parkinson well my fingers shake like that - but only mildly)
peopel notice tho like if im holding a piece of paper inthe air with both my hands - it will wobble slightly - enough for people to comment me (are you nervous etc?)

i went and saw my GP about this as its been getting worse and he said 2 weeks ago that it could possibly be because of zantac (it has been noticed prolonged and heavy use of zantac can result in tremors)

so
be cauitious!

ive begun to stop taking zantac and just claratyne and will jut have to put up with the flush for now

(lame i know considering its summer and daylight savings kicks in making it go dark at around 9pm)

Hey guys, I'm 100% white and suffer from asian flush, with extremely severe effects.  I drank heavily for years and the symptoms just appeared out of nowhere.  I've just started researching and plan to try everything you guys have been suggesting, but I found an article from some Dr who suggested eating a lot of suger to aid in metabolizing the alcohol.  I first started with a 1/2 cup of suger in water waited 15 min and took a shot of rum, (Normally resulting in immediate flush and extreme pounding of the heart.), and all i felt was a slight buzz and was able to drink till my hearts content. Sumplementing more suger for longer periods of drinking.  I've also found that InstantGlucose ( used to raise bloodsugar levels in diabetics) works wonders, although somewhat expensive.  I recieved a suggestion earlier today to try corn syrup, which is mainly fructose (sweetened form of glucose) I plan to post the results later.  Good Luck in the search for answers

aisan, drank last night... itching please help me...i cant take this shit anymore...is there anything i can do to reduce it...i try will power but about couple hours later it get so bad that u cant anymore.is there anything i can do to reduce it so, so it wouldnt make this damn painful( if i scratch it what will happen)

U sound like your reaction is bad. try takign Loratadine/clarantyne.

pocketman, your reaction sounds really bad. Loratadine/calartyne that Dimples suggested are OTC allergy pills. I would see your doctor.
Good luck.

Studies that may clarify the effects of H1/ 2 blockers:

Histamine is biogenic amine that exerts the numerous important biological functions. Alcohol affect histamine action because those have common metabolizing enzymes--aldehyde dehydrogenase and aldehyde oxidase. Acetaldehyde can compete with aldehydes derived from histamine metabolism. Increased blood acetaldehyde resulting from abnormalities of alcohol dehydrogenase genotype in the Orientals population can release histamine from mast cells and basophiles, which induces the hypersensitivity reactions (flushing). These reactions may be blocked by antihistamine drugs. H2-receptor antagonists influence on the ethanol metabolism by the inhibition of the activity of alcohol metabolizing enzymes in the stomach and liver. Decreased activity of stomach alcohol dehydrogenase results in an increase in the blood ethanol concentrations, which may impairs the psychomotor skills and exceeds legal limits of driving. There are same evidences that ethanol affects the brain histamine level by the changes in the activity of enzymes involved in the synthesis and metabolism of histamine.

Alcohol and histamine metabolic pathways in the body have the common enzymes aldehyde dehydrogenase and aldehyde oxidase. The metabolite of ethanol, acetaldehyde, can effectively compete with the metabolites of histamine, methylimidazole acetaldehyde, and imidazole acetaldehyde. At the periphery, alcohol and acetaldehyde liberate histamine from its store in mast cells and depress histamine elimination by inhibiting diamine oxidase, resulting in elevated histamine levels in tissues. Histamine mediates alcohol-induced gastric and intestinal damage and bronchial asthma as well as flushing in Orientals. On the other hand, alcohol provokes food-induced histaminosis and histamine intolerance, which is an epidemiological problem. There are many controversial reports concerning the effect of H2 receptor antagonists on ethanol metabolism and the activity of alcohol dehydrogenase in the stomach. In addition, alcohol affects histamine levels in the brain by modulating histamine synthesis, release, and turnover. Histamine receptor antagonists can affect ethanol metabolism and change the sensitivity of animals to the hypnotic effects of alcohol. In contrast to other neurotransmitters, the involvement of the brain histamine system in the mechanisms of the central actions of alcohol and in the pathogenesis of alcoholism is poorly studied and understood.

Alcohol-induced bronchoconstriction is due to high blood concentrations of acetaldehyde, a metabolic product of ethanol, which lead to the release of histamine from basophils and mast cells. OBJECTIVE: We examined the inhibitory effects of azelastine hydrochloride, which inhibits histamine release and blocks H1 receptors, in alcohol-induced asthma. METHODS: Subjects were 13 Japanese asthmatic patients. We measured the change in FEV1 after ingestion of 30 g of pure ethanol. Blood ethanol, acetaldehyde, histamine, leukotriene C4 (LTC4), and thromboxane B2 (TXB2) concentrations were also measured. Alcohol challenge test was repeated in responders after administration of azelastine for 1 week at 4 mg/day. RESULTS: Of 13 asthmatic patients, five (38.5%) tested positive during an ethanol challenge test, represented by a fall more than 20% in FEV1. The responders had a high blood ethanol, and showed a rise in blood acetaldehyde and histamine concentrations, but not in LTC4 or TXB2. After azelastine treatment, there was no significant fall in FEV1 among responders. Neither the rise in blood ethanol nor blood acetaldehyde levels were blunted by treatment with azelastine, but the rise in blood histamine was blunted by this treatment. CONCLUSION: Our results suggest that antihistamine agents may be effective against alcohol-induced asthma by both blocking H1 receptors and inhibiting histamine release.

I'm glad you noticed this too!!  I dont drink enough to really test this out, but my personal opinion for this is that the chewables act faster, so you dont have to take them an hour before.  I have noticed that when I take them minutes before I don't turn quite as red, but if I take them 30 minutes - 1 hour before they don't work too well.  Again... I barely drink so I have no idea if this is the case.  Sometimes they work, sometimes they don't but I have started to see a time correlation based on when you take the chewables. 

Does anyone else have the same issue?

hey guys,

this site is a savour. thank you so much for everyones post. im an aussie and i find that taking 1 zantac tablet an hour before my first drink on an empty stomach significantly reduced facial flushing.

but.. i do have a question. is actually taking an antacid tablet on a reqular basis (4 - 5 times a week) to reduce facial flushing actually harmful to your body or stomach???

i hope someone can help!
cheers.

smithy: I think that your question should be asked to your doc or see what the zantac packet says. Don't go crazy on the pills tho guys, it may not be too good for you!

scooby: Yes, most of us definitely get drunk! Some have said that taking the pills makes them get tipsy quicker.
Does the packet of the ranitidine or gavilast say that it will make you drowsy?? If not, perhaps you should start with something like red bull and vodka?? (just an idea)

Oh yeah, after reading my last post, I figured I'd clarify some things...

1. I am now 23 years old, 5'2 and 115 lbs.

2. I kept taking the generic kind of pepcid b/c I thought they might do SOMETHING, though not as much as regular pepcid, plus I didn't want to waste the money I had spent on them.

3. I drink 1-2 days per week.  I usually pre game with 5 OUNCES of liquor (vodka or rum) mixed with something like crystal light or diet coke.  I drink that over a period of 30 minutes to 45 minutes.  I then either have another drink with 5 oz of liquor, or I probably have around 3-4 oz of liquor.

4. I usually finish a full meal about 3-4 hours before I start drinking.