Suggestions for new topics (Page 2 of 6)

Hi
I am new to this forum.

I would suggest a topic about Asian Blush (AB) and digestive problems. I have not seen anything yet on this topic.
I am Native American and I blush when I drink alcohol. Generally it only affects my face and I refer to is as raccoon eyes as it gives me bandit mask.
If I blush and continue drinking it generally goes away. After years of drinking I developed some GI tract issues and what would come out would smell like fomaldehyde. After reading this forum I am convinced that it is Acetylhyde. As a result continued drinking I developed what I though was an allergy to wheat or possible celliacs disease. I was just tested three weeks ago for celliacs/wheat allergy and was found to be negative. I went in search of an answer for my problems on the internet and came accross this site.

This site is amazing. Believing that I was suffering the effects of Acetylhyde I followed the advice posted on another part of this forum and began taking N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC). NAC is amazing in two weeks my guts have calmed down. I have had alcohol and had no blushing and no acetlyhyde smell.  I have not tried Pepcid AC yet but will do that very soon.

I think that there must be others out there with similar issues so I will list what I have observed in myself
                                 
- I blush
- If I drink hard grain alcohol like vodka it is worse
- wine or rice alcohol like Budweisser does not affect me as much
- after drinking for years my guts now react to bread, although I do not blush with bread I suffer the same GI effects. Corn or rice do not affect me.
- the absolute worst thing that I can eat or drink is beer with aromatic hops. it generally comes from microbreweries and with that stuff I will blush, and get really bad GI problems. You will know a beer has aromatic hops when you crack one open and take a whiff, if it smells like perfume then it has aromatic hops. that stuff is poison to me.

I would be really interested to know the experiences of others and if there are other people like me.

Good idea. I'll add a new topic.

Premieredv - new topic has been added. Thanks for the link.

Is it okay to take pepcid ac while on the birth control pill like Alesse? THANKS!

Most of the discussion has been about how to prevent the main symptom. I'm also curious though about the health implications. Because we can't break down acetylaldehyde, does that make alcohol consumption more damaging to us? What are the long-term impacts of having this aldehyde build up in our system? Does it build up? Or is it just in our bodies for as long as we are read?

Also, I'm half Asian/half Vietnamese. Sometimes I suspect that us Amerasians get the flush even worse than people that are 100% Asian. What do folks think? I've seen some other postings from fellow Hapas who seem to get it pretty bad. FYI, I have a half-brother who is 100% Asian. He gets flush but not nearly as bad as I do.

Great to hear that you have found some new confidence with pepcid. :)
About your health, have you spoken to your doctor about your swollen glands? Have you told them that you've been takig pepcid? Does the doctor think that taking pepcid has contributed to your health problems? Do you have hyper-thyroid? -- ie your thyroid is working overtime hence the swelling and lack of sleep.
Let us know what your doctor says and if they think it's related to your pepcid use.

It would be interesting for us to know how regularly you take the pills and how many mg you take each time.

Please, open up a new discussion on the topic of "Conditions much worse than the asian glow - Itchiness, Raised blotches for months after a few drinks"

Is there anyone out there who suffer much more than *just* the asian glow? For me, a few sips of beer, wine, mixed drinks etc. will not only bring out the burning and red flushing that everyone talks about. Depending on the type of alcohol and the quantity, I will get hyper-itchy, hives, 3-D/raised spots, swollen lymph noes (armpits, junction of thighs and pelvis), peeling skin and the feeling of getting pricked by pins all over. These symptoms are primarily on my lower back, buttocks, insides of my arms, upper thighs and lymph node areas. Of course, the red flushing and the burning sensations are there, but that's the least of my worries.

The itchiness stays for about 5 days, but the worst thing is that the raised spots stick around for WEEKS. They do get flatter and less red, but it's still really nasty-looking and prevents me from wearing anything summery for a good month or two. I have tried all types of alcohol, but everything gives me a reaction. Benadryl and other antihistamines do not work. Friday night I tried the combination of Pepcid and Claritin, which allowed me to drink one lemon drop (vodka) without any issues! But a mango mojito (rum) on Saturday night gave me a slow-acting reaction that only showed up the next day, and I'm now drowning myselt in hydrocortisol cream....

If anyone else has similar reactions and have any suggestions, please HELP! Advice from docs and allergists are pretty much "don't drink", but it will be good to have some options before going with that.

what is a proton pump? please exaplin more?

I am Caucasian and my Korean husband shows classic signs of Asian flush.  I would like to know if there are any studies or information regarding the effects of maternal drinking in unborn children who may have inherited the gene.  Although I have never drank during pregnancy due to the already known effects of alcohol on fetuses, I am constantly razzed by people who say one glass of wine won't hurt the baby.  Maybe for most babies a single beer doesn't mean much, but if my child has the gene and I drink, it seems logical the alcohol will cross the placenta and my baby could experience low blood pressure and increased heart rate, neither of which sound like a good idea.  What about the effects of acetaldehyde on developing organ systems?  Having a known toxin floating around in my baby's body seems pretty alarming.  I've read that acetaldehyde is a known carcinogen, and people with Asian flush are at risk for certain digestive cancers, so are mothers who drink durig pregnancy increasing their children's risk for cancer before they are even born? (gee, thanks mom!)

Anyway, jusy wondering if anyone out there has seen any articles or studies, because next time I tell one of my friends to stuff it when they insist I take a drink, I'd love to have a medical study in my back pocket to shut them up.

for all you guys out there that read about cheerz... forget it! its rubbish (well for me anyway) still turn to beet face man after a couple of beers. Im sticking with pepcid ac! well not the brand too expensive, i got 100 tabs of the active ingredient of pepcid ac (famotidine 20mg) in a bottle from mexico under the name sertidine for $11us!!

hi. i am 100% korean. i was researching about "asian glow" and i don't know if this is correct but i found out i get an asian glow because my body can't produce enough enzyme to break down alcohol. i looked at some forums and they recommended using pepcid and other medicines alike before drinking; but most people respond that it doesn't work. so my quetion is if my body can't produce enough enzyme then would taking multi-enzyme forumla or some kind help reduce the asian glow?