Can anyone figure this one out?

[Dean76]

Im just like most ICers, alcohol bothers them. Most of the time after one drink with in 10 minutes I have the urgent need to urinate and if it is late I will not sleep good. If I have more than one drink I will really be hurting and will not get any sleep.
I have been on new supplements the past year and they seem to have really helped (read my other post in the "alternative therapies" forum). I am about 50 % better lately I have been trying to have a few drinks here and their with my friends. I have found that alcohol doesnt hit my bladder like it used to. Sometimes I will go thru several drinks before I even have the urge (kinda like anormal person). I am defintly better.
The problem now is I can have a few drinks and feel really bad. I still cant sleep even though my bladder is not hurting that bad. The other night I had 1 glass of wine and within 10 minutes I felt aweful and had a bad headache instantly. I can also have a few drinks and have the worst hangover. My body will hurt like I had a 12 pack of Corona. What concerns me is that I think something else is wrong with my body. Is it a another disease? Is my liver not working correctly? Do I have something like Lyme disease or another diseases that people compain about with IC?
Has anyone had any similiar experiences like this? Something is definitly not right.

[dverba]

I am not a big drinker at all but I love beer....I took a couple sips and paid for it. I was soooooo bumbed!!! I would like to beable to have a drink with my sister at Thanksgiving but do not know what I can have. If you figure it out let me know too.:)

[Sally939]

It might be something you are taking. When I was younger I tried a few different SSRI. With one I could dring all night and not feel drunk no matter what (remember I was young). With others I would get the worst hangovers even after one. So I would think all sorts of meds would have the same effect. Maybe talk to your doctor about it. Also, they say as we get older the hangovers get worse.

[mich2604]

Hey Dean,

Thanks for your email about the herbal protocol.

your alcohol intolerance does sound like either lyme or candida. Both can cause you to have a very low tolerance to alcohol.

before IC, alcohol would keep me awake all night long, my friends would get tired and crash, and I would be up all night. I think that was my metabolism and it just quickly converted to sugar.

Anyway, in the months leading up to IC and me becoming very ill with lyme, I couldnt drink like I used to. Two beers and I would feel drunk, sometimes even dizzy.

I havent touched it since Aug 05.

Im not sure if maybe your adrenals would make it so you couldnt tolerate alcohol, or maybe even diabetes? I know lyme and candida for sure though.

Do you notice anything when you eat a lot of sugar?

[Dean76]

mich2604,

I suspected Lyme a year ago. I even bought the blood kit but never had the blood drawn. I started second guessing and thinkning maybe I was over-reacting. I know it is a rare disease. I dont think it is Candida and I have had numerous blood test which should have shown something for diabetes. Something is definitely making me not tolerate alcohol. The more alcohol I drik the worse I feel. When I was younger I would keep drinking because it felt good and then I would regret it the next day.

How are you dealing with Lyme now. Were you able to take antibiotics to get rid of Lyme or are you still treating it?

[tigger_gal]

did you consider that the med you are taking and the drinkng are not suppsed to be taken together? Just a thought.

[muxerr012]

Dean,

I too have a low tolerance to alcohol and recently a NO tolerance to it. I have so many symptoms and disorders going on so I began extensive research to figure out what all these autoimmune disorders really are. I KNEW something else was wrong and none of the doctors I saw were figuring any of it out! I read your symptoms and found a few clips from the internet that I've copied below. I also suffer from extreme fatigue even if I sleep well which is rare for me. I have chronic insomnia and fatigue and recently was dx'd with fibromyalgia and IC. The internet article I read said that many people with Lyme disease are actually mis-diagnosed and have fibromyalgia. See below:

Lyme Disease. Early Lyme disease can usually be correctly diagnosed, but a delayed response or recurrence of this
disorder may be mistaken for fibromyalgia. Some experts believe that between 15% and 50% of patients referred to
clinics for Lyme disease actually have fibromyalgia. Late Lyme disease can usually (but not always) be ruled out using
laboratory tests that identify the infectious organism (spirochete) that causes this tick−borne disease. If fibromyalgia
patients are incorrectly diagnosed and treated for Lyme disease with prolonged courses of antibiotics, the drugs may
have serious side effects. [For more information, see Well−Connected Report #16, Lyme Disease.]

Sleep disturbances are common in fibromyalgia.

Disturbed sleep appears to trigger factors in the immune system that
cause inflammation, pain, fatigue, and a decreased pain threshold.

As discussed in part I of this article, many Chronic Fatigue Syndrome sufferers are likely to develop alcohol intolerance. Even the slightest amount of alcohol can make them feel very ill for a long time afterwards.
When you think about how badly a CFS sufferer can be affected by **one** alcoholic drink, then how badly could alcohol be affecting you if you're drinking more???

Dean I'm sorry this post is so long but I wanted you to have other options to explore because you KNOW there is something else wrong and you need to find out what it is. Listen to your body and follow your instincts. I was given a new med for my fibromyalgia called Lyrica which is for neuropathic pain. It has helped me so much with back and pelvic pain, stomach pain and urgency with my IC. I hope this info helps you find the answers you seek. Be well and don't give up your search for answers. Take care!

[ICNDonna]

Just remember that herbal remedies are medications too --- and some could interact with alcoholic beverages. It does sound like you need to talk with your doctor.

Also remember that "natural" and "safe" are not the same.

Donna

[GriffsMommy]

From my experience I used to be able to drink more when I was younger but now that I'm older I can't because I stopped for quite awhile. Meds also effect my ability to drink. I did feel horrible pretty much all over the last time I drank and it was only two drinks so it shouldn't have been a problem. I don't even try to drink anymore because it isn't worth the discomfort the next day.

[mich2604]

Lyme disease isnt as rare as you think. I know i was bitten by a tick in 2000 and my health slowly declined from there.

What the problem is with lyme is there is a 'war' of sorts going on because there is not a reliable test for lyme out there. Im not going to go into all the details because this is not a lyme board. But just wanted to let you know, that many who have lyme never get a positive test. I have a good friend that has it and tested negative , he had most of my symptoms , including bladder symptoms, and is now back to work and living life because he was able to take the antibiotics.

If you do test for lyme make sure it is with a decent lab.

I tried treating when I was very sick with antibiotics and I probably will be trying them again in the near future. Once my bladder symptoms started I couldnt tolerate them as well.


I think that it is good that you explore all possibilities. I forget if you said if you were tested for food allergies, maybe something in the beer is making you feel sick?

[mimimama]

Dean,

I am sorry you are going thru this. Have you considered the fact that you may have developed an allergy to alcohol? My doctor helped me discover this. When I was younger, I could drink with zero side affects other than wicked hangovers once in awhile.

Now, if I drink i feel nasty right away, my throat feels tight and i get panicky. I also am unable to get a good nights sleep. People think alcohol promotes sleep but infact my doctor told me it's is the opposite. It is a major sleep disturber.

I haven't had any alcohol in years. I have chosen not to drink because my body tells me it can't take it.

[Dean76]

I guess fibromyalgia could be a possibility. I hope not because I just read that their is no cure for that as well. Now I guess I will have 2 diseases with no cure. The symptoms relating to fibromyalgia that I have would be "sleep disturbances, headaches, irritable bladder, cognitive disorders, & anxiety. I think I will rule out the Lyme with testing. I heard from many here at the ICN that the IgeneX is one of the best labs for Lyme testing.
I am not on any Rx meds and I am taking only a few supplements at the moment such as curcumin for inflamation, probiotics, colostrum, melatonin, L-theanine. I wouldnt think any of these would cause bad effects from alcohol.
Geeze, This is so confusing. Its seems every few months there is a new disease I am reading about. I feel like I could be a doctor. I am currently fcusing on the adrenals, thyroid, hormones, and now Lyme and Fibro. I am trying so hard to fight this naturally but I had such a bad experience with sonventional drugs. My regular physician did recommend me Lyrica for pain but I told him I would think about it. He gave me several samples of "provigil" for severe fatigue in the mornings. I told him I feel horrible in the mornings and cant get going until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon (I start work at 7:30 AM). I may start a thread on provigil. I know nothing about this drug. Even if it worked it still would be just covering my problem.
Thanks for all the post. I love reading all of them!!!

[mich2604]

Hi Dean,

Wow you start your mornings early!! I have sleep disturbances too, not sure if its the meds im on or what, they are getting worse. Igenex is the lab to use for lyme.

Plainjane (Erica) is taking provigil, so you might want to email her, she posts a lot under the antibiotic forum on this site. I think it is helping her with the fatigue.

[muxerr012]

Dean, so glad to read your post and so uplifting to see you staying strong and steady in your goal to find answers. I truly hope I didn't add any stress with the possibility of fibro-I just felt the urge to "let you know". It's new to me and almost a relief of the confusing struggle to FINALLY get an answer! Most of us seem to feel like doctors on this site because we have to provide so much research to convince our doctors to take another look. Education is our best defense right now!! Fibro has an 18 point pain scale (diff areas of pain in your body) and is easy to find on the net. Maybe this will be a quick way for you to see if the pain points match many of your symptoms. I truly believe the Lyrica is saving my life right now. It doesn't feel like a pain drug so much as a nerve soother. It has calmed by bladder as well thank goodness. It's still new for me and I'm definitely not an expert, but it's my hope. I sleep from 11pm-3am IF I'm lucky with wakings in between. This has gone on for 4+ years with me. I can SO relate to the fatigue, but I actually slept 6 straight hours last night and this is a first in MANY years for me! Please continue your research, find your answers and most of all find peace, rest and pain-free times. We're all here for you and glad you enjoy our posts! :)