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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Took Red Wine On Empty Stomach. Headaches, Heavy Chest While Taking Deep Breath. Remedy?

Hi..I am social drinker...drink max a 2 glasses of wine or couple of pint bottles of beer....last saturday I had goen to my frnds place...I guess i had red wine ( not expensive ones..the local wine) was on empty stomach and drinking at a fast pace....I don t rememebr anything from that night...woke up at my bed at 6am on sunday....feeling sick to the core...massive headache and it seems i vommited before hitting the bed...Its Monday now,the headache is gone but im feeling heavy in my chest when trying to deep breathe and while trying to put pressure in the loo
Fri, 23 Nov 2012
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
Hello and welcome.

Thanks for your query.

I am glad you are only a social drinker, as alcohol is considered a poison by the body, and we all know of its ill effects.

Let me first speak on consuming alcohol on an empty stomach. One of the most common complications we face, as doctors is when we get a patient coming in after consuming average - large quantities of alcohol on an empty stomach. The vomiting and nausea is mostly caused by the alcohol, as the body tries its best to expel the alcohol out. But, the most common problem we face is with the blood sugar levels.

The consumption of alcohol on an empty stomach causes the secretion of insulin (which is a hormone released by the body that breaks down the sugar in the body), leading to a drop in the blood sugar level, also called hypoglycemia.

Just for your information, a rise in blood sugar is called Hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia is considered much more dangerous than HYPOglycemia.

Symptoms of hypoglycemia in a sequence are:

Sweating
Dizziness
Fatigue
Nausea and headaches
Consufion
Irrelevant speech
Coma
Death

In that sequence. This information is for your knowledge, just to help you make an informed decision, the next time you decide to consume alcohol on an empty stomach.

Some times, when an individual who has consumed a large amount of alcohol and vomits, the vomitus (food contents) are not properly expelled, leading to a small amount causing irritation in the wind pipe as well, which is also an unsafe consequence.

Do not worry, and consume a lot of clear fluids as it will help in re-hydrating you, consume a healthy diet, and you should be able to return to your daily routine in no time.

If symptoms persist, you could consult your family physician and visit him for an examination.

You could always write back to us for any further clarifications.

Wishing a the best in health.
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Physical Therapist or Physiotherapist Utkarsh Narang's  Response
Hello.
Thank you for posting your query with us.

It is good to hear that you are just a social drinker. The only mistake u made that night was to drink empty stomach. Our stomach has gastric acid in it, which aids in digestion. The gastric fluid is acidic in nature and thus when you had wine to top it, you experienced severe symptoms of a heart burn and nausea.

Now that the head ache is gone, the symptoms of heart burn still persist. Take some antacids in higher dose 2-3 times a day. Anatacid are available in chewable form and as syrups. You can chew 2 tablets every 6 hours to help you relieve the symptoms. Also drink plenty of water so that your system can washout all the wine through urine.

If the symptoms persist beyond day 3-5, then visit your GP.

Also, to prevent this from happening again, eat something before you drink.

Get well soon.
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Took Red Wine On Empty Stomach. Headaches, Heavy Chest While Taking Deep Breath. Remedy?

Hello and welcome. Thanks for your query. I am glad you are only a social drinker, as alcohol is considered a poison by the body, and we all know of its ill effects. Let me first speak on consuming alcohol on an empty stomach. One of the most common complications we face, as doctors is when we get a patient coming in after consuming average - large quantities of alcohol on an empty stomach. The vomiting and nausea is mostly caused by the alcohol, as the body tries its best to expel the alcohol out. But, the most common problem we face is with the blood sugar levels. The consumption of alcohol on an empty stomach causes the secretion of insulin (which is a hormone released by the body that breaks down the sugar in the body), leading to a drop in the blood sugar level, also called hypoglycemia. Just for your information, a rise in blood sugar is called Hyperglycemia. Hypoglycemia is considered much more dangerous than HYPOglycemia. Symptoms of hypoglycemia in a sequence are: Sweating Dizziness Fatigue Nausea and headaches Consufion Irrelevant speech Coma Death In that sequence. This information is for your knowledge, just to help you make an informed decision, the next time you decide to consume alcohol on an empty stomach. Some times, when an individual who has consumed a large amount of alcohol and vomits, the vomitus (food contents) are not properly expelled, leading to a small amount causing irritation in the wind pipe as well, which is also an unsafe consequence. Do not worry, and consume a lot of clear fluids as it will help in re-hydrating you, consume a healthy diet, and you should be able to return to your daily routine in no time. If symptoms persist, you could consult your family physician and visit him for an examination. You could always write back to us for any further clarifications. Wishing a the best in health.