Beer Allergy? - Allergies Message Board

al60 · 08-05-2007, 05:46 AM

About 5 years back an unpleasant thing started happening to me;-I would awake in the very early hours some days with a blinding headache,and within a few minutes would start to feel nauseous,shortly followed by a rush to the bathroom to vomit violently.Then the chills and shivers would start. It would usually take several dashes to the bathroom before it would slowly subside and after a couple of hours rest in bed I would be more or less back to normal.
My doctor told me it must be some kind of allergy,and to change my pillow material,avoid dust,and keep clear of furry animals! I did all that but the condition still recurred-not very often,but often enoughto be a real worry.
So I tried to think what else could be causing it and took alook at ny lifestyle,habits,etc and tried to keep a note of when it happened. I soon noticed that it often happened on a Sunday morning.Now the only difference about Sun morning is that on Sat night I worked at a restaurant,and at the end of the shift they gave me a free beer(lager).So I stopped taking beer and the attacks stopped and I've not had one since,so obviously beer is the culprit.
Now my question is,has anyone out there had a similar experience or know about beer allergy.Because I'm not a heavy drinker but I do love a cool beer on a hot day.I would like to know if the attacks are caused by the beer itself or some additive(eg a bleach to make the beer pale like in lager)because then may be I could substitute an old=fashioned beer for the lager.

ChristineVA · 08-05-2007, 06:03 AM

My friend is allergic to beer but for him it is not actually the beer but the "yeast" that is used to make the beer.

You need to find out which component of the beer you allergic to. Is it the alcohol, is the barley, hops, yeast? You see, it's not that simple!

wakkochic17 · 08-05-2007, 06:27 PM

I agree it's probably an allergy to one of the componants of beer. I would stick to avoiding it.. maybe they can give you a free wine or mixed drink instead?

allergic2foods · 08-28-2007, 01:12 PM

Hello!!

I'm allergic the yeast and have very similar symptoms to you (and then some) when i eat or drink anything containing yeast. since i found out, i have cut out all products that contain yeast and my symptoms have stopped. If it is yeast that you are allergic to, dont forget that it is included in fermented and other products like OXO cubes, some dairy, some sauces, bread, soya sauce etc.
as your symptoms have stopped since you stopped drinking beer then maybe it is another ingredient? as your probably eating other foods with yeast in it, without symptoms, you may be allergic to barley?

what are you like when eating bread?? i totally avoid it. causes too many problems for me.

hope that helped

index.html · 08-29-2007, 01:48 AM

There are several substances in beer that can cause allergies. Yeast is one. Other possibilities include Sulfites and gluten.