Alcohol and IBS - Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Message Board

the yuk event · 02-03-2007, 10:56 AM

Hey there. I've been seeing a GI off and on for the last 4 years or so. I've had a colonoscopy and gastroscopy and everything looks fine. My GI has been thinking maybe my problems (which are many of the symptoms of IBS) are IBS related.

I very rarely drink alcohol and when I do it's usually a glass of wine. Well last week and this week I went to parties and drank a little more than I'm used to. Last night I probably had the equivalent of 2.5-3 beers. Just enough to get tipsy and not actually drunk. About 3 hours after falling asleep I woke up and have been up since, on the verge of vomiting. I'm guess that if I have IBS, perhaps the alcohol is an irritant that causes an inflammation in the stomach or small intestine. Can anyone back up my hypothesis or give me ideas as to why a fairly small amount of alcohol causes me to have stomach problems for the next 24 hours? Thanks!

Brian2007 · 02-03-2007, 03:01 PM

The same thing happened to me last month, I only had a beer and 2 gin and tonics. I went to bed feeling fine but woke up a few hours later with an upset stomach and threw up and then a few hrs after that I had bad watery diarrhea. I can drink a few glasses and wine and feel great but for some reason beer and vodka clear out my system in a matter of hours.

Summerlady1 · 02-09-2007, 11:06 AM

Vomitting is not a result of IBS, I have never heard of that or had that. I would call your DR about that. Alcohol in general can make you feel sick but vommiting and IBS are not related as far as I know.

Harry · 02-09-2007, 11:30 AM

I think Summerlady is right. Throwing up is not an IBS symptom. But, 1 alcoholic drink will increase the amount of magnesium in your urine by 5 times-- so it depletes the body of this important mineral. This is well document in medical literature.

Lacking magnesium can result in muscle spasms and cramping. Magnesium is in every cell of your body and 67% is in your bones. Although magnesium is plentiful in alot of foods -- some experts believe 80% of people are magnesium deficient.

So, if you are on the edge -- a drink or two may very well push you over.

Another problem is alcoholic drinks are fermented and just don't agree with some people.

Harry