By Kate K on Saturday, June 03, 2000 - 01:04 pm:

Last night i had a couple of Bicardi and cokes (4 drinks) and as usual I woke up with my whole body in pain, this was not the first time it has happened, any time I
have alcohol it happens. I was curious to know if any body else has had the same problem.

By Gaz on Saturday, June 03, 2000 - 01:04 pm:

To all,

Even though I'm underage, I'm a college student, so I've done my fair share of drinking. I too suffered from a lot of pain the day after drinking. I did a little studying
up and found that alcohol can increase inflammation in painful muscles, which I know I have a lot of. It reduces blood flow also, and severely dehydrates. I found a
simple cure though...just drink a lot of water. Equal the amount of alcohol you drink with the same amount of water. It works !! Good luck!

G

By Tracey on Saturday, June 03, 2000 - 01:04 pm:

Funnily enough I find when I have had a few drinks, I sleep better and wake up less stiff and in less pain. I have put this down to the drink making me more relaxed
as I'm usually pretty tense, even when sleeping, but it's not something I try often as I'm not supposed to take alcohol with the pain killers.

By Beth on Saturday, June 03, 2000 - 01:04 pm:

This is what happens to me as well. I never gave it a thought. Though I ussually drink FAR less than would make me drop dead drunk. Ussually just to the "feel
good point" then I quit or at the VERy least slow down. Never had a problem with hang overs or nausia either. Have more problems with the narcotics the doc
prescribes than I ever did with alcohol.

hugs Beth

By Gwen on Saturday, June 03, 2000 - 01:05 pm:

I can't say I've noticed any correlation between alcohol consumption and pain but I have a very low alcohol tolerance and can usually only drink a can of beer or a
couple of glasses of wine before I start feeling woozy. The comment about dehydration is a good one. I also wonder about drinking Coke. I work in a psychiatric
hospital and we have to monitor the amount of coke our patients drink as it sends some of them off their faces. When I worked in the Eating Disorders Unit it
seemed to be the staple drink these lassies wanted and of course weren't allowed. Can you drink your Bacardis with some other soft drink and see if that makes any
difference?

By Sue C on Saturday, June 03, 2000 - 01:05 pm:

Does anyone else have a low tolerance for alcohol?

One drink or even being around alcohol (party, bar, etc) makes me giddy.

By Kim on Saturday, June 03, 2000 - 01:05 pm:

This happens to me each time I drink. I can't drink because of it. I hurt SO bad the next morning, I think I've had (another) dislocation! I haven't had enough to drink
to get drunk. I don't call it a hangover, because my head never hurts and I don't have a headache since I wasn't drunk.

I think the pain might be because alcohol makes you dehydrated. That's why MANY people get headaches the next morning - if you drink a full 8 oz. glass of water
with some aspirin/tylenol, you can forego the hangover, trust me, give it a shot! That might be the cause of the pain too. I know when I get dehydrated when I (used
to) run, all of my joints hurt. Maybe it's the same thing, who knows.

You're not alone - it happens to me too.
Kim

By TJ on Saturday, June 03, 2000 - 01:06 pm:

That's excellent advice. Also, if you tend to get nauseous the morning after, it's because the dehydration causes the body's supply of B vitamins, particularly B6 to
deplete (B6 helps regulate the digestive system). So, along with the water and tylenol, take about 3 B6 tablets, and you can forego the nausea as well!

By Charlie on Tuesday, August 01, 2000 - 07:33 am:

I've had to stop drinking since I 'went hypermobile' a year ago, it killed the pain while I drank but then I was in quite severe pain the morning after. I'm intrigued to try drinking more water, aspirin and B supplements but I don't think these affect the fact that your putting a toxin in the blood (then later dehydrating it) which then goes to inflamed and hypersensitive tissues - a recipe for pain. Plus I find caffeine (in tea, coffee, coke etc...) sets my pain off too, and I can't touch joints (marijuana) - has anyone found this too? I used to smoke a fair bit of it at college, but I find that a few drags of a joint nowadays sends my pulse to 150 bpm and my muscles tense up all over my body. I also become a lot more aware of the pain in my Sacroiliac joints, where I have a specific problem.

All in all I'm leading a much healthier lifestyle thanks to HMS!

I'd be interested to hear of similar experiences.

Charliewillbe@bigfoot.com

By Bianca on Thursday, August 03, 2000 - 08:44 am:

I tried a joint once, because they say that joints should be good painkillers.
I had no painkilling effect. I only felt very relaxed and had a very good sleep afterwards. I would say that you can take them when you like to have some peace. But you must have time only to lie down and do nothing.

By Mara on Sunday, October 08, 2000 - 11:55 am:

Deleting all dairy,alcohol,caffeine and processed foods has made a world of difference! The only time I have pain anymore is if I overdo or indulge in any of the above. I believe our guts and liver can't handle the toxins. I have also increased the essential fatty acids(ie: fish oils,flax oil etc)They are the antiinflammatory fatty acids. It helps a lot.All the NSAIDS and coritisones actually stop the ground substance from forming in our ligaments and tendons. That's why HMS gets worse with drugs. I haven't had any drugs in over 6 years now and am 100% better without them.

By Gwen on Sunday, October 08, 2000 - 12:03 pm:

Mara, I'd be interested in seeing your source for saying that NSAIDs and cortisones affect ligaments and tendons. What do you mean by "the ground substance", not a term with which I am familiar.

By Rae on Sunday, November 05, 2000 - 08:14 am:

When I finally kicked caffiene ( a very difficult thing for me) my world became a better place. I can't finish a caffinated beverage before the pain sets in.

For the alcohol: I used to do the glass of water and tylenol thing before bed and it was okay. Then I realized it wasn't just about the H20 but about electrolytes. Now I drink Gatorade before bed and first thing in the morning. I know it may sound horrible first thing in the morning but I can drink with moderation (or sometimes not) without the pain.

Actually, I drink Gatorade all of the time, even when I haven't been drinking. As a teacher who has given up caffeine, I find that the Gatorade gives me more energy and less aches and pains.

By keri on Tuesday, August 06, 2002 - 06:04 am:

Hi, in response to drinking affecting your pain levels I have found that when I drink, which is generally not to excess, my muscles tend to get very relaxed and tired and my posture not as good as usual. I always thought that this was the greatest contributor to pain as then injuries are more likely to happen as a result of the muscle and fatigue as I noticed in the morning or even that day that I am much more sore and fatigued. The fatigue does help with sleep in the short term but tends to cause more pain in the long term!

Take care