Relationship between alcohol and primary headaches: a systematic review and meta-analysis PMC

Alcohol has different effects on the body depending on when you drink it. These are called immediate and delayed alcohol-induced headaches. The number of drinks you have, what you are drinking, and what’s going on in your life may be the primary culprits, rather than alcohol itself.

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Understanding the problem is the first step to overcoming it and either cutting back to healthy levels or quitting altogether. Alcohol intolerance can cause immediate, uncomfortable reactions after you drink alcohol. The most common signs and symptoms are stuffy nose and skin flushing. This means pacing yourself, eating before drinking, knowing your limits, and avoiding excessive consumption. While many people who drink alcohol initially experience relaxation or euphoria, these feelings are temporary.

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The body converts the ethanol in alcohol that we drink to a chemical that can trigger headaches. Many people may also develop headaches due to the dehydrating effects of alcohol. Red wine often gets the most blame, but beer can also have a significant impact. In fact, in one large survey on cluster headaches, beer was the most common culprit of all alcoholic drinks.

Alcohol and Headaches – Symptoms, Causes, and More

Nineteen studies used questionnaire methods to assess drinking [36, 44,45,46,47,48,49,50,51,52,53,54,55,56,57,58,59, 61, 62]. In two cases, questionnaires were supplemented by medical interviews [53, 61]. The rest alcohol causes migraines of the studies were based on information obtained during a medical interview [26, 27, 44]. Only few studies [46, 48–50, 52] provided the data about the period in which alcohol drinking was considered and measured.

• The assessments were conducted by three researchers (BB, PN and MS1) separately, then the fourth author (MWP) compared this data and made a final decision.
• Most studies point to red wine as a common headache culprit, particularly in people with migraine.
• Avoiding drinking is the best way to prevent an alcohol-related headache.
• Additional sources were identified via manual search of bibliographies, references lists, and previous peer reviews.
• Talk with a doctor about ways to identify your migraine triggers and what to do if you develop these headaches.

Alcohol consumption in headache patients

• So it’s best to make alcohol the single, isolated factor and journal what triggers each migraine.
• They occur due to various factors such as dehydration, changes in blood flow to the brain, and alcohol’s impact on serotonin levels.
• Talk to your doctor about any concerns and about whether it is safe to drink alcohol with any medications you are taking.
• Again it depends on how much was consumed, how dehydrated you became, nutritional status, ethnicity, gender, the state of your liver, medications, etc.
• Call 911 for help if you suspect someone is experiencing alcohol poisoning.