Alcohol related chest pain - is this an allergy?

[Lomrie089]

Recently i've discovered certain alcoholic beverages trigger severe heart pain. It feels like extreme fatigue in the heart and arm muscles.  Most alcohols don't bother me. The only drinks i know of that do are smirnoff fruit twists, or seagrams fruit coolers. However not all fruit drinks react in this way. The amount i drink doesnt seem to be a factor. This has happened to me three times and the least severe were the two times i had downed about two bottles. The worst of it began after i had taken only a sip. It was so bad I thought I was having a heart attack.

  I know the best solution would be to stop drinking. And seeing as I know that is my cure, i'm more curious than concerned. Is this even an allergy?

[chestpainchestpain]

I am 46 and have had this for 20 years and thought it was just me. I had a lot of test's done about 10-15 years ago but they couldn't figure it out. I still don't know what it is.
I have never had heartburn so I don't think it's that because this pain is so bad that I have driven myself to the hospital 3 times (luckily the Rolaids or Tums kicked in before I got there), by the time I get there, I'm totally fine. I always keep antacids with me just in case and while I wait for them to kick in, I feel like I'm dying, am in fetal position on the ground rocking back and forth crying. It starts in my shoulders and then to my chest and it's so bad that it goes to my back. My brother and sister had it and went to the Dr. Actually my brother to the hospital. Both of them had their gall bladder taken out. I had mine tested and they said it was fine. I am baffled by this because we had the same symptoms. My brother ate chocolate ice cream though.
I can only drink things like, wine (not sweet dinner wines), beer, tequila shots, bloody mary's.
I cannot drink rum like captain Morgan spiced rum, fireball, margaritas, any mixed drink with something sweet. It happened with Jack Daniel's once but I was on an empty stomach so not sure about that one. I've since taken shots of Jack and it's fine. I can drink sugary stuff on it's own but when it's mixed with alcohol something must happen.

[Teeslind]

I have this same issue. I was told this was heartburn caused by the excessive sugar in cheap alcoholic drinks although im sure its not limited to just that. I feel the pain with just a few sips of a wine cooler or like right now i had a coconut flavored rum mixed with coke. I do not have this problem when drinking plain alcohol. Furthermore an antacid quickly alleviates the pain

[Rhodene]

I had only a few sips of red wine and I got terrible chest pain. Thought I was having a heart attack! Fatigue, feeling like I couldn't get up & I felt like I was going to throw up but I didn't. My left arm hurt as well. Fell asleep on the couch after about an hour. We almost went to the ER. Perhaps an allergy to red wine???

[Swirlygig]

My twin and I have the exact same symptoms described.  Stay away from sugar beverages such as mixed drinks or malts.  Beer and "diet" soda type mixed drinks should be fine.  Malt beverages, wine coolers, rum & coke, cran vodka, etc. are a no go.  I have reason to believe this is linked to a PFO or other heart issue.  Not GERD, Not hodgkins.

[Paulous01]

Thank you for what you said about the milk... I drank some Almond Milk and what I was feeling went away... Thank you...

[cure4life]

I used to get this as well when I would drink Bombay Gin straight no mix, maybe a little water or tonic.  I always thought it was an allergy to one of the botanical.  I no longer drink.