Some people are allergic to alcohol in general, but if you only experience allergic reactions after drinking wine, then you may be sensitive to the sulfites found in this popular tipple. Sulfites exist in all wine – even expensive, European and organic wines. While wine is a wonderful celebratory beverage, a sulfite allergy can cause many uncomfortable symptoms to surface. Here are five ways to tell if you have an intolerance to wine.
image source: juststiqit
#1. You Get a Worsened Morning After Headache:
Do you always seem to have a pounding head after drinking wine? If your favorite glass of red is causing you more pain than it is encouraging you to relax, then this could be a big sign that you are suffering with a wine allergy. In general, wines tend to contain histamine, a substance that is known for producing allergic reactions and headaches when taken into the body.
#2. You’re a Woman:
Sadly, studies have shown that women are twice as likely as men to suffer from a wine allergy. Whilst this of course doesn’t mean that all women are going to be allergic to wine, there’s definitely a bigger chance of you developing common symptoms if you’re not a guy.
#3. Your Skin Breaks Out:
It’s not uncommon for allergic reactions to wine to show up on the skin. However, symptoms such as flushing, hives, rashes and pimples are quite non-specific reactions to irritants, so don’t worry if you’ve got a rash after recently drinking wine, since it may be totally unrelated. However, if you tend to have some kind of skin complaint after every glass you drink, it may be worth considering the possibility that you are allergic.
image source: Juststiqit
#4. You Have Problems Breathing:
A few too many glasses of wine is bound to make you feel tired and a little bit wobbly, but there’s no reason why you should be gasping for breath. If you experience respiratory issues such as wheezing, chest tightness, coughing, and struggling to breathe after drinking wine, it’s most likely caused by the sulfites. If you have asthma, you are most likely allergic to sulfites and might experience breathing problems during and the morning after wine consumption. The good news is that you can breathe easy without having to give up your favorite red or white thanks to products like StiQit which removes sulfites.
#5. You Feel Better After Drinking Anything Else:
Lastly, one major tell-tale sign to look out for if you think that you may have an allergy to wine is how you feel when you’re drinking any other alcoholic beverage. If you can drink spirits, beer, lager or cider without getting the same type of reactions (except for being a little bit tipsy!) then there’s a high possibility that you’re allergic to one of the compounds found in wine. On the other hand, if you experience adverse symptoms no matter what you are drinking, you may simply be allergic to alcohol in general.
Do you experience any of the above symptoms when drinking wine? How do you manage your allergy? Let us know in the comments.
