I'm no longer able to tolerate any alcohol, is this common? I was never a big drinker, but a couple if glasses of wine at a party was enough. Now I cannot drink 1 glass, I'm tipsy immediately and then suffer upset stomach.
I also now have weeks of very regular bowel movements (up to 7 a day)and it is very inconvenient so I ordered a radar key for when I'm out. Does anyone else suffer the same?
My daughter has given up alcohol completely for many years now. Digestive issues ongoing
She says just not worth it.
I didn't have any at all for nearly 3 years.
Then fancied some
A birthday.
Had 50mls of wine.
Enough.
It can affect your bowels anyhow and a known irritant to your stomach.
Many have reported bowel habit changes with b12 def/PA
Also on thd side effect list of b12 injections.
It's on the ever growing symptom list .
Hi Terrigreen,
I am so sorry to hear you are suffering.
I have never been one for alcohol (was sports mad, still am but well vitamin B12 deficiency/PA causes fatigue). I have had ‘weird reactions’ to alcohol. On special occasions like Christmas I used to have a Snowball or gin with my Gran.
Last June, I had 2 drinks for a close mate’s 50th, they floored me. I was on the sofa for 5 days.
Friday, just gone, I shared a gin and tonic with my man friend and was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t falling about the place.
I have a RADAR key and carry a Just Can’t Wait Card from The Bowel and Bladder Foundation bbuk.org.uk/just-cant-wait-...
I had found GUTS U.K. very lovely and helpful. (I had undiagnosed coeliac disease for decades and healing will take as long as it takes.)
Both my bladder and bowel are affected. Frequency, urgency, hesitation and I’m pretty sure my pelvic floor are not that great either. But there has been massive improvements with regular S.I.
I do hope your bowels settle down but if you haven’t already seen a gastroenterologist then a referral made.
Best wishes
Yes, lots of people report almost zero alcohol tolerance.
It sounds to me that it will be well worth getting checked by a gastroenterologist to see if there is any reason for your frequency of needing the loo that they can help you with - digestive enzymes might help for instance. You do need to be aware of it causeing other deficiencies too. If something isn't normal then it's good to get it sorted if possible.
I usually have an annual colonoscopy to check and remove bowel polyps. This has now been put back 4 years, even though I'm on bowel cancer watch!! I may have to pay privately. Maybe I should try to see if this can be brought forwards
Definitely! Lay it on thick and say how things have changed, got worse, etc.
You do need more care from them. It might be due to upper GI tract changes too.
Good luck - I too hate fighting to get help.
Good morning. I have similar problems with alcohol. I have never really been a drinker but had a glass of wine on occasion. About eighteen months ago I found like you even a small glass floored me and I felt like I had a really bad hangover [not that I’d had one of those since my younger days] I told this to a very approachable doctor who said ‘yes this can happen with B12 deficiency and certain drugs can poison you too so we have to weigh up whether to treat a problem or let you suffer’ this deficiency has a lot to answer for!I wish you well for the future. X
I can have drinks like G&T and be ok so long as I don't have too much. Wine on the other hand makes me very ill!
No problems with moderate alcohol drinking - we are all different.
My alcohol tolerance went down to zero before my diagnosis/when I was under treated. I’d have 2 or 3 day hangovers with horrible nausea after only a modest amount of alcohol.
Now that i feel that I’m adequately treated (I si) I can tolerate a small amount. So now I have a couple of glasses of wine once a week and only feel slightly jaded the next day.
I never had over regular bowel movements though. Since PA constipation has been a problem rather than the opposite.
I have issues with alcohol too and dont drink very often at all now.
After the b12 diagnosis, I started getting signs of malabsorption. Alcohol made things worse for sure. I am now diagnosed with exocrine pancreatic insufficiency and take enzymes with food.
Pernicious anemia affects acidity in the stomach, im guessing alcohol is quite acidic too. The pancreas needs alkaline environment so im in a bit of a connundrum as I feel I need to add some vinegar to have absorption, but have been advised against it.
Last week, the gastroenterologist said that years ago, they were concerned about acid levels but then that fell out of favour and acidity concern became a bad player. Now they strive simply to avoid or reduce acidity without testing. Acidity is the enemy. I asked him how that played out with pernicious anemia which causes low stomach acid, he simply laughed with embarassment.
I think it is important to consider our acid levels. I tried apple cider vinegar tablets and it had a significant, positive impact but I stopped as it started causing reflux. Ideally I would like to be tested and instructed carefully how to supplement if needed.
They do not make any connection between my pernicious anemia and the malabsorption/epi.
Interesting and thank you. I used to work for a consultant gastroenterology just shortly before I was diagnosed, I'm not in contact with her much now. She found and removed bowel polyps, it was thought I had bowel cancer, she was so kind.
I can't drink alcohol anymore. I was diagnosed in December 2021 with Celiac disease at the age of 57. I also discovered at the same time that I had very low iron, and take ferrous fumarate twice a day and have been diagnosed with iron deficiency anaemia. I also have Hashimoto's and did the DIO2 gene test, and it came back as Homozygous, which means that I can't covert my Levothyroxine into T3 very well. if at all, and now take Liothyroinine (T3). I also have Pernicious anaemia. I always used to wonder why drinking alcohol made me feel so ill after, and after being diagnosed with everything I realise now why my body struggled to break it down, especially having very low iron, and probably alcohol that contained gluten too. I really miss having a drink
B12 Deficiency or PA. How do you know?
I'm B12 Deficient.. PA
Could I have B12 deficiency or PA
PA B12 deficiency 
Testing for B12 deficiency or PA
