Can anyone tell me why I am unable to enjoy a drink ie alcohol since I have been diagnosed with a underactive thyroid ?

[frascina]

[sporty333]

well for me it 'tanks' my adrenals and i get very ill! hits them hard you see......

[PinkNinja in reply to sporty333]

That is interesting. Perhaps that's why I have only been able to manage the odd glass over the last few years.

[foreversummer]

Hi. I'm not really sure but I am the same. I can drink very little now as even a couple of glasses make me feel quite poorly as if I've drunk loads. I can only assume it is something to do with a slow metabolism - maybe out metabolisms cannot metabolise the alcohol quickly as before.

[daisymoo]

I think you are right Forever. I remember last Christmas being invited to our neighbours during the morning. I had 2 or 3 glasses of champagne and was almost carried home by my husband. I felt done for until late afternoon, guess who cooked the turkey!!! There was another question submitted about this topic I think on friday you might like to check it out.

[Hidden]

Do we think this applies mostly to folks on T4 meds?

I confess about 6 o'clock I get so cold I find a glass of wine helps, esp ginger wine - not everyday 'tho (but I'm not on any medication) oh dear perhaps I am a functioning alcoholic - but I know quite a few people that do too! (without the hypo excuse either).

J - too darn honest for my own good!

[Starfish123]

Hi,

Not being able to tolerate alcohol is a sypmtom of thyroid problems.

I had this for 10 years or so before diagnosis. If I have a drink I get the hangover from hell usually the following day but can be within a few hours. It can be just a sip of alcohol that will do this.

I understand it's due to the metabolism not working correctly that causes your body to feel the effects of a lot more than you actually drank.

[France1]

2 years before I knew I had an over active thyroid I suddenly stopped feeling like a drink - it started to revolt me. Even watching people drink made me feel odd. 3 years later I still have not had a drink even though I have had the thyroid removed and I am now hypo. My friends all think I am strong willed but I am sure it is just that my system recognised long before me or the medical profession that there was enough chaos in my interior! I am making no effort to start to drink again as it will add to the weight concerns and as I have shifted from being normal before I had my thyroid removed to borderline diabetic - I need all the help I can get. I guess I have gained about 6 kilos since December when they gave me medication to lower thyroid in my system (pre op). I was doing so well (according to my friends) before then - slimmer and T-total - I thought I had it all sorted - turned out I was just ill. Getting well seems to mean getting fat and not even now being allowed butter with my marmite (pure hell for me).

[Hansaplatz]

I know my mum - who has Hashi's - has for the whole time I've been alive, gotten so tipsy on half a glass of wine. I never had that myself whilst underactive.

Strangely enough since adrenal problems got thrown into the mix with me in the last year, my alcohol tolerance went up instead! I could drink and drink and feel barely anything, which actually got annoying - not sure if that was it being processed too slowly or what but it wasn't good to do anyway as the sugar in it stressing my adrenals too much and I'd had to swear off any whilst I recover.

[deniD]

I went right off drink too after been diagnosed with graves 10 year ago don't like how ill it makes. Me so rarely bother x

[Heloise]

I've read recently that T3 and alcohol vie for the same receptors in the brain and is the reason some become addicted to alcohol.

[Hidden]

Thanks all, no wonder I felt so crap last week! Ill for 2 days

[pebbles02]

Ditto that, I cannot drink much at all now, i was diagnosed a year ago. Bet my livers are feeling better for it though lol

[EmJB]

That's interesting, I have gone right off alcohol since I've been on thyroxine. I put it down to old age! But it did happen rather abruptly .

[Duchy82]

I just dont fancy it mainly because my reaction to it is unpredictable one day i can be totally fine the next i get drunk or very sleepy after a couple and the hangover, mind you i can feel hungover simply by going to bed too late :-S so i rarely bother.