Pain in neck, collar bone and shoulders when drinking alcohol??

My reaction to alcohol began approximately 15 years ago. I was in my early 30s. I’ve never been much of a drinker. A girlfriend of mine bartended during the happy hour shift. For about 2 months I’d visit her a few times a week. I’d have a couple of wine coolers or similar drinks. At the end of those two months was when I had my first attack. It started with a dizzy fainting feeling. I became very lightheaded and flushed in the face. This was accompanied by extreme neck, shoulder, and collarbone pain. The level of pain varies with intensity each time. As well as, how long each episode will last. I’ve been brought to my knees in tears wishing to be dead during the 20-minute episodes. But, as you've all said, it will pass. It may be an easy 5 minutes or a devilish 20 minutes. The attack may be brought on by one sip or several. It may be the alcohol, sugar, wheat, all of them, or?

I've recently developed a new system. A horrible itching rash from drinking red beers. I've never been a beer drinker. But, I love red beer. So, far beer hasn't caused the painful attacks, but these itchy hives I've gotten these last few months. Oh, boy! I started drinking red beer more trying to eliminate the painful attacks from the sweeter alcoholic beverages. I've had a couple of attacks with wine. 1 attack with vodka. And, a number I no longer remember with wine coolers, mikes lemonade, and other sweet alcoholic beverages. Bacardi silvers are my safest bet if I'm going to drink those types of drinks. Beer I thought was my friend. I'm going to try some wheat-free. Oh, I do have an Autoimmune disease, hypothyroidism.

did anyone find out what the pain is related to?

I often get an intense pain in my collarbone that feels like heavy pressure when drinking alcohol containing soda. After some time I i figured it to be gas pain, since when i put a hot water bottle on my stomach and relax for a while, I start burping and the pain fades away.

Maybe it's the same for you?

The same thing is happening to me - but I have a slightly more complicated story. Recently when I drink alcohol - I get these EXTREME painful neck spams. It runs from (it feels like) the inside of my ears, and temples, down my neck into my shoulders - only on the right side. The muscles are rock HARD - I have tried all sorts of pain tablets, ice packs, heat packs, and hot showers (the last 2 seems to help the fastest). OK, I do have a small lump on my back that I need to have checked out - not painful, and slowly decreasing in size. Googling says lymphoma / cancer etc ... What happened a while ago is, I went to a physio therapist - it did not work, I went to a chiro - that seemed to work - until I had 1 beer - a lite (3.5% ) lager - that was one of the worse, I got a neck brace and wore it for 2 days - nothing - no pain (no alcohol) - then I got a nice movie, made myself comfortable and all of a sudden the same thing happened - sometimes when this happen I get nauseous - and "throwing up" seems to make it better - sometime a "fart" or a burp makes it feel better - this is very strange .. I do have a very stressful job - and it seems relaxing is causing the problem. I can sit for hours in front of my PC's - nothing - one little bit of alcohol, or a relaxing state seems to aggrevate it !! drinking water seems to help - After reading all posts - the common thing is the pain goes away after about 20 min - no matter what I do. It feels like a gas, it feels like someone stabbing me in the ears and neck ! Is this a side affect of stress - COVID ? I really am confused .. I tried a little whiskey tonight in a big glass with lots of water and ice, and it happened again !

I know it's been a while since this was posted, but for the sake of people also trying to figure this out, I thought I'd throw in some things I've figured out about it since it also happens to me. I'm not a straight alcohol drinker - always has to be a mixed drink of some sort, and normally, the mixers are diet pop. I've noticed, however, that this pain in my collarbone and right shoulder always seems to come about when I've been drinking mixed drinks with things that are excessively sugary - sweet tea, raspberry lemonade, non-diet pop and the like. If I have diet pop, or less sugary juice - orange juice, for example - it doesn't happen. I don't know how much this helps anyone, but if it helps to narrow down what might be causing this pain, I'm happy to share.

Hi, I have also been experiencing something similar!

It first happened when I was 16 and drank a Vodka cooler too fast. I had a ton of burning aching pain all around my shoulders and found it harder to breathe. For a while I thought I might just be allergic to Vodka. Until I had some vodka with just water. Didn't taste great, but no reaction.

From then I thought it might be something in coolers, so I steered clear of those and mixed my own drinks with pop or juice. Until I got a reaction from drinking a sugary alcoholic drink that I had mixed myself (had Rum in it, my preferred drink at the time).

I started analyzing when these reactions would happen to me.

So far I have tried Tequila, Vodka, Rum, Whiskey, Wine, Gin, Moonshine and Beer. All of which alone have yet to cause me a reaction.

However if I'm careless and mix a drink with say.. a can of pop and less than a ounce of alcohol and happen to drink say.. half a glass within 10 minutes? I get a reaction. Its not immediate, but sudden and violently painful.

I eat tons of sugar and drink pop just fine otherwise as well.

As of yet I have not found a definitive cause. I am have no reaction to either substance while they are separated (yes, I also get a reaction if I am drinking alcohol and eat too many sugary gummies or so on). But, as far as I can tell it has something to do with the mixing of Alcohol and lots of sugar for me. It is also aggravated if I drink said drink fast. Sometimes I can get away with a sugary alcoholic drink if I drink it slowly. Often not though.

Anyways, I'm sure I have dragged on. Thank you if you have read this far. Hope this makes you not feel so alone and if you find anything out please do let us know.

I have found cooling packs, ice or even frozen vegetables on the pained area help to ease some of the ache. Also water once you have recovered from enough of the pain. But, sip it don't chug it!

Regards,

JasmineX.

For the past three years, I have had a similar pain with alcohol. Its a sharp (almost electrical shock) pain that goes through my neck and has a main point in the nodes right below my ear. It doesn't happen every time I drink and isn't specific to a type of alcohol. I mostly drink red wines, hard seltzers, margaritas and gin and tonics; it has happened with all of these. I finally went to the doctor today. He took me seriously but also brushed it off as being an allergy to alcohol so now I have to try to see an allergist. Its hard to take that as an answer when this is not a symptom of alcohol allergies when you google it. I'm not really sure what to do now. I don't want to let it go if there is a chance that it is actually Hodgkins but I also dont want to waste a lot of money on different tests if its not.

Alcohol dos more bad than good and should be avoided. I think we should at least drink less of it.

Stop drinking.

I've had the same issue for the last couple of years! I’m not a heavy drinker by any means. I’ve always been a social drinker and now all of a sudden, if I try to have any kind of liquor, I get the same pain you are describing. Sharp pain on my neck and shoulder (left) and overall body discomfort sometimes. Then after 20-30 minutes, its gone. It’s hard to explain to anyone and I can’t find anything online that explains it either. Very frustrating.

It’s hard to explain to anyone and I can’t find anything online that explains it either. Very frustrating.

I have had a variation on this for a couple of years. The day after drinking I will get a stiff, sore neck, and constant cracking but only on the right side. It lasts through bedtime, no pain killer seems to help.

People will blame dehydration or sugar and mixers and try to steer the cause away from the alcohol. I believe there are new flavorings being used in alcohols, especially IPAs and wines that are causing my lymph nodes to react to the alcohol and becoming inflamed. Vodka seems to cause the least effects. Interestingly, chocolate and msg in foods beforehand make it worse. These are key triggers for migraines...so its interesting that cumulatively they boost the bad effects, for me.

okay... i need help, i think.

i drink on weekends sometimes...

this is the first time i had oranges and mixed with ciders and Gin in orange slices and some water.. the taste was great.. altough after a while i had pain on my upper right side of the chest.. i was not pleasant. i thought i was having a heartache.. didnt want to spook my family.

went to restroom and noticed i was blushing too

had some asprine and then i was okay.

need advise on what it is? And how to prevent it

i want to go for paragliding and bungee jumping and hiking and to the north pole.

i want to go for paragliding and bungee jumping and hiking and to the north pole.

i want to go for paragliding and bungee jumping and hiking and to the north pole.