Beer = migraine?

[Undead Molly]

I can't drink any wines (that I know of) or most beers because when I do I develop a nasty headache. If I don't take medication, the nasty headache becomes a nasty migraine. Even a small amount like a glass or bottle of beer will result in a headache within an hour or so.

However, it doesn't seem to be a problem if I drink Bud Light, Corona, or Stella Artois. Why? I have no idea.

Drinking isn't a necessity, it's not like my quality of life is greatly deteriorated by this phenomenon. But it would be nice to enjoy some of the interesting beers I hear and read about. It's kind of boring being the person at the pub who just keeps ordering water while everyone else is discussing bitterness and hops and whatnot. Does anyone know what might cause these headaches and how to prevent them?

[vtrockdork]

Hi Molly!

It could be any number of things.  Wines contain sulfites, tannins and histamines, all of which potentially could be causing an allergic reaction.  Sulfites and tannins occur naturally in grape skins, though some wine producers add more sulfites as a preservative.  Organic/Biodynamic wines have considerably lower levels of sulfites, so you could give that a try.  Histamines also come from grape skins, and they're part of a family of known migraine triggers called amines (other amines include cheese, chocolate and cured meat).   Champagne is made from grapes after the skins have been removed, so that's also worth a try (hooray bubbles!).   Histamines are also formed during the beer brewing process, and they're found in much higher concentrations in more flavorful (dark, malty, hoppy) beers.  That could be why the beers that you mentioned don't cause a reaction - they're much lighter, milder beers.   

Hope this helps!

-B

[Undead Molly]

Thanks Ben!

While sulfites do trigger migraines for me I've been able to figure out that it isn't the exclusive cause in this booze situation. My boyfriend works for Magic Hat and asked the head brewer what he thought about it, and (after the requisite "oh, so you're trying to get your girlfriend drunk, eh?" joke) he came to the same basic conclusion you did about the histamines. Nobody has ever suggested I try champagne, though! That is a very clever suggestion and I'm keen to try it.