side ache after drinking?

[fun8stuff]

just a question that i hope someone may be able to answer... (i am going to see my doctor on tues for another reason).

lately it seems that after i drink say 6-7 beers in a night (5-6 hrs) i will wake up with an ache/tender spot on my lower left side- just above pelvis & waistline (although not every time). today it seems worse than normal. anyone have any idea what this could be? Kidneys? Ureters? Hyopchondria? the pain is slightly more toward the front of my body... thnx...

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[idq1i]

DDX: carcinoid, redneckiitis

 

[fun8stuff]

DDX: carcinoid, redneckiitis

lol, funny.

 

[Ramoray]

ulcer? gastritis?

 

[idq1i]

lol, funny.

Well, you didn't exactly give us a complete HPI do work with.

It could be pancreatitis or CD for all I know

 

[fun8stuff]

Well, you didn't exactly give us a complete HPI do work with.

It could be pancreatitis for all I know

heh, yeah... well i am pre-m1 and don't know any better. I guess I am wondering if it is serious enough to mention to my doctor. I feel stupid for saying that I drank so much alcohol- i am normally not that big of a lush. Another thing that i should probably mention is that i have been having intermittant sharp side pains that last for about 3 seconds then go away. Some times I will get a few of these a week, and then it will be weeks before I get them again. But these pains are more toward my lower back. What other info do u need?

 

[A.D.O.R.]

heh, yeah... well i am pre-m1 and don't know any better. I guess I am wondering if it is serious enough to mention to my doctor. I feel stupid for saying that I drank so much alcohol- i am normally not that big of a lush. Another thing that i should probably mention is that i have been having intermittant sharp side pains that last for about 3 seconds then go away. Some times I will get a few of these a week, and then it will be weeks before I get them again. But these pains are more toward my lower back. What other info do u need?

sounds like pancreatitis secondary to your alcohol consumption. how much do you really drink, how often and how long have you maintained this "schedule"?

 

[fun8stuff]

sounds like pancreatitis secondary to your alcohol consumption. how much do you really drink, how often and how long have you maintained this "schedule"?

during school (jan - may 6) i drank alcohol maybe 2-3 times per month- 5-6 beverages max on occasion, although normally 2-3 (over 3-6 hr span).
Since school got out max 2 drinks per week, until the last week...

Over the last week:
Sat: 3.5 beers in 5 hrs (wedding)
mon: 2 beers (1.5 hrs)
tues: 1 beer
thurs 5 beers, 1 coke/rum in 5-6 hrs(birthday party)
fri 1 beer (festival)

i didnt think it was "that" much since i know quite a few people that drink more than this w/ little problem.

I am 22 yrs old and really have not been drinking for that long. Perhaps for 5-6 years, but the first 2.5 years it was maybe like 2-3 times a year.

 

[superflyDO]

Please let us know if your doc says anything. I drink and have the same exact complaint

 

[fun8stuff]

bump... still having problem... found that tylenol works better than ib profen at getting rid of pain. It went away after i slept, but came back after walking around. On a scale 1-10, the pain is probably around 6. Just dull and annoying.

 

[NiteOwl]

bump... still having problem... found that tylenol works better than ib profen at getting rid of pain. It went away after i slept, but came back after walking around. On a scale 1-10, the pain is probably around 6. Just dull and annoying.

You might want to be careful with the tylenol. I have heard that if you take it while drinking or shortly before or after drinking that it can screw up your kidneys. I don't know 100% if thats true or not, but it seems quite plausable seeing as tylenol isn't great for your kidneys in the first place.

 

[subtle1epiphany]

You might want to be careful with the tylenol. I have heard that if you take it while drinking or shortly before or after drinking that it can screw up your kidneys. I don't know 100% if thats true or not, but it seems quite plausable seeing as tylenol isn't great for your kidneys in the first place.

Ummm...I think that would be liver damage. But I wouldn't be mixing alcohol and ANY medicine.
Alcohol is particularly toxic to the liver (in excessive amounts) and acetominophen is metabolized by the liver as well. From what I can remember, and from logic, it would be liver damage you would be tempting.

Isn't it the NSAIDS that are hard on the kidneys (in addition to the stomach)?

 

[fun8stuff]

You might want to be careful with the tylenol. I have heard that if you take it while drinking or shortly before or after drinking that it can screw up your kidneys. I don't know 100% if thats true or not, but it seems quite plausable seeing as tylenol isn't great for your kidneys in the first place.

yeah, i realize this. However, I never took the tylenol while I was drinking alcohol because that would mean liver damage!

 

[Mumpu]

I vaguely (too lazy to dig up pharm notes from last year) remember something about EtOH and tylenol being a bad combination. Tylenol is metabolized by two pathways one of which produces a hepatotoxic substance. The non-toxic pathway is impaired by alcohol (forget how, competition? inhibition?) which makes liver damage more likely.

 

[idq1i]

. The non-toxic pathway is impaired by alcohol (forget how, competition? inhibition?) which makes liver damage more likely.

Alcohol induces CYP, resulting in more acetaminophen being processed by the toxin-generating pathway.

Tylenol + Alcohol = Bad. Fulminant liver failure and death in 1 week.

 

[Mumpu]

Thanks!

 

[Belfagor]

I'm be NO means qualified to offer any type of diagnosis (undergrad), but I'm curious as to how well hydrated you are. Cramps as a result of dehydration could manifest themselves as pain on the lower left side. It's happened to me, and after getting fluids and rest, the aches subside completely.

 

[beanbean]

Please talk to your doctor. If you are having pain and it is bothering you then it is something you should talk to him/her about. Be honest about how much you had to drink and explain your symptoms. Don't look for advice on a med student forum.

 

[subtle1epiphany]

Alcohol induces CYP, resulting in more acetaminophen being processed by the toxin-generating pathway.

Tylenol + Alcohol = Bad. Fulminant liver failure and death in 1 week.

thanks for substantiating my claim...appreciate it!

 

[nycmed8]

hi fun8.... definitely mention something to your doctor. I'm sure that it could just be something that has been previously posted (although what do we know, we are pre-docs!) but I work at a cancer center and have seen twenty-somethings come in with complaining of alcohol sensitivity (among other symptoms) and have a serious diagnosis. I'm sure barring other symptoms you are ok, but just wanted to point out that yes you should definitely say something to your doc.

Hope you feel better soon!

 

[NiteOwl]

Ummm...I think that would be liver damage. But I wouldn't be mixing alcohol and ANY medicine.
Alcohol is particularly toxic to the liver (in excessive amounts) and acetominophen is metabolized by the liver as well. From what I can remember, and from logic, it would be liver damage you would be tempting.

Isn't it the NSAIDS that are hard on the kidneys (in addition to the stomach)?

I suppose it could cause liver damage too. I don't know, I am not in med school yet and it was my Mom who said never to mix alcohol and tylenol because it will cause kidney damage. And she is one of those people who say "I saw that happen on ER once..." or "But on ER they said..." So I am not to sure on some of the things she says. I haven't heard that NSAIDS are hard on the kidneys.

 

[phllystyl]

No, it is definitely EtOH + Acetaminophen = possibility of fulminant hepatitis due to tylenol's effects at one specific enzymatic pathway.

NSAIDs always carry the risk of Acute Tubular Necrosis at the renal level. I honestly do not know if EtOH increases or decreases this risk.

 

[Mumpu]

I think EtOH acts through vasopressin... shouldn't be a direct kidney effect.

You may be thinking of ethylene glycol (antifreeze) which some alcoholics consume and which can precipitate in the kidneys as oxalate crystals.

 

[Law2Doc]

I think EtOH acts through vasopressin... shouldn't be a direct kidney effect.

You may be thinking of ethylene glycol (antifreeze) which some alcoholics consume and which can precipitate in the kidneys as oxalate crystals.

I recomend not drinking ethylene glycol with or without tylenol.