I have this too. It's a type of alcohol neuropathy

For some reason tonight i googled to get answers for the exact pain I've been getting for years and can't believe i have come across others with the same. I defintley want to find out more. Mines pain is also brought on a lot more with suagary alcohol drinks. I cant believe others go through this 

I'm intrigued to read your post as I thought I was the only one who had this happen! 
I'm 49 now and never drink anymore as whenever I have a drink I get this strange tingle/ache all down my arms and in my shoulders. 
It has always been like this for me, from the first drink I ever had at 18. I've never been a "drinker", just the occasional night out over the years. 

So please don't worry, if it was anything serious I'd certainly know by now!

I have the same pain, it first started whilst on holiday in Turkey in 2011  when I was 20  granted it had been a party holiday and I think it was the last day of a 2 week alcohol binge! I remember what I was drinking -Passoa & fresh o-j; the pain felt like someone had deadlocked  grip on my trapezius muscle between my neck and shoulder, I just put it down to too much fresh orange. 
 

it has happened several times over the past 9 years the most recent one was during Christmas, now when it happens the pain extends down through my arm  my arms and hands go numb and it also feels like there is acid in my vains all at the same time ( hard to discribe) I get restless and move about to dry and get comfortable, it can last from 15-30 mins. I'm not an excessive drinker, I can happily go a few months without alcohol! 
 

I'm intrigued to find out that's it's not just me who suffers from this as I sometimes look like a right prat if It strikes!! 
 

maybe we have an intolerance to an ingredient in certain alcoholic beverages? 
 

best wishes 

Nick

Hi,

I've noticed this over the past year or so (i'm 28) and genuinely also thought I was the only person to experience this as there are few similar stories online and it's difficult to describe! A dull ache in my arms, shoulders and back after the smallest sip of red wine, and goes away after about 5-10 minutes. Doesn't happen every time I drink and not bad enough to stop me having a drink (not a heavy drinker) but enough to be noticeable.

Did anyone find out what the cause for theirs was? I'd be really interested to know.

Hi. I am new to the site and came on here looking for answers to this as I have a huge problem with it, and not just with alcohol.

While reading the answers about "trapped wind" being a possible cause, I remember something from a few years ago about how certain effects to the stomach/ abdomen can cause pain in the shoulders a d arms. Four years ago I had both ovaries removed via keyhole surgery and I was warned that I may get pains in my shoulders and upper arms.  I wonder if this may be an answer to why this happens with certain foods or drinks. Googling laparoscopy and shoulder pain should give more info.  Hope this helps

Hi, I don't know whether this helps or is relevant but I had the same problem years ago. I discovered that it was the alcohol relaxing muscles in the shoulders that had been tense. It did feel like a weight was pulling them down. Some people tense shoulder or neck muscles when even slightly stressed, e.g. rushing, late for a meeting etc. I am one of those people and now I consciously relax those muscles, drop my shoulders if I'm feeling tense. Would it be worth it to spend a few minutes relaxing or meditating (even just 'watching the breath'), or, even better, get someone to give you a shoulder massage before you have a drink? Or a heat pad or hot water bottle between your shoulder blades. Maybe it's worth a try. It would be easy to get into a cycle of tensing up in anticipation of pain. Hope this gives you hope!

Hi all,  I have had this problem for quite a few years now but only googled "why does wine give me a headache?"   Obviously it felt as if I were in a chemistry class but interesting non the less. Words such as Tyramine, Histamine, MAOI's and Serotnin were all part of the 'lesson'!   I now try to avoid cheese, cured meat, nuts and stress when I'm drinking but also try to drink sparkling mineral water alongside the alcohol.  Avoiding stress is a bit harder for me and I can be stressed days before not actually on the day I've decided to have a social drink and still end up with a headache.  Albeit they are few and far between now.  But for me I think stress is a key factor.  Unfortunately I did not follow any of my advice this weekend and I am paying the price.

My pain only starts the next day and can continue for upto 3 days.  It usually starts the next day with a bad headache which does't  go away regardless of any type of pain relief.  I thought I had sussed it a little while ago with a particular Sudafed (because the chain reaction I experience does have an impact on my sinuses) but this weekend even that failed.  After a few hours of headpain, it will then 'move' into my left shoulder, left side of my neck with one band of pain travelling from my neck over the left part of my head ending up in my left eye/eyebrow.  When they starts to fade I get a band of pain around the back of my head and then I know it won't be too much longer before I'm running on full steam!

This is the first time I've posted so hopefully I'm not too late with this discussion.  

x

I too just thought to google this. Every time I drink alcohol usually at whole day events like weddings but sometimes at other times too I get a terrible ache in my shoulder. It really puts me off drinking and ruins my evening. I can't believe so many people suffer the same thing. After reading these comments I wonder if dehydration is a factor? Mine seems to last for the rest of the evening. 

I am now 42 and the first time I experienced this was about 13 years ago on holiday in Portugal. I'm not a huge drinker but I do enjoy a few cocktails when going out for dinner. I remember the first time sitting in the garden of the villa having a sugary alcoholic drink before we went out for dinner (on an empty stomach) and getting this awful crushing pain across my shoulders, around my chest and around my back and writhing about in pain. I have a really low pain threshold and so I find it extremely uncomfortable and painful. I can't sit still, I have to move about and try and massage my shoulders,lie down if possible, it's horrible. My mother in law said it was heartburn (which is what I've always called it until I read this post) but I vividly remember the first time, quickly scoffing a packet of prawn cocktail crisps and after about 15- 20 minutes it subsided. Since then I've probably experienced it about once a year on average, always drinking alcohol on an empty stomach EXCEPT this latest time at the weekend. My stomach wasn't completely empty as I'd had a small snack before we went out for dinner. However, it was a heavily sugary Purple Rain cocktail from TGI Fridays and the pain seemed to last longer than usual, maybe 20-25 mins. People at neighbouring tables must have thought I was crazy writhing about in my seat. I'd never made the association with sugar before, only alcohol on an empty stomach, but now I'm thinking sugar has something to do with it too? I also recall a similarly unusual shoulder pain while in hospital recovering from c-section births and the midwives said it was trapped wind and prescribed peppermint capsules to alleviate it. I thought that sounded bonkers at the time but now I'm thinking the combination of an empty-ish stomach with alcohol and sugar is somehow recreating the trapped wind I experienced after the c-section and causing this strange pain?