GroupThink

i am amazed at how many people can relate to the "flush". i thought something was just wrong with me. when i started drinking in 11th grade, i would become very hot and my heart rate would speed up incredibly fast. it would scare me a lot, so i would always stop drinking. now, even after just one bottle of smirnoff, i feel the effects immediatly. i have just learned to not drink, or drink very very slowly. but i am relieved at the fact that i know what is going on with me to cause such reactions!

i have asian flush and i am only a quarter asian. my dad is half asian and he has it also. but i found a cure for it. PEPCID AC works really good for me. i dont get red at all i sometimes feel red. i am a big time party animal and love todrink ! i wasnt like that before i found this great little pill i take 20 minutes before i down my beer! before i would just hang out with my good friends and drink with them cuz they understood. i would be so imbarrased when i was at partys i would always try to just calm my body down and cool off outside. but now im all better no more reddness!
you guys can check out my myspace. i have so many pictures of me getting wasted and no bright red face. . http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendID=6252424

Just took one pepsid last night 30 minutes before and it worked perfectly. No redness, pulse, or hottness. However, I am a little worried about my health if i do this on a consistent basis

I hate the flush! I'm caucasian (half Italian), yet I get Asian flush sometimes after 1 drink! I don't get it, I can drink most people under the table with no problem, but I look like a fool while I'm doing it. Sometimes it just won't show up, which I have yet to figure out, and sometimes it's worse than others - pink or beet red, I never know what I'm going to be. I haven't tried the Pepsid thing, but I'm a bit hesitant, given that I really don't like taking drugs in general, and mixing them with alcohol is certainly not something I want to start doing.

Oh well, I'll just keep waiting for an organic cure...

Has anyone tried the pepcid AC or Zantac does it work??

Is it safe as taking pills and alcohol doesnt seem to be like a good idea

Yup, the pepcid ac works, i tried it, even on a full stomach and it helped alot, I still got the glow,I got pink cheeks, but no tomato face with matching eyes!! I took 40 mg. 2 pills about 1-2 hours ahead. I've had 3rum and cokes and there is 1 1/2 hours till the new year!

I'm caucasian and have been passed down by my grandfather this Asian flush? Not knowing or understanding anything about it, from an early age I began drinking only to be struck by the heavy beating heart and redness of the face hands..etc. Now at 34 years of age I believe I have overcome this defect to a certain degree. I believe the fact that i have drank small amounts over the years like 1 or 2 pints per day and built up to 3 or 4, something has changed in someway and i am now functioning near normal. I am able to drink plenty with dramatically reduced affects .. But when I do stop drinking for a week or 2, 2 pints can bring it on again...but I am always ok for 1 pint now unlike the earlier years were it would just take a 1/2 pint..Alot of my family are also affected..my Mother the worst..just the smell brings it on..

I'm caucasian and have been passed down by my grandfather this Asian flush? Not knowing or understanding anything about it, from an early age I began drinking only to be struck by the heavy beating heart and redness of the face hands..etc. Now at 34 years of age I believe I have overcome this defect to a certain degree. I believe the fact that i have drank small amounts over the years like 1 or 2 pints per day and built up to 3 or 4, something has changed in someway and i am now functioning near normal. I am able to drink plenty with dramatically reduced affects .. But when I do stop drinking for a week or 2, 2 pints can bring it on again...but I am always ok for 1 pint now unlike the earlier years were it would just take a 1/2 pint..Alot of my family are also affected..my Mother the worst..just the smell brings it on..

Just went binge drinking; drank myself to oblivion.

Never had a red face - my friend was surprised!

of course, I had just 1 ZANTAC tablet beforehand!

ZANTAC works for me.
Before, I get the asian flush drinking only half a glass of wine. My face would be as red and as hot as the sun. And I get red bloches on my tummy and legs. I get dizzy, a severe headache, and my heart feels like wanting to burst out of my abdomen.

After taking only 1 ZANTAC tablet 30 minutes before taking the first drink, I had 3 glasses of wine, and only ahd a "pink" flush on my cheeks. And no blotches as well on my tummy and legs.

Also, no headaches!

It works for me. If you haven't tried it, try it. I amy or may not work. Unless you try it you'd never know.

Alcohol is a beverage if your body can metabolize it at the non-intoxicating dose you imbibed. But at any dose you start having any symptoms, then stop drinking! A poison is a POISON, so why kill yourself by putting on a false social front? Don't forget alcohol is a stimulant the first 45 minutes after drinking it, followed by depressive effects, is very addictive, is a potent solvent of lipids which is abundant in the brain and liver, thus destroying your vital organs, and a gastric irritant--robbing you of vital nutrients as well as cause nausea and vomiting. The endstage of alcoholism is gastric bleeding from gastric varices and ulceration. Why let social drinking entice you into degradation and a slow suicide????? I recommend drinking grape juice, orange juice, tomato juice, or cranberry juice, which are health beneficial without the side effects of alcohol intoxication. I'm an Asian physician who has treated many intoxicated and damaged people, and I choose not to drink alcohol
but drink fruit juices. No one has ever rediculed me or even forced me to drink alcohol, so it is our free choice!

My mother is half Korean and was adopted during the Korean war. Herself and I both have this Asian Flush. I am only a quarter Korean but sometimes just half a beer gets my blood pumping and I turn "RED". I was just recently told about the gene so I thought I would research it. I don't get dizzy but I do get very tired and if I drink a little wine that is the worst I get the worst headache within minutes. Just thought I would add to the conversation.

Pepcid AC is an OTC (over the counter) drug with the active ingredient famotidine. NIH warns not to take more than two in 24 hours. As with many OTC/drugs, famotidine can come with side effects, including headache, dizziness, constipation, diarrhea. Some more serious, like hoarseness, and difficulty breathing or swallowing.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a687011.html

Here's a safe, healthy nutritional supplement alternative:
http://www.cheerzhangover.com/asian-flush.htm

If you like we would be happy to send you a free sample, and you can report the results here. Keep in mind that because of the ALDH enzyme issue, you'll likely need to double the recommended amount. This is perfectly safe, as you cannot take too much because Cheerz consists of natural amino acids and bioflavonoid superantioxidants.

To Kathy, "who felt empowered by the pills and drank four times more than usual..."

Got to use your head, or it will use you--as a Liberty Bell in the morning. There's no magic bullet for alcohol poisoning or foolhardiness. This only gives the preachers and proselytizers more ammo and makes it more difficult to get this innovative health supplement to the people that will benefit the most--responsible, social drinkers--who incidentally make up the vast majority of drinkers.

2 pepsid ac an hour before going out, it really does the trick. depending on what i drink, i almost never have any redness

I'am asian, but the "Asian Flush" isn't as dramatic for me as it is for many of you. Everyone turns red in the face, I guess for you guys its worse. For me I get pink in the cheeks. Majority of my friends are asian, and some do have the "Asian Flush". A lot more than 50% of asians have the asian flush. Some are just minor(or not visable), and some are dramatic. ADH and ALDH is the enzymes used to break down alcohol. ALDH is the 2nd enzyme to break down the toxins of alcohol. East Asians have very low ammounts of ALDH, and east asian women a lot lower ammounts. The low ammounts of ALDH dialtes your blood vessels, causing the flush appearnce. Meaning your blood vessels expand, and you should feel tense. Without the ability to break down the toxins, your body should automaticlly reject alcohol. You should feel sick, not wanting to drink any more, vommit, etc.. you know. Well here is somethings I did notice. When I was about 11yrs old, I used to steal beer and drink it with my brothers and friends. Six years later when my brother was 18, he tried to drink again. Only to get with the "Asian Flush", he called me a lucky bastard. So maybe during puberty the ALDH enzymes decrease. Also during pool parties, the "Asian Flush" is surpressed as long as you're in the pool. Maybe the nature of the water relaxing your body, and keeping it cool helps supress it. Here are some tips to surpress the flush appearence, from the best way to the least effective(NOTE:Everyone is different, so you might have to test this out on yourself). [Pepcid AC does work, but not healthy at all] ["Pregaming" drinking way ahead of time till the effects dicipate, then drinking again. This does work, till you consume a lot of alcohol. You should be able to get really drunk, and not have the "Asian Flush"],[goto www.cheerzhangover.com, or the hangover cure site listed in the atricle above. This is a naturual way to make your body function, as if it had ALDH enzyme. Will work depending on amount of alochol consumed.],[Dieting like the article says. Only problem is it works just like the hangover pills, but less effective. Consume to much alcohol and then flush appearnce should return.],[Beating it by drinking more! You can't beat the "Asian Flush" by drinking more.],[take deep breaths and relax your upper body. This works for some almost instantly, but very few.] Most important for all of you to remember! Please do take the hangover pills. Remember! Your body breaks down the toxins in alcohol a lot slower than normal. Because you lack numbers of the ALDH enzyme, you are at more risk of liver cancer and other really bad effects from alcohol consumption. I had a friend die from liver cancer in his mid 20's (Filipino). He didn't have the "Asian Flush", but most asians(of all nationalities) and some whites, do have lower number of ALDH enzymes than normal. Meaning he couldn't break down the toxins from over exposure to alcohol consumption, at the needed pace. On the good news! I have had some asian friends who have beaten the "Asian Flush" all toghter. They came up to me and asked me if their face was red. It wasn't red! No pills, no diet, no over drinking. They don't know how they did it, it happened naturually and the "Asian Flush" never returned(my friends are between the ages of 18-26). They now have more of a social life drinking freely, and drink when they want and where they want. They went from hardly touching their beers, to chugging beer and slamming shots left and right and no "Asian FLush". I love my asian people, so I will try my best to solve this issue for you guys. For now just stick to my tips, and maybe combine some of my tips to make your nights better. Flushing is also found in some caucasions, mainly when they drink red wine. So I will consume red wine, and see if I can bring the "Asian Flush" out. I know most of you are concerned about the flush appearnce! I will try and come up with a cure for the flush appearnce, a simple affordable one that dosent cost $4,000. Just remember it dosen't cure the entire "Asian Flush", but only surpress the flush appearnce. Meaning consumption of alcohol can damage your body. It gets rid of the flush, but not the toxins of alcohol. Please check this page time to time, and I will try my best to help all of you.

This is to "some chinese guy":
You're lucky you don't have the "asian glow".
I call it "glow" rather than "flush" because people can spot you from a mile away!
As for what I actually wanted to say to you. You're one of those "if it doesn't happen to me, it's not true" people are you you ass lick?!
I've been downing shots of 151 for at least 3 years straight. It takes 3 shots to get me to feel any alcoholic effect. However, it only takes about a quarter of a shot to make me glow.
I wouldn't have been so rude and called you an ass lick but I take pride in my ability to drink any guy under the table. So it's not a matter of how much you can drink. It's the stupid enzymn.
And as for the "glow" issue itself. I'm not sure I'd take unrelated pills and shots of stuff over being red. The "glow" IS a pain. I've found that drinking beer leaves me with a glow for longer than liquor. Usually after about 7 shots of vodka,I doze off for a little while, then I wake up with no redness, and continue to drink. It used to take a lot less of course but with my tolerance... sigh.
As for the Pepcid or whatever it is you take shots of, what's in that stuff? Maybe it's just proteins to tie together the alcohol with it's enzymes better or something. One thing I've tried and it works half the time is drinking before you drink. A more literal "pre-gaming". It only works half the time because I'm a girl. Sadly, when it's around that time, it doesn't work.
It happens to work out alright for me because I've pretty much gotten used to it.
As for the headaches, I used to take my advils cause they worked so freakishly well... only it's ok to use sometimes, but when you're having 4 or more drinking contests a week, it can kill you.
For headaches, stick to more pure alcohols. Sadly that means the nasty taste of vodka. Some like it. I personally don't. (doesn't stop me from drinking it but still) Beer and premium malt beverages cause more redness, more severe redness, and longer lasting redness. Be a man and drink your liquor without all the junk.
I really do with there was some way to get like an injection once a year of that alcohol enzyme and not have to deal with the "glow" though. I do hate being able to drink way more but having people asking me if I'm ok after my first shot... but I do get my revenge on them when they can't stop hugging their friends. :P

This is to "some chinese guy":
You're lucky you don't have the "asian glow".
I call it "glow" rather than "flush" because people can spot you from a mile away!
As for what I actually wanted to say to you. You're one of those "if it doesn't happen to me, it's not true" people are you you ass lick?!
I've been downing shots of 151 for at least 3 years straight. It takes 3 shots to get me to feel any alcoholic effect. However, it only takes about a quarter of a shot to make me glow.
I wouldn't have been so rude and called you an ass lick but I take pride in my ability to drink any guy under the table. So it's not a matter of how much you can drink. It's the stupid enzymn.
And as for the "glow" issue itself. I'm not sure I'd take unrelated pills and shots of stuff over being red. The "glow" IS a pain. I've found that drinking beer leaves me with a glow for longer than liquor. Usually after about 7 shots of vodka,I doze off for a little while, then I wake up with no redness, and continue to drink. It used to take a lot less of course but with my tolerance... sigh.
As for the Pepcid or whatever it is you take shots of, what's in that stuff? Maybe it's just proteins to tie together the alcohol with it's enzymes better or something. One thing I've tried and it works half the time is drinking before you drink. A more literal "pre-gaming". It only works half the time because I'm a girl. Sadly, when it's around that time, it doesn't work.
It happens to work out alright for me because I've pretty much gotten used to it.
As for the headaches, I used to take my advils cause they worked so freakishly well... only it's ok to use sometimes, but when you're having 4 or more drinking contests a week, it can kill you.
For headaches, stick to more pure alcohols. Sadly that means the nasty taste of vodka. Some like it. I personally don't. (doesn't stop me from drinking it but still) Beer and premium malt beverages cause more redness, more severe redness, and longer lasting redness. Be a man and drink your liquor without all the junk.
I really do with there was some way to get like an injection once a year of that alcohol enzyme and not have to deal with the "glow" though. I do hate being able to drink way more but having people asking me if I'm ok after my first shot... but I do get my revenge on them when they can't stop hugging their friends. :P

To the Chinese Guy:
Think before you speak. That could possibly be first for you, so be cautious at your first attempt. You might actually burn a brain cell or two.
Believe it or not, the asian flush is a reality for me. Once you're afflicted with it, I suggest you keep your eyes open and your mouth shut.

"headache, fast pulse, vomitting", sounds like you guys are just drinking more alcohol than you can handle, and not really some sort of genetic abnormality you're trying to blame this one. Here's an idea: drink less! Some really brilliant ideas here: hey let's pop some pills before we go get wasted because that seems like a bright idea. Beer is a beverage, it's something to enjoy and quench your thirst, not to get drunk off. Geez...

This whole redness thing has been an ongoing project for me for many years!! I have actually found a few things that work. I haven't tried the pepcid ac but i will tonight!! I have found that taking a shot or two a couple of hours before you start drinking does the trick (I call it pre-gaming). After taking the shot(s) (however many it takes you to turn red) wait a couple of hours or until the redness and the heat is gone from your face. Then start off drinking beer and you will be fine the rest of the night. You can eventually drink hard alcohol but only after you have had a few beers. I found this out on accident and my friends were so shocked that i wasn't red. Believe me, I was shocked as well. It's a totally different experience not being red...no throbbing headeaches, no redness. Another way to get around the redness is to take zantac 75 an hour before you start drinking. It must be taken on a relatively empty stomach. I have been using zantac for about a year because I hate taking shots before I go out!!I have found that the consumption of food while drinking will make you turn red no matter what. Does anybody know how to get around this??

Other than stopping drinking altogether, I haven't found a cure. It seems to be much worse drinking on days back to back and even worse while smoking. I'm going to try the Pepcid deal though. I was out with clients last week and had a full red face going. I don't really feel bad except for being extremely hot. I assured them it must have been an allergy to peanuts or something. Does Benadryl work or is it not an allergy?

Yea, it sucks. I found out a couple years back that I turned red and felt like crap, but I just thought it happened since it was the first time I drank alot. Well, I found out I had it and its not fun being the man out. Last night I had a few shots of tequila and a shiner bock and low and behold redness, fast pulse, headache, vomitting, the works! I will be anxious to see which one works the best for me. However, I did read that asians are more at risk of getting liver and esophagal cance as a result of our genetics. So I might just have to stop all together.

take 3 pepcid ac max. 1 hr. prior to drinking and you'll have very little redness. it works!

To eliminate the dreaded "Asian Flush", take two Pepcid AC about 30 minutes before drinking (and on a relatively empty stomach) and you'll be amazed at the results. In my experience I'd say it eliminates about 70%-80% of the redness. Try it and see for yourself!

Wow. And I thought I was the only one! I haven't yet tried the Niacin, or RU-21, but at this point I'm willing to give anything a try. Besides crippling my social agenda, not being able to drink is also affecting my professional life. I'm a Naval Officer, and, as we all know, we have a long and proud tradition of getting 'housed and making asses of ourselves in foreign countries. Unfortunately, I cannot partake. Thanks again for the great article.

I like the picture of being a "robust young woman...with a face as red as a baboon's butt"! Ha! Excellent!