Does anyone else always get a headache when they drink wine?

[Timetobegood]

I hardly drink these days but I find wine really does not agree with me.

I had a small bottle of wine on Friday evening (2 units.) I had a headache on Friday night in bed which kept me awake and I have woken up with a headache this morning. Painkillers take the edge off for a few hours then it comes back.

I know the answer is not to drink wine at all but I don’t know why I get such awful headaches when I have friends who can sink much more than me and don’t get hangovers or headaches at all.

Yes. I stopped drinking several years ago.

Seems to be quite common in peri menopause discussions. Are you at that stage?

The answer is in your first sentence. You hardly drink so you're not used to it.

I think its additives in it. I'm better on more expensive wines.

I'm a light drinker, but fine on gins and some ciders. Wine headaches can kick in while I'm drinking acconpanied by nasal drip and tiredness. That's not a hangover due to not being used to it.

If something makes you feel bad, stop drinking it. Just try other drinks that are nice but don't leave you feeling rubbish.

Yep. One sip of wine can give me a headache for days.

I’m ok with red wine, but I can’t drink white wine at all these days. Not even a small glass. I get terrible headaches if I try.

Yep, I've had to curtail my wine drinking because of it. I also sleep really badly if I drink wine. Although gin is better, I'm seriously thinking about giving up drinking as it makes me feel so rough.

Yes. I get a headache, sleep badly, look wretched the following day.
This sounds a ridiculous thing to say, but I’m trying to navigate a way of stopping drinking it: Dh and I have a sort of ritual of sharing a bottle of wine on a Saturday evening. I now feel appalling every Sunday so want to stop. I’m actually fine if I have one single glass, but once I’ve had one, find it difficult not to accept a top-up.
It should be easy to just say “no, this really disagrees with me”, but somehow it isn’t 🙁

Yes it was white wine. I think the answer is not to drink it at all.

I do and get nauseous but only from drinking white wine. I learned to love red wine for this reason and drinking it it doesn’t give me any trouble.

I've started to suspect this. Mainly to do with sleep issues but I have the headaches occasionally too.

Trying to keep a record of what I drink and how it affects me at the moment.

Yep I can drink ciders, gin, vodka fine... one glass of wine or prosecco and I get a pounding headache

Yep, I'm the same and always have been, don't think it's an age thing. Maybe a genetic issue???

Prosecco gives me a banging headache within minutes of drinking it.
Red wine gives me a headache if I drink too much of it.
I prefer rosé these days

I was fine until menopause. Now some kinds of wine make me violently sick (even after one glass) and others give me a terrible headache for hours.

I've put it down to age and my body not being able to process alcohol so well, but that doesn't explain why I can drink gin!

Chardonnay yes, Pinot doesn't give me a headache

Could be down to the sulphates in the wine, some people can't tolerate them. I think manufacturers use them more nowadays in the production process than previously.

Yep, hit menopause practically gave up red wine - makes me feel awful. But know people who have the same issue with white
Menopause it's the gift that keeps giving 😉

I cant drink wine or champagne any more - unless its a dilute white wine spritzer. I reckon its either the sulphates or something else they put in it during the manufacturing process that i cant tolerate. Massive headache even after 1 glass. Maybe certain liver enzymes give up with menopause?
Thankfully I can still drink prosecco and gin with reckless abandon

Red wine is instant migraine for me. White is okay most of the time.

I barely drink these days to be honest. Just use all my calories to eat chocolate instead

Yes, come to think of it, Prosecco doesn't make me ill. I can have a bit of a 'thick head' afterwards but not the crushing headache or the vomiting.

Wonder what expensive champagne would be like? Hmmmm... (strokes chin thoughtfully).

Well I’m obviously not the only one!

I think I’ll stick to the Baileys this Christmas and completely knock the wine on the head. I enjoyed it at the time but not enough to suffer for three days afterwards.

Yep. You’re not wrong. I’ve had to give it up for whiskey 🥃

Could be sulphites, could be that it is a migraine trigger for you if you are getting a migraine type headache.

Wine is one of my many many migraine triggers - but I can usually manage it OK to avoid the headache. or just decide I'll get drunk and deal with the mess afterwards

Sulphates are a problem for a lot of people. More common in white wine than red I believe. It should say on the back of the bottle if they've been added, and you can get sulphate free wine (generally the posher stuff).