If You Experience These 9 Subtle Symptoms After Drinking, You Might Be Alcohol Intolerant

While nobody feels great after having one too many drinks, somebody with an alcohol intolerance may feel sick right away. "The first sign of alcohol intolerance is usually the general feeling of malaise and discomfort or not feeling well from as little as one drink," Mansour says. This symptom alone can make drinking unappealing, and you may want to talk to your doctor if it keeps happening.

Along with the feeling of malaise, you might experience digestive troubles, such as nausea. "You can have a multitude of symptoms: nausea, stomach or abdominal pain, [and] vomiting," Mansour says. Again, this is likely to happen to anyone if they drink too much, but is a feeling that will crop up pretty much instantly for someone who is intolerant.

According to Dr. Tania Elliott, M.D., an allergist and chief medical officer of EHE Health, it's also common to experience "excessive intestinal gas, bloating, and abdominal pain." If you can't seem to hit up the bar without feeling super uncomfortable after even one drink, then alcohol intolerance may be to blame. Gas and bloating have a lot of other possible causes, though, so for a more certain diagnosis, talk to your doctor about your symptoms.

In the same vein, Dr. Elliott says people with alcohol intolerance may even experience diarrhea, which is never fun when you're out with friends, or stuck in a cab, and suddenly have the urge to go. As with the other symptoms, take note if this happens even after one drink.

One of the most common signs of alcohol intolerance is reddening of the face, which happens when "people are missing a key enzyme needed to break down alcohol," Dr. Elliott says. "This results in flushing of the face, and feeling the symptoms of alcohol intoxication with lower amounts of it."

Do you get a runny nose after drinking? This could be due to the histamine response, which is common when you're allergic to something. "Most reactions are mediated by a histamine pathway and it behaves like any allergy," Dr. Luiza Petre, M.D., a cardiologist, tells Bustle. "A histamine release is the final byproduct on the battleground between our body and anything considered a threat." As a result, Dr. Petre says the release of histamines leads to swelling and redness of the nasal passages, and ultimately, a runny nose.

Mansour says that a migraine can result when your body releases histamines to deal with your alcohol intolerance. A migraine is different than a headache in that it involves different neurological pathways, per Penn Medicine, and may also make you feel nauseated, tired, or extra sensitive to light, sounds, or smells. Sounds a bit like a hangover, right? Sure, but a migraine due to alcohol intolerance will come on pretty quickly, and not the next morning.

If you notice that your skin gets puffy too, alcohol may be to blame. Dr. Michael Green M.D., associate medical director of Northwell Health-GoHealth Urgent Care, tells Bustle that hives are a classic sign of alcohol intolerance. These could be caused by the alcohol itself, or by an ingredient in your drinks that your body can't process, like gluten or sulfites.

It is important to know that alcohol intolerance can lead to a drop in blood pressure, which can bring on a feeling of faintness or dizziness. Dr. Joseph Volpicelli M.D., head of Volpicelli Addiction Center, tells Bustle that this is normally a pretty severe reaction, and shouldn't happen if you just have a mild intolerance.

To make sure you're staying safe, talk with a doctor to find out the best way to avoid these symptoms. "It is important to discuss these symptoms with a primary care provider and make an informed decision about the impacts of drinking," Shilati says. That way, you can have alcohol — if you want to — without feeling sick.