Pain below sternum after drinking alcohol?
I’ve never really been a drinker. I could probably count on one hand the number of times I’ve had alcohol, and I’ve never even been drunk. So anyways, I’ve noticed that when I have had a drink or two, I get this horrible pain just below my sternum. The 2 major times I remember about, I had a few jello shots one night, and the other time was after I had part of some fruity ‘shark’ drink from Joe’s Crab Shack. I’ve been doing a little research and from what it sounds like, it could just be acid reflux from the alcohol. Has anybody had this before? What is the best way to fix it? I don’t really care to drink a lot, but I would like to have one or two every once in a while without being afraid I’ll get this pain again. Any advice?
I’m actually 22 
But I have recently had an ECG for other issues, and as far as I know nothing has come up. The pain only happens after I drink alcohol. I think the Tums or Pepcid sounds like it might work… thank you for the advice
Tagged with: after • alcohol • below • drinking • pain • sternum
Filed under: Acid Reflux Alcohol
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with chest pain you always want to make sure it’s not cardiac related. if your pain is reproducible with alcohol, has a burning sensation, occurs shortly after drinking alcohol then most likely it is GERD or gastroesophageal reflux disease. there are some options for GERD. 1) don’t lay down after alcohol, but keep yourself upright so as to allow gravity to keep the acid down. 2) avoid alcohol (not the answer you’re looking for I realize). 3) take an antacid such as TUMS after drinking to keep the acid content of your stomach low. 4) take an antacid such as Pepcid before you drink to keep the acid production of your stomach low. 5) other drug options. 6) imaging and surgery in really bad cases is possible (you don’t sound like you fit this bill).
all that being said, depending on your age and other risk factors you should still get yourself to a doctor just to make sure it’s not anything cardiac related. judging by your photo, you’re mid-30′s, which is a plus in terms of risk-factors. Regardless, a professional should evaluate you in person as that is safest.
You may need to see a chiropractor. Sometimes when our middle backs are out of alignment and the muscles in that area get tight or inflammed they put pressue on the nerves that run to your stomach and esophagus. Basically the some of the nerves that leave the spine in that region travel to the stomach and the esophagus and one of their functions is to trigger a muscular valve above our stomach to close after eating or drinking so the acid does not come up into the esophagus ( when the acid travels up it’s heartburn), the valve stays open due to the pinching or irritation of the nerve and the interuption of the nerve impulses. Basically resulting in heartburn or you can also have ribs out in the back that can cause chest pains that a chiropractor can correct…they are also trained to do an evaluation to distinguish between a spinal problem and a cardiovasuclar problem and can make any neccesary referals.