I get a lot of questions from my customers asking me why they get headaches from wine. I have done some probing and found out that a lot of these customers have other environmental allergies and I believe wine has a high level of histamines could this be a reason for some headaches. If so could these customers take an antihistamine before consuming wine? If so how much time before consuming wine should they take the antihistamine?
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Dr. Joshua’s Answer:
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There is no evidence that antihistamines will prevent wine headaches. Headache is not considered an allergic reaction. If someone is allergic to some food or drink, a true allergic reaction would be a skin rash (hives), swelling or burning of the tongue and lips, etc. Antihistamines are beneficial in such cases.
However, no one knows for sure what it is that causes wine headaches. We know that red wines cause headaches more easily than white wines. Red wine headache is a poorly understood phenomenon. Histamines and tyramines have been blamed, and they may trigger a migraine attack in persons who are prone to migraine headaches. They are also present in some chocolates and cheeses that trigger migraines in susceptible individuals. Sulphites have also been blamed, but there is no evidence that sulphites cause headaches. Full-bodied red wines have tannins, which are thought to trigger headaches in sensitive individuals.
My recommendation for those affected by red wine headaches is to start with a high quality, light-bodied wine, because those are less likely to cause headaches. Experiment with different wines, gradually moving to the full-bodied ones, until you end up with a selection of quality wines that do not give you headaches. Some migraine sufferers get headaches from almost any red wines, in which case it’s better to stick to quality white wines and champagne, which do not usually cause headaches.
Histamines and tyramines may occur less in high-acid red wines from cool areas, so those may be worth a try. Reference: Daily Press, Wine Lines by Bob Johnson, quoting Oregon State Professor of Food Science and Technology Mark Daeschel.
I believe that most cases of wine headaches are caused by alcohol. In persons who suffer from migraines, alcohol is a potent trigger of headaches, and even a small amount of alcohol can precipitate a headache. Of course, anyone can get a splitting hangover headache from having had one too many the previous night, regardless of what type of alcoholic beverages they’ve been drinking.
Some of your clients may benefit from taking an NSAID drug such as ibuprofen before a wine-tasting session. Ibuprofen is not suitable for everyone; therefore it is adviced to consult a pharmacist or a physician before taking ibuprofen, as with any drug. Ibuprofen 600-800 mg taken a couple of hours before a wine tasting session may prevent red wine headache in some individuals. I doubt that antihistamines would be of benefit, but if all else fails, it may be worth a try.
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