A transient effect like this seems more likely to be an autonomic response, which would be very difficult to diagnose and there aren't any tests for it. This sort of thing usually goes away after a few minutes.You might still have an alcohol flush response, despite "normal" genetics from 23&me. There are more genes that have been described recently. The only way to know for sure is to do an acetaldehyde breath test, but this isn't very widely available.
Alcohol Flush Response. If not allergy, what could it be?44M WhiteAbout 3-4 years ago I developed an alcohol reaction. I can have a single drop of alcohol on my tongue and end up with a bright red, itchy and hot face, and I would sweat. I do not get chest pain. Often, if I ignored then the issue would disappear quickly (10 mins). Often, I could continue drinking and be fine.Sometimes the same alcohol would not do this another time (e.g. same drink one week vs next).I have been tested (23&me) GG for alcohol flush syndrome and am fine.I saw a GP after seeing a post on reddit where someone said something similar and everyone told him it was lymphoma. The GP checked me and said I was fine. I have no weight loss, no night sweats, no obvious lymph node issues.I spoke with an allergist and they said:"These reactions are unlikely to be an allergy as it does not occur every time alcohol is taken and also disappears after the first initial reaction.It might be due to the histamine in the alcohol, or even the presence of sulphites, but if this were the case then the reaction would be maintained throughout the period that alcohol is consumed.We do see people who have had reactions to alcohol, to rule an allergy out, but rarely is an allergy the cause."I am currently on betahistines for something else, and have no reaction, so I don't think it can be histamine allergy, and I have tried some drinks which say "includes sulphites" and have no effect.Last year I have had some urology issues (difficulty peeing). They did not get to the end of it and told me I had 'shy bladder' - I disagree, but I was told I had an enlarged spleen after ultra sound, but later told I did not.So, what could this be if not lymphoma or allergy? My GP is not being very helpful, but it is really affecting my mental health and I am worried a sign of something else.I do not drink any longer. I am currently dealing with a new thing, vestibular migraine, and this is all swirling around in my head.