Why does Pepcid AC stop you from turning red when you drink?

Asked by sjg102379 (1253

) October 16th, 2007

I—like many people—am missing the enzyme to break down alcohol in your system. This means that I get drunk very easily, and also turn very red when I am drinking. A friend who has the same problem recently told me that if you take a Pepcid AC (which is a heartburn medication), you won’t flush when you drink. I tried it—it totally works. But why? It seems like turning red has nothing to do with acid reflux.

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3 Answers

I dunno. But I wish I didn’t have those enzymes

xgunther (449

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You may find this metafilter thread helpful: http://ask.metafilter.com/24889/Red-faced

The scientific answers are beyond my comprehension, but the partial answer, at least according to that thread, is: “Apparently Pepcid is one of the histamine blockers (antagonists) that inhibits the inhibition of aldehyde dehydrogenase, making it more active, so you process alcohol a bit better.”

bob (3224

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