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Face flushing, feeling hot after eating

yaesutom

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Oct 15, 2000
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This just started recently, I'd say about a month ago or less. I've been noticing that sometimes after I eat a meal, about 2-3 hours later (sometimes shorter or longer), my face will turn red, I can feel that it is warm, and overall, my body temperature "feels" warmer (i prefer to be in colder area's). This lasts quite a while, but varies...anywhere from half hour to a few hours.. It is not really unpleasant, though (but people have said "do you have a cold or something?").
This was happening daily, and I was trying to figure out what it was from... Drugs i've been using most often, for a couple weeks (but not when it first started happening, at least i'm mostly sure..) is just Adderall. Before that I was taking reboxetine, but I ran out so while I was out I did take Adderall again, but not as often as before.
These "heat spells" seem to be less intense now, usually I'll eat and it doesn't happen, but then sometimes it would, but usually only making me flush a little (feels like taking niacin), and for a short time.
What really kinda freaked me out, is one day near when this started first happening, I got some chinese food for lunch, eating less than half of the "meal" at work (this chinese place gives you a HUGE amount of food for really cheap) and saving the rest for the next day at work. The first day I felt the facial flushing, and felt kinda, "wierd" for a while. I didnt think much of it, until the next day when I ate the rest. Soon after eating, and back to work, I suddenly felt very hot (sweating), and started getting what i would call severe "tremors", my coordination was way off, I couldn't talk without my mouth shaking, I felt very "wired" and much anxiety. For an instant, at the "peak" of this, I almost felt some kind of euphoria for a split second (felt like sensory overload, very very wired/speedy). When it got to the point of really worrying me (i'm thinking, "how intense will this get? calm down!"), I realised some of it was caused by my own worrying, maybe like a panic attack, so I was able to calm my mind down, and it wasn't so bad. My boss noticed, asked if i was sick, if i needed to go home..etc. I was starting to feel better, I said it must be from the food, must have been some BAD food I ate.. I continued to work, because the shakes had calmed down somewhat (but I was wishing I had a pocket full of benzo's to eat). I had the shakyness and still felt warm, and now had a mild headache, but it was gradually subsiding during the next few hours. I thought it was the chinese food, but now i do remember it happening very mildly before, but not thinking it was caused by food. I believe this day I had taken Adderall, although I dont remember how much, probably 30mg in the morning to wake me up, possibly 15mg again before lunch (i have a tolerance).
Now I had taken 5mg Deprenyl <some> weeks before this one day, and I have read that amphetamines can act as mild MAOI's. So i'm thinking maybe the chinese food had a lot of Tyramine..who knows. But even off amphetamines, and no other drugs, I was and am (but very mild now) still getting a red face and feeling slightly warm (but no shaking anymore), some time after eating food (usually just when i eat a good amount). The "bad day" almost sounds like serotonin syndrome, like taking amphetamines + MAOI. I had taken that Deprenyl tab probably weeks before though (and taken it before many times with nothing bad happening).
Wierd.. anyone have any idea's?
 
^^ What's MSG? I assume it's vetsin? Or some xglutamate?
I think it could be induced by a taste enhancer called natrium/kalium/magnesium/calcium/ammonium-glutamate. I dont know if you're in Europe but it's as E621-625 on labels around here.
Try to remove that for a while in your diet and see if you still suffer from the symptoms. It's in those fastfood meals most of the time, or in processed foods.
I dont think it's anything related to the drugs you took. But an allergic reaction to glutamate. There are quite some people that have it.
 
monosodium glutamate. It's used as a flavor-enhancer, esp in Chinese cooking, and causes reactions like this is some people. Here in the States, at least, many restaurants advertise "No MSG" -- you might want to look for that.
 
Hmm, its wierd though that it is just now, yet i've eatin tons of chinese food, and nasty food loaded with msg, before. These guys must have put a shitload in! (maybe) Oh well, last couple days I haven't had that happen after eating (eating same type of foods). Thanks for the replies.
 
This could also have something to do with your thyroid gland. Its either hypo or hyper thyroidism thats can cause this. So maybe think of gettin your thyroid checked for the amount of thyroxine its producing or the lack there of.
 
This just started recently, I'd say about a month ago or less. I've been noticing that sometimes after I eat a meal, about 2-3 hours later (sometimes shorter or longer), my face will turn red, I can feel that it is warm, and overall, my body temperature "feels" warmer (i prefer to be in colder area's). This lasts quite a while, but varies...anywhere from half hour to a few hours..
I sometimes get this if I miss a meal. Very odd.

When this happens I sometimes get mild muscle tremors down my right side (rib area) too, not unpleasant or anything but it feels strange.
 
Last edited:
years later reply to Yaesutom--Hot, flushed after a meal

Yaesutom--How are you feeling? Here I am posting a reply so many years after you first asked your question. I was in and out of the emergency room at various hospitals (complaining of hot, sick, flushed feelings after a meal like you) until finally a knowledgeable doctor realized I had a shellfish allergy. I no longer eat Chinese food that is prepared by someone else because even though the dish might be just some steamed vegetable, like bok choy, chefs usually add oyster sauce to them to make them particularly tasty. It takes a whole barrel full of oysters to make just one bottle of oyster sauce. So it is high-powered stuff if you have an allergy to it. A shellfish allergy is acquired over the years; it is an adult type of allergy. I used to eat clam chowder no problem. But now...I even have to make sure my food was not cooked in the same pan or on the same grill as shrimp, scallops, etc. Nowadays I check the whole menu at restaurants to see if there is any shellfish there at all. I eat questionable food slowly to test it--eating an offending food usually starts to raise my heart rate within about 15 minutes.
Anyway, take a benadryl before eating out--
Hope you are fine and all is well.
 
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