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Pepcid for Asian Glow/Flush: I did it for years – DON’T!

By July 24, 2021February 21st, 2024No Comments
@glowless.co ♬ original sound – Glowless

For years I took Pepcid for Asian glow. I would take it all the time in college because it was the only thing I found to somewhat help with my asian glow. If you’re Asian and you get red when you drink, chances are you’re experiencing alcohol flush reaction. This reaction is your body lacking activity by an enzyme called aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2). Put simply, your body is telling you to slow down, stop drinking, and hydrate.

After experiencing this for the first time, you probably know what I’m about to say. You probably take (or have taken) Pepcid ac or Zantac before you drink, so you don’t get red. While that can reduce the redness for some, it’s also proven to be very dangerous. Along with that, it doesn’t solve for the other side effects of alcohol flush, such as an increased heart rate, headache and nausea.

pepcid asian glow

How does Pepcid interact with Asian Glow

Pepcid AC and other similar medicines like Zantac and Tagamet work for redness because they’re histamine blockers and antacids. These help to slow down the body’s digestion. However, studies have shown that “using [these products] to reduce the ‘Asian flush’ can escalate alcohol intake and increase the risk of stomach cancers, esophageal cancer and a type of skin cancer called squamous cell carcinoma,” said Davies, a professor in the Titus Family Department of Clinical Pharmacy at the USC School of Pharmacy. Specifically, “the use of H2 blockers may allow someone suffering from Asian glow to drink higher levels of alcohol, but this person shouldn’t do that.”
Now that we know about alcohol flush reaction and the dangers of using Pepcid, Zantac, Tagamet, and any famotidine based generic to prevent it, we have to adapt. That’s why we’ve designed the Glowless patch to target the root cause, versus masking the symptoms. We do this using a unique set of vitamins and delivering them to your body through a topical patch. This method safely helps the liver break down the toxin (Acetaldehyde) effectively and efficiently. Not only does our asian glow patch alleviate side-effects, but it also minimizes hangovers the following morning. If you want to learn more about this, read more about why your face turns red when you drink.
References:
https://news.usc.edu/112489/antihistamines-prevent-asian-flush-the-red-face-some-people-get-from-alcohol-but-with-huge-risks/