• If you can't find a "Hot" category that fits, post it here!

Tolerance, Side Effects, or Other?

Helldozer

Helldozer

Hey all. I've reviewed a number of Super Hot peppers last year. After a review it was typical that my stomach would burn for a short while, followed by some heartburn for the night. over time it seemed to get worse. I could do the review and deal with the immediate burn in the stomach just fine. It wasn't until about an hour to two hours later that my stomach would get to aching. To the point where if I didn't throw it up, I was going to be aching for the rest of the night. One time I wasn't even able to shake it after vomiting. It was actually worse a short time after.

Now, I do believe that most of it could be self inflicted. I usually do my reviews at night, three to four hours after eating my last meal. So, there were times I would try to eat a sandwich before hand, but same results. I don't know if I didn't wait long enough after eating or what. Here is my typical preparation for a review:
  1. Drink about a cup of milk
  2. Drink a small amount of ant-acid
  3. Rinse mouth (so as to not cheat my taste buds of that flavorful Capsaicin)
  4. Do review
  5. Drink a couple cups of milk and maybe a shot of ant-acid too.
  6. (one hour or two after review)Make myself vomit if needed

With all that said, I only ate hot peppers for my reviews. I hadn't been eating them during the week, etc. So, I'm trying to figure out what is causing it.

Is it that I need to build up my tolerance slower and more consistently?
Is it that I'm just experiencing typical side effects?
Is it because I need to eat closer to the review?
Or is it just something medical like an ulcer, etc?

It didn't just all of sudden happen. It seemed to get worse as time went on.

Does anyone have any thoughts or suggestions, besides going to see a doctor? :)

Thanks!
 
In general, having something inside your stomach already while consuming very hot peppers is a good thing. What you have makes a difference, too. Keep in mind that capsaicin is an oily substance, and think about things that either dissolve or "sop up" oils outside of your stomach. For example, saltine crackers and toast are good sopping agents outside your stomach, and yes, they are good for absorbing cap inside your body, as well.

That aside, ALL of us experience discomfort (or worse) when eating very hot peppers, and some seem to have it worse than others. There is a "Tales of the Loo" thread on this site because of that! But yes, as you eat more heat on a regular basis, you will likely tolerate things better over time. But that said, each of us is different in this respect - some people will always be more sensitive than others.

Is it medical? No idea. Your statement that it seems to get worse as time goes on could be an indication of a yet-undiagnosed medical issue, or it could just be that you happen to be eating peppers hotter than you ate before.

BTW - capsaicin has no flavor of it's own. Each pepper has it's own chemicals other than capsaicin that give them their unique flavor, or they would all taste the same!

PS - Lemon acts as an oil solvent; peel and all. Not too many people care for eating raw slices of lemon, but if you soak a slice in tea for a while, or even just nuke it a tad, it will soften the peel and make it easier to eat. I started eating the slice of lemon from my tea when I was a kid, and while the rest of the family complained about the heat of Mexican food from time to time, I never did. However, you should note that nothing is guaranteed to cut through the hottest peppers, but some things will likely help reduce the side-effects.

Chewable vitamin C often makes a diff, too, probably for similar reasons as the lemon slices.
 
My tolerance for mouth and throat burn goes up and down, depending on how often I eat chiles, but stomach cramps are a different story. Fresh Douglahs always seem to hurt my guts. Eating something and drinking milk beforehand definitely helps, but doesn't eliminate the cramps at all. Some times are worse than others, but I haven't noticed them getting worse in general over time. That said, I usually take a little break after a bad case of gut pain.

It could be a medical issue, or it could just be your body telling you to slow down on the superhots. I have watched a lot of your reviews, and they are very good, but you did a lot of them in a short amount of time. I'm not sure it's possible to build a tolerance for stomach cramps by eating more superhots.
 
Never on an empty stomach EVER for ANY reason. Three to four hours after a meal is too long. Digestion has already taken place.

Capsaicin is under study for showing effectiveness treating certain types of ulcers, so it's most likely not that.

My guess is an empty tummy. And a little bitty 'ole sandwich isn't going to help much.
 
Eat something high in fat at about an hour before consuming peppers. Like was said before these peppers aren't something that people are supposed to eat. These things have been cultivated to cause pain and they're doing the job. Might be smart to get your guts checked by an MD too.
 
geeme said:
In general, having something inside your stomach already while consuming very hot peppers is a good thing. What you have makes a difference, too. Keep in mind that capsaicin is an oily substance, and think about things that either dissolve or "sop up" oils outside of your stomach. For example, saltine crackers and toast are good sopping agents outside your stomach, and yes, they are good for absorbing cap inside your body, as well.

That aside, ALL of us experience discomfort (or worse) when eating very hot peppers, and some seem to have it worse than others. There is a "Tales of the Loo" thread on this site because of that! But yes, as you eat more heat on a regular basis, you will likely tolerate things better over time. But that said, each of us is different in this respect - some people will always be more sensitive than others.

Is it medical? No idea. Your statement that it seems to get worse as time goes on could be an indication of a yet-undiagnosed medical issue, or it could just be that you happen to be eating peppers hotter than you ate before.

BTW - capsaicin has no flavor of it's own. Each pepper has it's own chemicals other than capsaicin that give them their unique flavor, or they would all taste the same!

PS - Lemon acts as an oil solvent; peel and all. Not too many people care for eating raw slices of lemon, but if you soak a slice in tea for a while, or even just nuke it a tad, it will soften the peel and make it easier to eat. I started eating the slice of lemon from my tea when I was a kid, and while the rest of the family complained about the heat of Mexican food from time to time, I never did. However, you should note that nothing is guaranteed to cut through the hottest peppers, but some things will likely help reduce the side-effects.

Chewable vitamin C often makes a diff, too, probably for similar reasons as the lemon slices.
Click to expand...

Thanks Gemee, I appreciate the suggestions. I'll try out the lemon thing. That sounds good. Along with eating something more substantial closer to reviewing. :) I don't suspect I have anything major going on. If it were more serious, I would expect problems to continue after I stopped eating the peppers. I would guess the combination of the things I mentioned were the issue. Possibly, once irritated from the not eating and often reviews, it just kept getting worse.

Thanks all for the tips and suggestions!
 
I can't speak for anyone else, but I have found that eating some rice before eating extremely hot items seems to help. Usually a bowl of rice and a glass or two of milk does the trick for me. I haven't had too many stomach problems with regards to cap.
 
westin said:
I can't speak for anyone else, but I have found that eating some rice before eating extremely hot items seems to help. Usually a bowl of rice and a glass or two of milk does the trick for me. I haven't had too many stomach problems with regards to cap.
Click to expand...

That makes sense. I'm guessing the rice acts like a sponge absorbs some of oils, maybe? I'll try that too. Thanks!
 
Sounds like you were pushing yourself too much. If it hurts so bad that you have to throw it up, then you really shouldn't eat it. I eat hot food daily. I've never had pain that bad before (I eat superhots whole during the season and use them in my cooking). Usually a glass of milk gets rid of any stomach pains for me. That actually worked for my last lunch (gumbo with 7 pots). IMO you should try to build your tolerance up if it's not an ulcer (might not be, these peppers are insane).
 
So far, only green bells tear me up.(Inside)
I don't mainline raw whole supers---whats the point?
1/4 or 1/2 is more than enough to get the flavor and burn profile, and leaves room to try others in an hour or two.
On or in something is another matter, a couple sliced up on a pizza or made into a salsa is nice.
Bhut poppers is on my list next.
Some enjoy the "I'm gonna die" rush, but I prefer to let it build rather than the immediate "call 911!!!"
Different strokes I guess.
Tolerence will build for many munchers---I eat heat every day, and a Jalepeno is barely lukewarm to me now.
Habeneros I can munch whole with little trouble.


Well---little trouble on the front side. A plate full of hab poppers will get noticed in the morning. :hell:
 
I fully agree on eating something fatty beforehand. When I had time to do reviews I would always drink a full glass of milk and eat a full peanut butter sandwich. And I was very liberal with the amount of peanut butter I put on there. I would do this 15 - 30 minutes before I did the review. After the review I drank another full glass of milk. If the pepper was a really hot pepper I would also eat another peanut butter sandwich afterwards as a precaution. Doing that gave helped me tremendously at night.

Oh yeah and the milk was whole milk so it had plenty of fat as well.
 
You guys are probably right about the pushing it, and the tolerance. I'm guessing two to three reviews a week was too much. The last couple of reviews I've done have been better. I've been doing about one per week, for the super hots. The last powder I did (post coming later tonight) was freaking one of the hottest I've done. I had eaten some peanut butter before hand, drank about 8 oz of milk, and one ant-acid before-hand. Then after I started to get some deep burning in my stomach..go figure, i'm eating fire right? So, I drank some water mixed with a half teaspoon of baking soda and bam...way better. :)

Thanks all for the great suggestions an feedback, appreciate it!
 
There should be a place in profile feeds to post links to youtube feeds. I found Biz's by chance today while watching one of Pex's reviews. But unless I catch a posted video on here, I usually have trouble finding review videos for members.
 
westin said:
There should be a place in profile feeds to post links to youtube feeds. I found Biz's by chance today while watching one of Pex's reviews. But unless I catch a posted video on here, I usually have trouble finding review videos for members.
Click to expand...

That's a great idea, they should do that. I'm going to start a thread soon for mine. Currently they are all under Chris Joyner's Hot Pepper Powder and Hammerfalls.
 
Helldozer said:
That's a great idea, they should do that. I'm going to start a thread soon for mine. Currently they are all under Chris Joyner's Hot Pepper Powder and Hammerfalls.
Click to expand...

Your videos are hilarious. I love your subtle sense of humor. :) "I'm procrastinating... Let's do this"
 
I try to make sure i'm full , of the point of uncomfortability. it works most of the time but certain strains like HP22B will get you in the stomach no matter what you do. The capsicum levels are getting insane lately! sometimes we just gotta be in the fetal position. it's part of the job!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top