Causes of Flushing
- Fever
- Alcohol flush reaction
- An abrupt cessation of physical exertion (resulting in heart output in excess of current muscular need for blood flow)
- Emotions: anger, embarrassment (for this reason it is also called erythema pudoris, from the Latinized Greek word for "redness" and the Latin "of embarrassment")
- Sexual arousal, especially orgasm, (see section to follow)
- Inflammation (for example, caused by allergic reaction or infection)
- High doses of non flush free niacin (vitamin B3)
- Caffeine consumption
- Sexual intercourse (see below)
- Some recreational drugs, such as alcohol, heroin, cocaine and amphetamines
- Carcinoid tumor
- Mastocytosis
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, especially emphysema (also known as "pink puffer")
- Mixing an antibiotic with alcohol
- Rosacea
- Histamines
- Spicy foods
- Powerful vasodilators, such as dihydropyridine calcium channel blockers
- Herxheimer reaction (caused by antibiotics)
- Iron poisoning
- Reactive hypoglycemia
- Atropine poisoning
- keratosis pilaris rubra faceii
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Antiestrogens such as Tamoxifen
- Hyperstimulation of the parasympathetic nervous system, especially the vagus nerve
- ACNES Abdominal Cutaneous Nerve Entrapment Syndrome, usually in patients who have had abdominal surgery
- Compression of the nerve by the sixth thoracic vertebrae
- Butorphanol reaction with some narcotic analgesics (since butorphanol is also an antagonist)
- Sunburn (erythema)
- Polycythemia Vera
- Vinpocetine
- Body contact with warm or hot water (hot tub, bath, shower)
- Dehydration
- This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Read more about this topic: Flushing (physiology)