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Hangover HelpersYour head hurts and you’re woozy. What can be done? |
The Norwegians call it kveis, meaning “the uneasiness following debauchery.” The medical term is veisalgia (algia is Greek for “pain”). We call it a hangover.
While the Annals of Internal Medicine says, “There is no consensus definition of veisalgia,” most of us know it when we see it. Alcohol is a diuretic, and most symptoms of overimbibing are a result of dehydration. Under these circumstances, the brain shrinks away from the skull and the blood vessels in the head expand, causing headaches. The body’s capillaries shrink, leading to mild hypothermia, or that clammy feeling. Dehydration starts as you digest that first drink, but other effects begin several hours later, as the alcohol makes its way through the small intestine (hello, nausea). Alcohol breaks down into acetaldehyde, which the body attempts to expel because it’s toxic. Fat builds up in the liver, which swells, reducing blood flow and preventing toxins from being flushed from the body. And finally, alcohol inhibits the synthesis of glutamate, one of the body’s stimulants. At first, this inhibition makes the imbiber feel nice and mellow, but as the alcohol wears off, the body overcompensates for the lack of glutamine by producing more of it. This prevents deep sleep and can cause early-morning insomnia.
None of this leads to much motivation to get up on time the morning after. According to research published in 1998 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, hangovers cost the U.S. economy $148 billion annually in absenteeism and poor job performance, but they have led to some creative hangover “cures.” One recent study published in the British Medical Journal concluded, sadly, “No compelling evidence exists to suggest that any conventional or complementary intervention is effective for preventing or treating alcohol hangover.” Some treatments, however, can assuage the pain. Here are some you might try.
1. Painkillers. Duh, right? Not so fast: There are some caveats. First, make sure the painkiller isn’t acetaminophen, which, according to the FDA, can cause liver damage in combination with alcohol. Ibuprofen and naproxen sodium are better, but can cause stomach bleeding and lead to kidney damage if used long term (longer than two weeks). Aspirin, taken with milk and food, may be the best over-the-counter option, but it can also cause stomach bleeding when used long term in combination with alcohol. And don’t take it before you drink: As Stephen Braun mentions in his book, Buzz: The Science and Lore of Alcohol and Caffeine (Oxford University Press, 2001), studies have shown that taking aspirin before drinking can increase the rapidity of intoxication, especially in women. “In one study,” Braun notes, “the average blood alcohol levels of subjects who had consumed alcohol an hour after ingesting two Maximum Bayer aspirin tablets were 26 percent higher than subjects who consumed ethanol without first taking aspirin.”
2. Water. Common sense says that if alcohol causes dehydration, then water is the cure. But not too much water, which can lead to hyponatremia, or “water intoxication,” which dilutes the sodium in the body and can be fatal. The standard guideline of 12 eight-ounce glasses a day should be adequate for rehydration. Fruit juice may be a better option because it contains fructose, which may speed up the rate at which the body rids itself of toxins.
3. Taurine. A common ingredient in energy drinks and also available in supplement form, taurine has been shown in studies to reverse liver damage caused by a night of heavy drinking, helping the body to flush out toxins more quickly—so you can imbibe that Red Bull and vodka and feel a little smug about it. The high amounts of caffeine in energy drinks also help to constrict cerebral blood vessels, alleviating that headache the next day; however, caffeine is a diuretic and may exacerbate dehydration. Meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, and fish are other good sources of taurine.
4. Pedialyte. Yes, it’s for babies that have diarrhea. Yes, that might be exactly what you feel like after drinking to excess. In liquid or in “freezer pop” form, Pedialyte contains more electrolytes than Powerade or Gatorade, rehydrating you more quickly. Enough hangovers, and you may even develop a preference for fruit, grape, or bubble gum flavor (Pedialyte also comes in unflavored liquid).
5. Fried food. Even if there weren’t evidence to back up the benefits of a greasy breakfast, it would qualify as a hangover treatment simply because it’s so comforting. But two elements of a fried breakfast have some scientific backing: Both egg yolks and garlic contain cysteine, an amino acid that binds and neutralizes acetaldehyde. All those carbohydrates help stabilize blood sugar and neutralize stomach acids.
6. Marmite or Vegemite on toast. Made from brewer’s yeast, Marmite and Vegemite both contain vitamin B complex, folic acid, and salt, all of which are depleted after alcohol consumption. Despite rumors to the contrary, Vegemite is not banned in the U.S., but it can be hard to find in stores. It is easily ordered online.
7. Ginger. A long-trusted anti-nausea treatment, ginger has also been shown to be a powerful antioxidant and anticoagulant. Whether taken in pill form, in tea, or in a juice, it may counteract some of that hungover wooziness. A 2001 study published in Obstetrics & Gynecology showed that ginger counteracted nausea and vomiting in pregnant women, and if it can combat morning sickness, it can deal with a little morning-after sickness, right? Be aware: Fresh ginger can irritate the stomach lining, so it should never be taken straight on an empty stomach.
8. Soups such as menudo, haejangguk, pho, or borscht. Soups hold an honored place as hangover cures in many countries, with various ingredients, such as tomatoes, cabbage, and tripe, ascribed medicinal qualities. Medicine or no medicine, soup will certainly rehydrate the dehydrated, pump up the protein and blood sugar levels, and slow the rate of alcohol absorption. The vegetables will offer some nutrition, and the heat and spices will make you sweat, releasing toxins.
9. Honey. Like fruit juice, honey has a lot of fructose and glucose, and it’s full of antioxidants, which, according to London’s Royal Society of Chemistry, makes it the ideal hangover remedy, spread on toast. In Poland, they mix the honey into a little pickle juice. (The salt replenishes electrolytes.) Yum.
10. Hangover pills. Classified as dietary supplements (so they’re not regulated) and sold under names like Sob’r-K Hangover Stopper, Soberfast, RU-21, Rebound, and Uncle Rummie’s Hangover Helper, these hangover treatments mostly rely on pharmaceutical-grade activated carbon or charcoal, which can be used to treat alcohol poisoning. Although no independent studies have been done, some people swear by them. Others point out that the pills contain so little activated charcoal that they may well have no effect.
my solution....1 to 2 cups of coffee, big skillet of eggs, potatoes, cheese, sausage, orange juice, and lots of water. Comfort the stomach, avoid excess caffiene, and sleep off the rest. ...add a little hair of the dog if necessary.
Also, Steven Braun's book "buzz" is great...easy read, packed with information.
See now, for me, if I weren't already feeling queasy, anything in the 'Mite family would push me over the edge. I will rarely, however, pass up a breakfast burrito.
I've heard about something called "Chaser"...there's also a great drink called Urban Detox that you can order online by the case (hmmmm? Maybe that's what Lindsay Lohan needs). I order it for clients all the time and it tastes great, like vitamin water and literally cleanses toxins from the liver, including city pollution, smoke, alcohol - anything you eat, drink or breathe. It blocks the absorption. Or, it's a clever marketing ploy and I've fallen!
I've tried chaser; I'm not convinced that it does anything. Especially for the price. A much cheaper (and effective) remedy is to drink plenty of water prior to calling it a night. I try drink more than my fill and then one extra cup.
I strongly disagree that eating fried food after a long night of drinking is a good hangover remedy. After a rough night, you want to give your stomach a break. Fried food is difficult to digest and will slow your body down. Instead, high-carbohydrate, low fat foods (think jamba juice) will replenish electrolytes and get you going again.
Greasy foods (high fat, starch, protient) have their place as the perfect food to have before a long night of drinking. They'll slow down your body's absorption of alcohol and give you the necessary energy for the rest of night.
Traci! Poutine's not a SOUP, for crying out loud! Nom de dieu, as anyone who's ever visited Montreal can tell you, Poutine's a great night-ending MEAL of french-fried potatoes, milk curds (cottage cheese) and gravy. The only time people eat it is when they're too drunk to notice, which, if I recall correctly from my visits to Montreal, is either "often" or "usually."
And BTW I swear by a French over-the-counter medication called Carbosylane...a double-dose of activated charcoal gelcaps. One's in a quick-release capsule (stomach), the other dissolves in the gut. Seems to work kinda like Di-Gel, since it also contains symethecone.
A friend says a glass of whole milk does the trick, but I have not tested this as the thought of it makes me sick. Gatorade does it for me. :)
i would say that drinking plenty of water WHILE youre out drinking is the one big key. i try for every pint i have to down a full glass of water, too. course youll be pissing a lot, but its all about the ins and outs, yknow. also, the morning after i try to get a high high fiber cereal or something. NOT some OTC laxative but a real cereal with a lot of fiber thatll clear me out in the following few hours. the feeling of 'getting rid' of the junk on your insides will cure that hangover immediately. really, its the way to go.
A friend of mine swears by Sunkist orange soda, and after a couple of rough nights, I concur.
Vegamite was mentioned, but the vitamin B1 (Thiamine) was not stressed enough. Taking a supplement containing thiamine before drinking prevents alcohol-induced neurotoxicity (and in more serious situations, Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome). It also helps with the hangover. If you're against supplements, you can load up on wholegrain bread. More info on thiamine and alcohol: http://optimalhealth.cia.com.au/thiam...
Nicotine has also been shown to prevent neuronal cell death caused by ethanol, at least in vitro. Guess we've got a choice between brain damage and lung cancer.
I agree with the drinking water while drinking bit. Any time I have been conscious of drinking water, I haven't ended up with a bad hang over. Also, for me, staying away from any drink that begins with T and ends with A and has a Q in the middle of it is a darn good start.
In the morning, lots of coffee, Waffle House scattered hashbrowns and a couple of aspirin is the best I've come up with.
When I feel rotten after a long night, I find a really cold drink difficult to tolerate. So I slowly sip cups of warm chicken broth or stock. It's got electrolytes, sodium, it rehydrates me, it's easier on the tummy than ice water and it tastes good, too.
I have always heard about "soakers" - ending a night at a greasy spoon or greasy fast food joint and have always thought there would be few things that would make me MORE sick than a bunch of grease. Interesting to see it somewhat backed up here.
If you're up for it, a small serving (about one cup) of Kimchi goes a long way to setting one right the morning after. I think the combination of cabbage, ginger and chili peppers is what does it. Works for me (and I'm not Korean).
For a regular hangover, an Irish breakfast (blood pudding included) would set my husband and I to rights, but for those rare, killer hangovers when that is truly unthinkable, instant ramen is about the only thing we can stomach, or manage to "cook". Recently, we tried Pho on a particularly delicate morning-after-the-night-before in Ho Chi Minh City & are now converts.
Pho - World's Best Hangover Cure.
I swear by my hangover solution, and as a fairly heavy drinker, I think I'm qualified to throw my two cents in. Most people, unless they have anxiety disorders (like I do), won't have access to them as they're prescription-only, but benzodiazepines (tranquilizers) will kill a hangover dead in its tracks for me.
The other thing that I find helps me, at least to a degree, is rehydration coupled with a nice, large quantity of salty, greasy food. IMO, hangovers are the time to be slovenly hedonistic and indulge my burger and fry or pizza and wing loving side.
Many Thai dishes are claimed to be good for hangovers, particularly if they involve large quantities of garlic, chili, and basil. I find that they do help, although less than my other two techniques.
After a long night in the local pubs for a bachelor's party, my Brit friends insisted we drink several tall glasses of water before we retired for the evening, and I was surprised hows effective it was! They talked about dilution, absorbtion rate, re-hydration, and of course hundreds of years of tradition. I will let the experts comment, but my experience is...... it works!
Funny, I never want to eat when I'm drunk anymore (but have had past drunken nights filled with street meat and donuts). I dont understand how anyone can go to a diner and pig out to conclude a night of drinking.
The absolute BEST thing when you are really hungover is an eggmcmuffin. No doubt. And orange juice. And water. I dont usually get a day off to recover from a hangover (I work sundays- and despite frequent drinking, rarely get hungover) so find this does the trick every time.
I found out a long time ago that matching each drink with an equal amount of water makes the next morning much more tolerable. Also, drinking on a full stomach helps, and I end the night with pancakes, syrup, and water. Most of the time (99.9%) I won't have a headache when I wake up. Since I suffer from the early morning insomnia mentioned in the article, I'm up 3-4 hours after I go to sleep. I get up and run. The sweating helps. But I want to eat all day after drinking. The plus side to the insomnia is that I can party later than most and still function in the morning.
Dudes, do NOT drink milk if you've gotten drunk enough to vomit. I have never had a worse experience than puking up a solid hunk of milk curdled by whatever unholy brew of liquor and stomach acid I had in my belly.
A few words of caution to follow volpara's post: Mixing benzos with alcohol is dangerous! Don't take prescription painkillers without a doctor's orders. Not only can they become addictive, they can cause a dangerous level of intoxication when taken haphazardly, like when there's alcohol in your system. If you're hung over, just get hydrated and rested. Resist the urge to pop a Valium or Xanax before, during, or after drinking. Mixing alcohol and these drugs can cause short-term memory loss (aka blacking out) and bodily harm. Rohypnol (aka roofies, aka date rape drug), is a benzo. What does that tell you?
Have a Coke (real Coke with sugar and caffeine) and french fries, or Fritos if you can't get the fries. Works wonders.
A BLT with cheese on a toasted everything bagel and the biggest coke you can get your hands on - poured into a glass full of crushed ice and drunk thru a straw. Oh! And those "natural" Lays chips. Salty xtra crunchy goodness. Coats the tum and encourages a nap.
The best remedy that I've ever come across is to take 2-4 "super B-Complex" with a big glass of water before bed. Yes, 4 is an 'overdose' of B, but your body discards what it doesn't need. note that your pee will be --orange--... just drink some more water and it will be a normal color by evening.
Seriously folks, give this a try. you will not believe the results.
I agree with onefaller. B-complex and a glass of water right before bed and you'll feel less queasy and weird the next day.
The Chinese herbal remedy for food stagnation, Bao He Wan, is excellent for hangovers.
Yep. B-complex is the God's truth on the subject. Add to that a glass of orange juice for the potassium or a banana instead and you're most of the way there. Everything in this discussion has to do with the severity of your hangover. If you can barely walk the next day then your best bet is pedialyte and orange juice and the vitamin. If you're pretty alright but just achy, go with the big breakfast and the painkiller. If you're 'about to flop on the ground' hungover, you'll wanna stay away from the painkillers, even those without acetaminophen. If you've got any form of the shakes, the best old time prescription remedy is Librium or Librax.
Noe do we? At least this snarky Norwegian only knows of <em>kveis</em> as the <a href="http://www.nifes.no/index.php?page_id... stage of a family of roundworm</a>:
<blockquote>
Life cycle of kveis
The final host of Anisakis are whales and, to a lesser degree, seals. Here, the larvae develop into sexually mature worms in the intestine. The eggs are spread with the host’s faeces and develop into larvae in the sea. The larvae are eaten by small free-swimming crustaceans, which in turn are eaten by fish. Man is not a natural host to "kveis", but if a person accidentally ingests live "kveis", they may survive in the human intestine for some time and cause abdominal infections. This condition is called anisakidosis.
</blockquote>
Gatoraid is wonderful. The only problem is it feels so good going down my dry throat that I chug it all at once and get a stomache ache, so I drink it through a straw. It's like you can feel your electrolytes replenishing.
Bloody Mary's. Nice and spicy. The alcohol obviously helps a little bit, but also the spices release trigger endorphines that work wonders.
Smoke a little weed. I heard it works great..... actually somebody told me it is the BEST way to cure a hangover. My pothead friend is always chipper in the morning after a heavy night of drinking. I ask him how he does it. He credits his bong.
Sex works well. But sometimes you feel even worst after exerting yourself.
Sorry my post ended not-so-PG, but I speak the truth.
Haejangguk has never failed me. Gotta try pho the next time.
I used to work in a natural foods store and one of our vendors brought in a case of an energy drink called "Hair of the Dog". I took it home since it was jacked up with artificial sweetners and dyes and it actually worked quite well, despite my overwhelming skepticism.
I've never actually seen it anywhere, but it's worth a shot if you happen accross some.
Also, Emergen-C / Airborn / Generic Effervescent Vitamin Drinks work great, especially if you have some before you go to bed.
Although it won't help the next morning, try taking a few milk thistle capsules BEFORE going out. It helps. I think. Perhaps it just makes me more mindful of my drinking and makes me think to drink a bit more water. Who knows, but whatever works...
Just chug a 12 ounce beer when you wake up and you will feel great.
after a recent evening of blueberry juice, tonic and vodka (gag!), I woke up on death's doorstep.
After trying gatorade which usually works (I threw it up) I had a half a can of room temp regular coca cola. Within 30 minutes, no headache and my appetite was back. I could get some water down and felt right as rain by 3PM. I even had sushi that afternoon.
I think once the initial nausea has passed and you have a headache, try a Coke...
I don't drink often (anymore), partly because I get a doozy of a hangover whenever I do. From years of drinking, though, this is what I've found:
Water is essential, but in my experience, it's never enough to prevent a hangover after a night of moderate-to-heavy drinking.
There's no 100% cure, but a Xanax and greasy food tends to do wonders for me. If that fails, then even though I don't want to, it's hair of the dog. That's a guaranteed - if not somewhat unpleasant and dirty-feeling - relief aid.
Coconut water...I'm not a big fan of the taste but the attributes cannot be denied.
Berrocca before bed and in the morning. If still struggling i find another berrocca about an hour later helps. Add, nuerofen and espresso with an omlette and an afternoon nap.
Problem solved.
SW
Well timed chugging of water seems to at least take the edge off. Usually as soon as I get home I put down two pint glasses as fast as possible. Then when I wake up a few hours later, I chug another one. It doesn't get rid of it completely but it helps. Then, follow up with foods or drinks with sugars and salts-- usually a combo of wonton soup, coke or pepsi, sugary tea (no milk) and yes, pickles.
When you really feel so bad that you don't feel like eating anything, regular old celery can do it. Somehow, the cold crunch feels nice, doesn't taste like much, and is mostly water anyway. Discovered after my friends insisted we go out for buffalo wings...
Old Mexican remedy, soda water with lime, salt, and a dash of hot sauce.
I just discovered this and it works like a charm of the Virgin Mary.