Treatments, Home Remedies, Causes, and Symptoms

Hangover headaches are no fun. It’s well known that drinking too much alcohol can cause a variety of symptoms the next day. A headache is just one of them.

It’s easy to find tons of purported hangover headache “cures” that you can make at home and even buy in stores. But most of them have no reliable scientific research that proves they work.

The best way to avoid a hangover headache is to limit how much alcohol you drink in one sitting. Still, we’ve also got some tips that can help you reduce your chances of having a headache, and a few to ease your pain in case you’ve already got one.

First, let’s talk about some of the remedies that do have some scientific evidence to back them up.

1. Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is an essential nutrient that’s found in all sorts of common foods, such as poultry, potatoes, and fruit. Alcohol reduces your levels of B vitamins, making it harder for your body to metabolize and eliminate alcohol.

Loading up on extra B6 with a hearty meal or taking a dietary supplement can help your body get rid of alcohol faster. This may help you avoid a hangover headache, whether you take B6 before or after you drink.

2. NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help decrease inflammation in your body associated with drinking. NSAIDS block the production of enzymes that lead to headaches and migraines. Taking a small dose of NSAIDs may help ward off a hangover headache.

Just take it easy on the doses. Combined with alcohol, NSAIDs can increase your risk of stomach bleeding.

Never take acetaminophen (Tylenol) when you drink or when you’re hungover. Acetaminophen makes it harder for your body to process alcohol and can damage your liver.

Your liver is already working overtime to get excess alcohol out of your body. Too much Tylenol — over 4,000 mg in a 24-hour period — while hungover can lead to dangerous liver swelling or liver failure.

3.

Fitness drinks

Hydration is a must when you drink. Alcohol can dehydrate you and drain your body of electrolytes.

Drinking a beverage that’s packed with additional electrolytes can help you restore your electrolyte balance and remain hydrated.

A 2014 study from the Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley found that fitness drinks like Gatorade were better for quick hydration after intense exercise. So they may get you hydrated faster than regular water after a night of drinking.

Just don’t overdo it. Some drinks can contain up to 36 grams of sugar for a 20-ounce serving. Excess sugar can make your hangover symptoms worse.

4. N-acetyl-cysteine

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is a natural amino acid that helps your body fight against the toxic effects of acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is a chemical compound associated with many hangover symptoms, including headaches. As acetaldehyde levels rise, your glutathione levels decrease. Glutathione is a naturally occurring antioxidant that prevents cell damage in your liver.

Take a 200- to 300-milligram (mg) NAC supplement at least half an hour before you start drinking. This could reduce the impact of acetaldehyde on your liver and make your hangover symptoms much less severe.

5. Light exercise

In general, exercising the day after you drink isn’t recommended.

But light exercise can help your body speed along its metabolic processes, ridding your body of alcohol and related toxins more quickly. Just make sure you stay hydrated since your body is already battling the effects of dehydration while you’re hung over.

Already nursing that hangover headache? Here are eight tips to minimize your pain.

1. Make sure to eat

Eat before, during, and after consuming alcohol. Here are a few reasons why this helps:

• Eating helps keep your blood sugar levels balanced. Low blood sugar can make a hangover headache worse.
• Keeping your blood sugar levels up can also limit how much acid builds up in your blood. This may prevent headaches as well as other symptoms, like nausea and exhaustion.
• Drinking causes a loss of vitamins that can lead to hangover symptoms, such as headache. Eating can keep your vitamin levels up, and potentially prevent some of those hangover symptoms.

2. Drink water

Try this: Have a glass or bottle of water with every drink.

Or, try drinking water both before and after you have alcohol. Have 1 cup or a 16-ounce bottle of water for every 12-ounce beer or 4- to 6-ounce cocktail you drink.

The following drinks can all help you stay hydrated and minimize hangover headaches:

• good ol’ plain water
• Gatorade or Powerade
• coconut water
• alkaline water enhanced with additional electrolytes, such as potassium and magnesium

Why? because alcohol’s a diuretic — it causes your body to increase how much urine it produces. This makes you lose fluids and electrolytes at a faster rate, so you’ll get dehydrated much more quickly. And if you end up vomiting from having too much alcohol, you’ll lose even more fluids.

Preventing dehydration means your hangover symptoms will be much less severe, if you have any at all. And hydration has plenty of other benefits, too.

3. Choose light-colored drinks

The darker the drink, the worse your hangover may be. This is because distilled, dark-colored drinks like whiskey, bourbon, and brandy contain large amounts of congeners.

Congeners result from the distillation or fermentation process used to produce these darker liquors. Some common congeners include:

• tannins
• acetone
• acetaldehyde

Congeners are much more likely to result in hangover symptoms, including headaches. Opt for light-colored drinks like vodka to minimize your hangover blues the day after.

4. Know your limits

This one’s straightforward: Don’t feel pressured to drink more than you’re comfortable with, or at all, if you’re not feeling it. Your limits aren’t the same as everyone else’s, and you may not always feel like drinking when the people around you are.

The second part of this is to listen to your body and use your past experiences as a reference. Maybe one drink is fine, but two or more starts to make you dizzy, lightheaded, and leads to a splitting headache the next day. Do what you feel most comfortable with.

5. Limit yourself

Your body metabolizes a typical serving of alcohol (about 16 fluid ounces) in the course of an hour or so. So, limit yourself to one drink per hour.

Spreading your alcohol consumption out over this time allows your body to flush out alcohol efficiently so that your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) stays low and is essentially cleared out of your body before the next day. This may help you avoid hangover symptoms altogether.

6. Skip “hair of the dog”

“Hair of the dog” refers to having some of the same alcohol the next morning that you had the night before.

Research proving that it works is limited. Plus, drinking more alcohol when your body is already dealing with hangover symptoms can either make them worse or only be a temporary fix before your symptoms return.

7. Skip the hangover recipes

Don’t listen to all the weird, outlandish recipes that are purported to help “cure” a hangover. Ingredients like raw eggs, spices, and the numerous preservatives used in processed or fast foods can make symptoms like nausea and vomiting worse.

Stick with basic, protein-packed, vitamin-rich foods like:

• bananas
• eggs
• nuts
• spinach

8. Remember, everyone is different

Not everyone feels the same effects of their drinking the morning after. In fact, your genes alone account for nearly half of the variables that contribute to how your body reacts to alcohol.

The other half of the variables that contribute to your hangover include:

• whether you’re male or female
• how much you weigh
• what medications you’re taking
• how much you’ve eaten
• enzyme deficiencies that make you flush or get sick when you consume alcohol
• how quickly you drink (one drink an hour vs. several drinks in a single hour)

Alcohol contains a chemical called ethanol. As you drink alcohol, your stomach absorbs about 20 percent of this ethanol while your small intestine absorbs the rest. From the small intestine, ethanol travels into the bloodstream and throughout your body, including your brain.

Ethanol’s diuretic effects can also quickly dehydrate you, and a headache is just one of many symptoms of dehydration.

In your bloodstream, ethanol can cause headaches through vasodilation. This means that it makes your blood vessels expand. Vasodilation can stimulate certain brain nerves and result in pain. Alcohol also affects chemicals and hormones in your brain, such as histamine and serotonin, which contribute to the development of a headache.

Having too much alcohol at one time can lead to alcohol poisoning. If untreated, alcohol poisoning can have long-term consequences or may even result in death.

Get emergency medical help if you or anyone you’re drinking with notices any of the following symptoms:

• feeling confused
• skin changing color to dark blue or purple
• throwing up
• breathing slowing down (inhaling and exhaling fewer than eight times a minute)
• pausing between breaths (10 or more seconds)
• chills
• seizures
• falling unconscious and being unable to wake up

If you find that you’re not able to control how much you drink or stop yourself from drinking even if it’s causing you physical or emotional pain, you may need to seek treatment for alcoholism.

The first step towards confronting alcoholism is acknowledging that you have an alcohol problem, as well as the toll it may be taking on your life. Once you’ve reached this important milestone, talk to your doctor, a therapist, or a counselor who can help recommend treatment for alcohol dependence. Remember, you’re not alone.

The key to avoiding a hangover headache is moderation. Take it slow when you drink alcohol. Try sipping instead of gulping or pounding shots.

But it you’re already dealing with a hangover, try one or more of these tips to see what works for you. Start with eating healthy foods and drinking plenty of water before, during, and after drinking.

Taking preventative measures is the best way to stop a hangover headache before it ever starts.

Treatments, Home Remedies, Causes, and Symptoms

Hangover headaches are no fun. It’s well known that drinking too much alcohol can cause a variety of symptoms the next day. A headache is just one of them.

It’s easy to find tons of purported hangover headache “cures” that you can make at home and even buy in stores. But most of them have no reliable scientific research that proves they work.

The best way to avoid a hangover headache is to limit how much alcohol you drink in one sitting. Still, we’ve also got some tips that can help you reduce your chances of having a headache, and a few to ease your pain in case you’ve already got one.

First, let’s talk about some of the remedies that do have some scientific evidence to back them up.

1. Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is an essential nutrient that’s found in all sorts of common foods, such as poultry, potatoes, and fruit. Alcohol reduces your levels of B vitamins, making it harder for your body to metabolize and eliminate alcohol.

Loading up on extra B6 with a hearty meal or taking a dietary supplement can help your body get rid of alcohol faster. This may help you avoid a hangover headache, whether you take B6 before or after you drink.

2. NSAIDs

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help decrease inflammation in your body associated with drinking. NSAIDS block the production of enzymes that lead to headaches and migraines. Taking a small dose of NSAIDs may help ward off a hangover headache.

Just take it easy on the doses. Combined with alcohol, NSAIDs can increase your risk of stomach bleeding.

Never take acetaminophen (Tylenol) when you drink or when you’re hungover. Acetaminophen makes it harder for your body to process alcohol and can damage your liver.

Your liver is already working overtime to get excess alcohol out of your body. Too much Tylenol — over 4,000 mg in a 24-hour period — while hungover can lead to dangerous liver swelling or liver failure.

3. Fitness drinks

Hydration is a must when you drink. Alcohol can dehydrate you and drain your body of electrolytes.

Drinking a beverage that’s packed with additional electrolytes can help you restore your electrolyte balance and remain hydrated.

A 2014 study from the Center for Weight and Health at UC Berkeley found that fitness drinks like Gatorade were better for quick hydration after intense exercise. So they may get you hydrated faster than regular water after a night of drinking.

Just don’t overdo it. Some drinks can contain up to 36 grams of sugar for a 20-ounce serving. Excess sugar can make your hangover symptoms worse.

4. N-acetyl-cysteine

N-acetyl-cysteine (NAC) is a natural amino acid that helps your body fight against the toxic effects of acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is a chemical compound associated with many hangover symptoms, including headaches. As acetaldehyde levels rise, your glutathione levels decrease. Glutathione is a naturally occurring antioxidant that prevents cell damage in your liver.

Take a 200- to 300-milligram (mg) NAC supplement at least half an hour before you start drinking. This could reduce the impact of acetaldehyde on your liver and make your hangover symptoms much less severe.

5. Light exercise

In general, exercising the day after you drink isn’t recommended.

But light exercise can help your body speed along its metabolic processes, ridding your body of alcohol and related toxins more quickly. Just make sure you stay hydrated since your body is already battling the effects of dehydration while you’re hung over.

Already nursing that hangover headache? Here are eight tips to minimize your pain.

1. Make sure to eat

Eat before, during, and after consuming alcohol. Here are a few reasons why this helps:

• Eating helps keep your blood sugar levels balanced. Low blood sugar can make a hangover headache worse.
• Keeping your blood sugar levels up can also limit how much acid builds up in your blood. This may prevent headaches as well as other symptoms, like nausea and exhaustion.
• Drinking causes a loss of vitamins that can lead to hangover symptoms, such as headache. Eating can keep your vitamin levels up, and potentially prevent some of those hangover symptoms.

2. Drink water

Try this: Have a glass or bottle of water with every drink.

Or, try drinking water both before and after you have alcohol. Have 1 cup or a 16-ounce bottle of water for every 12-ounce beer or 4- to 6-ounce cocktail you drink.

The following drinks can all help you stay hydrated and minimize hangover headaches:

• good ol’ plain water
• Gatorade or Powerade
• coconut water
• alkaline water enhanced with additional electrolytes, such as potassium and magnesium

Why? because alcohol’s a diuretic — it causes your body to increase how much urine it produces. This makes you lose fluids and electrolytes at a faster rate, so you’ll get dehydrated much more quickly. And if you end up vomiting from having too much alcohol, you’ll lose even more fluids.

Preventing dehydration means your hangover symptoms will be much less severe, if you have any at all. And hydration has plenty of other benefits, too.

3.

Choose light-colored drinks

The darker the drink, the worse your hangover may be. This is because distilled, dark-colored drinks like whiskey, bourbon, and brandy contain large amounts of congeners.

Congeners result from the distillation or fermentation process used to produce these darker liquors. Some common congeners include:

• tannins
• acetone
• acetaldehyde

Congeners are much more likely to result in hangover symptoms, including headaches. Opt for light-colored drinks like vodka to minimize your hangover blues the day after.

4. Know your limits

This one’s straightforward: Don’t feel pressured to drink more than you’re comfortable with, or at all, if you’re not feeling it. Your limits aren’t the same as everyone else’s, and you may not always feel like drinking when the people around you are.

The second part of this is to listen to your body and use your past experiences as a reference. Maybe one drink is fine, but two or more starts to make you dizzy, lightheaded, and leads to a splitting headache the next day. Do what you feel most comfortable with.

5. Limit yourself

Your body metabolizes a typical serving of alcohol (about 16 fluid ounces) in the course of an hour or so. So, limit yourself to one drink per hour.

Spreading your alcohol consumption out over this time allows your body to flush out alcohol efficiently so that your blood alcohol concentration (BAC) stays low and is essentially cleared out of your body before the next day. This may help you avoid hangover symptoms altogether.

6. Skip “hair of the dog”

“Hair of the dog” refers to having some of the same alcohol the next morning that you had the night before.

Research proving that it works is limited. Plus, drinking more alcohol when your body is already dealing with hangover symptoms can either make them worse or only be a temporary fix before your symptoms return.

7. Skip the hangover recipes

Don’t listen to all the weird, outlandish recipes that are purported to help “cure” a hangover. Ingredients like raw eggs, spices, and the numerous preservatives used in processed or fast foods can make symptoms like nausea and vomiting worse.

Stick with basic, protein-packed, vitamin-rich foods like:

• bananas
• eggs
• nuts
• spinach

8. Remember, everyone is different

Not everyone feels the same effects of their drinking the morning after. In fact, your genes alone account for nearly half of the variables that contribute to how your body reacts to alcohol.

The other half of the variables that contribute to your hangover include:

• whether you’re male or female
• how much you weigh
• what medications you’re taking
• how much you’ve eaten
• enzyme deficiencies that make you flush or get sick when you consume alcohol
• how quickly you drink (one drink an hour vs. several drinks in a single hour)

Alcohol contains a chemical called ethanol. As you drink alcohol, your stomach absorbs about 20 percent of this ethanol while your small intestine absorbs the rest. From the small intestine, ethanol travels into the bloodstream and throughout your body, including your brain.

Ethanol’s diuretic effects can also quickly dehydrate you, and a headache is just one of many symptoms of dehydration.

In your bloodstream, ethanol can cause headaches through vasodilation. This means that it makes your blood vessels expand. Vasodilation can stimulate certain brain nerves and result in pain. Alcohol also affects chemicals and hormones in your brain, such as histamine and serotonin, which contribute to the development of a headache.

Having too much alcohol at one time can lead to alcohol poisoning. If untreated, alcohol poisoning can have long-term consequences or may even result in death.

Get emergency medical help if you or anyone you’re drinking with notices any of the following symptoms:

• feeling confused
• skin changing color to dark blue or purple
• throwing up
• breathing slowing down (inhaling and exhaling fewer than eight times a minute)
• pausing between breaths (10 or more seconds)
• chills
• seizures
• falling unconscious and being unable to wake up

If you find that you’re not able to control how much you drink or stop yourself from drinking even if it’s causing you physical or emotional pain, you may need to seek treatment for alcoholism.

The first step towards confronting alcoholism is acknowledging that you have an alcohol problem, as well as the toll it may be taking on your life. Once you’ve reached this important milestone, talk to your doctor, a therapist, or a counselor who can help recommend treatment for alcohol dependence. Remember, you’re not alone.

The key to avoiding a hangover headache is moderation. Take it slow when you drink alcohol. Try sipping instead of gulping or pounding shots.

But it you’re already dealing with a hangover, try one or more of these tips to see what works for you. Start with eating healthy foods and drinking plenty of water before, during, and after drinking.

Taking preventative measures is the best way to stop a hangover headache before it ever starts.

7 ways to cope with a hangover that really work

• Health

The next morning after a party, you have a headache, feel sick and don’t want to live at all. A Harvard Medical School expert has listed simple tricks to help you get back in shape as soon as possible.

March 17, 2022

Source:

pexels.com

A hangover is the worst, but almost always inevitable, consequence of a wild party. Some can drink a very small dose of alcohol, and in the morning suffer no worse than those who have mastered five times more. Hangovers always manifest in different ways, but physiologically, they are the result of how much alcohol your liver can process at one time.

Hangover symptoms are typical:

• headache,

• nausea,

• weakness,

• 9 0008 drowsiness,

• muscle pain,

• dizziness.

Some people complain about high blood pressure, diarrhea, heart palpitations, heavy sweating .

The severity of symptoms depends on how much alcohol you have drunk, how strong the drinks were, and how quickly your body is able to cope with poisoning. Alcohol metabolizes into acetaldehyde, a substance that is toxic at high concentrations and can take hours or even days to bounce back.

Why the next morning is so bad

Some of the alcohol enters your bloodstream through the lining of your stomach. Another part passes through the small intestine to the liver, where enzymes begin to break it down. Such processes do not go unnoticed: you may experience insomnia, since the acetaldehyde contained in alcoholic beverages affects the functioning of the brain.

The same toxic substance knocks down the hormones that regulate our body clock, so a hangover can feel like a jet lag – the day changes places with the night. Alcohol can also trigger migraines, which is why many people mistakenly think they have a hangover.

Read also

How to get rid of a hangover

Dr. Robert Swift, an expert at Harvard Medical School, has been involved in toxicology for decades. He published his first works on the effects of alcohol on the body back in 1998. His advice is relevant to this day, writes The Sun.

• The first piece of advice from the list is don’t get drunk. Many mistakenly think that if they drink a little alcohol in the morning, then all unpleasant symptoms will immediately disappear. Firstly, this method can harm, you will only get worse. Secondly, there will definitely not be any benefit from it, you may develop a habit of drinking after a party, which is not so easy to get rid of. “It’s like pulling hair out of a dog that has bitten you. The effect is zero, and you can run into even more trouble, ”says Dr. Swift.

• Drink more water. Any hangover is always dehydration. And in order for him to recover as soon as possible, he needs liquid. Plain water or natural fruit drink is perfect.

• Eat some carbs. Alcohol can cause your blood sugar levels to drop, which can cause headaches and weakness. Many people also forget to eat when they drink alcohol, which only exacerbates the symptoms. A sweet toast, a glass of juice, a few pieces of chocolate will make you feel better.

See also

• Avoid dark colored alcohol. Past research has shown that dark-coloured spirits such as whiskey or red wine are heavy artillery. It is after them that the hangover syndrome is felt the hardest. Ideally, of course, give up any alcohol. But if you have a choice between a glass of white and red, then choose the first option.

• Do not be afraid of painkillers. Aspirin, ibuprofen, and other non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can help relieve headaches. However, you should not take medicines that contain acetaminophen, such as the well-known paracetamol. It can irritate the stomach, and if the alcohol lingers in your system, it can increase the toxic effects of acetaminophen on the liver.

• Don’t forget tea and coffee. There is a misconception that these two drinks only make hangovers worse. Actually it is not. Natural tea and coffee without additives will help you cope with lethargy and recover faster.

• Focus on foods that are rich in zinc and B vitamins. Scientists have concluded that these two trace elements help the body recover faster. So, rich in zinc: beef, veal, pumpkin seeds, seafood, almonds, dark chocolate. B vitamins can be found in buckwheat, oatmeal, spinach, walnuts, eggs, sweet potatoes, legumes, cauliflower, rye bread, cheese, tomatoes, and milk.

Even if you drink infrequently and a little bit, you still cannot consider such a dosage to be safe. The only way to protect yourself from harm is to give up alcohol for good. It has even become fashionable to stop drinking. Recently, many stars and not only give up alcohol not just for a week or two, but stop drinking alcohol completely and irrevocably. What happens to the body if you abstain from alcohol for at least a month? “Doctor Peter” dealt with the expert.

Text author:Sofya Khromova

How to get rid of a headache after alcohol, how to get rid of a headache when drinking? Traditional methods + advice from a narcologist

CONTENTS

1. Causes of pain in the head after drinking alcohol or hard drinking

2. Description of the mechanism of headache development

2.1. General intoxication

2.2. Influence on blood vessels

2.3. Dehydration

2.4. Endocrine Disorders

2.5. Other causes

3. How to relieve a headache when drinking heavily

3.1. Headache relief in case of mild poisoning

3.2. Headache relief from binge drinking and chronic alcoholism

4. Medicines that can be used for headache after alcohol

not to have a headache

7. What not to take for a headache after a binge

Drinking alcohol causes such harm to the body that it would be surprising if the head did not hurt.

Headache affects the well-being and obviously needs to be eliminated. Narcologists use different methods to relieve pain. Headache is relieved by medication, but people who often drink alcohol often use folk methods. It is very important to consult a specialist if independent attempts to get rid of a headache have not been successful.

Causes of pain in the head after drinking alcohol or binge

Cephalgia (the medical name for headache after alcohol) occurs against the background of painful factors caused by the harmful effects of ethanol, which is essentially a neurotoxic poison. Even small amounts of drunk alcohol have a negative effect on the brain, heart, liver, and other organs.

Alcohol has a destructive effect on the body at the cellular level:

• cell membranes are destroyed;
• organelle functions are disturbed;
• the cell nucleus is destroyed.

Headache is a consequence of the influence of alcohol on brain neurons and a consistent reaction from poisoned body tissues.

Another reason why pain sensations are formed is intoxication with ethanol breakdown products. One of the most dangerous is acetaldehyde, which has particularly toxic properties. Able to accumulate in the body immediately after the end of the euphoria phase. A person experiences a hangover and headache after alcohol due to the fact that acetaldehyde affects the body.

Description of the mechanism of headache development

A small amount of quality alcohol drunk the day before usually does not cause any side effects. But it also happens that even one glass of strong alcohol can cause a headache. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the body and the state of human health.

The fact is that alcohol combines several properties that affect the body in different ways. Elements of alcohol are easily absorbed by cells and tissues, enter into reactions with them and at the same time have a detrimental effect on them.

Doctors identify several mechanisms, each of which can cause hangovers and headaches.

General intoxication

It is believed that this is the main cause of pain. The decay products of ethanol poison the liver and brain cells. Hangovers and headaches usually disappear soon as toxic metabolites are eliminated, but the liver has already received an undeserved load, which can later lead to alcoholic hepatitis and even cirrhosis.

Influence on blood vessels

Ethanol constricts blood vessels and causes vascular spasms. As a result, brain cells are deprived of a full-fledged supply of oxygen, as a result, a headache appears. The spasm is removed with medication, but the weakness does not go away for a long time. A dangerous condition that can cause a stroke.

Dehydration

This is a serious negative consequence of drinking alcohol. In the body, the amount of cellular fluid decreases, the blood thickens. Intoxication becomes pronounced, the headache is very strong. The condition is aggravated by nausea and vomiting. Dehydration is dangerous by thrombosis.

Disorders of the endocrine system

A serious consequence of prolonged alcohol use. A person experiences severe pain, including headaches. Accompanied by rapid weight gain or weight loss, deterioration of cognitive functions.

Other causes

Headaches can be caused by more than just alcohol. The reason may be a snack that a person consumed the day before along with alcohol. Very often these are salty and fatty dishes, smoked meats, soda, an abundance of seasonings. Such products put an additional load on the liver, which in turn slows down the metabolism of ethanol. There is another side of the coin – drinking alcohol on an empty stomach. In this case, the concentration of metabolites reaches the limit, the hangover is more pronounced.

If you have a headache immediately after drinking alcohol, you should see a doctor. It is possible that there is an individual intolerance to alcohol or its components. Signs of an allergy may include swelling, redness, and altered breathing. This is the case when going to the doctor can save a life.

How to relieve a headache when drinking?

Doctors take a different approach when relieving headaches with binge drinking.

For example, alcohol withdrawal and mild intoxication can be stopped with the help of folk remedies that are always at hand, or light drug therapy can be used.

Cephalgia in people with acute addiction is aggravated by hypertension, chronic intoxication, exacerbation of chronic diseases. Here treatment is required complex.

Headache relief in case of mild poisoning

In case of household alcohol poisoning, headache can be stopped in simple ways:

• contrast shower without temperature changes;
• cold compress on forehead;
• mineral water, fruit drink, cabbage brine to restore water balance;
• lie down in a quiet environment, sleep if possible.

If the poisoning is more pronounced, then the following should help:

• gastric lavage with a light manganese solution;
• cabbage pickle without vinegar;
• intake of enterosorbents;
• decoction of St. John’s wort, motherwort, wild rose;
• taking mild painkillers: analgin, ibuprofen, aspirin.

In case of mild alcohol poisoning, do not relieve a headache with a glass of alcohol. This method is only applicable to stage 2 alcoholics.

If the condition has not improved, then the only way out is to call the doctor.

Removal of headaches in binge drinking and chronic alcoholism

Treatment here should be complex and take place in several stages:

• detoxification dropper for blood purification, normalization of water-salt balance and elimination of toxins;
• taking symptomatic drugs;
• taking nootropics and anxiolytics to normalize the mental state.

Even after the doctors stopped drinking and eliminated the patient’s withdrawal symptoms, the headache may persist. This is due to mental disorders caused by prolonged alcoholism, or residual cravings. In such cases, psychotherapy is prescribed.

Medicines that can be used for headaches after alcohol

It is advisable not to self-medicate yourself. Only a doctor based on a lot of data can prescribe suitable drugs. However, to relieve a morning headache without a doctor’s prescription, you can take the following medicines:

• Aspirin. It thins the blood, enhances its flow to the vessels of the brain, and partially eliminates edema. Contributes to the normalization of the physical condition.
• Absorbent. The most accessible, popular and inexpensive absorbent is activated carbon. Helps to bind and accelerate the elimination of toxins and ethanol breakdown products. Take 1 tablet per 10 kg of body weight for 2-3 days.
• Potassium and magnesium preparations. Their reception contributes to the normalization of the activity of the heart and blood vessels, restores the transmission of nerve impulses.
• Antioxidants. They prevent toxic poisoning of the brain and liver, contribute to the normalization of sleep, produce the hormone dopamine.
• Hepatoprotectors. Their intake has a good effect on the normal functioning of the liver, contributes to the restoration of its cells.
• Neurometabolic stimulants. Taken to improve brain function and stimulate cognitive functions. The drugs reduce vegetative disorders.

Of course, taking drugs can significantly improve the condition, with the right approach, the body will return to normal very quickly, the head will stop hurting. But it’s not enough just to take a pill, you need to create conditions under which the medicine will act in the right direction – to recover from alcohol poisoning.

Non-drug ways to deal with a headache after alcohol

You can relieve a headache without taking medication. Doctors recommend using the following methods:

• Contrast shower without visible temperature difference. The procedure stimulates blood circulation, relieves discomfort.
• Slow walks in the fresh air. Best suited park, forest or waterfront. When it’s hot, it’s better to stay at home.
• Large fluid intake. It is best if these are simple drinks at room temperature: water, herbal tea and decoctions, unsweetened fruit drink. The head can hurt from dehydration, and restoring the water-salt balance will make it possible to get rid of the headache faster.
• Organization of the correct daily routine. A good rest with good sleep and calm daytime communication will work to relieve headaches.

If pressure allows, you can drink coffee, do exercises.

Click here to see the conditions, tariffs and prices for treatment

What to do so that your head does not hurt

The more and more often a person consumes alcohol, the higher the risk of developing conditions that seriously threaten life: a heart attack, stroke, hypertensive crisis, cardiac arrhythmia.

You can avoid headaches if you follow simple rules:

• Take only high-quality alcohol from trusted producers, check for certificates and documents.
• Never drink alcohol of unknown origin. It may contain methanol: a deadly poison that leads to blindness, and in the worst case, death.
• Be sure to take alcohol only with a good snack that does not overload the liver. A little fatty food or a butter sandwich will slow down the absorption of alcohol into the bloodstream.
• Do not exceed the safe dosage, drink at least half a glass of water after each serving of alcohol.
• It is recommended to drink alcohol no more than twice a week (the best prevention of headaches is not to drink at all).
• Regularly undergo scheduled medical examinations or examinations in order to identify possible pathologies or malfunctions of internal organs as early as possible.

What not to take for a headache after a binge

In order for the condition after a binge to really normalize, so that a person does not get worse, you need to get out of binge correctly. For example, it is categorically not recommended to treat a headache even with a small dose of alcohol – this method is only suitable for patients diagnosed with stage 2 alcoholism. The fact is that the metabolism of ethanol is constant, it does not depend on the amount of alcohol consumed. A new portion of alcohol will overload the liver, since it has not yet had time to “utilize” the alcohol taken the day before. A light-drinking person after a morning glass will get drunk again, or he will simply vomit.

In rare cases, after a morning hangover, relief comes, but then the head starts to hurt again. As a result, such a vicious circle threatens to turn into a binge, from which it is much more difficult to get out than just getting rid of a headache.

Cucumber pickle also does not help everyone, especially if you drink it in excess. Of course, it will help restore water balance and electrolyte deficiency, but if you overdo it, you can seriously overload the kidneys, as a result, the removal of fluid from the body slows down. It is best to take cabbage pickle, but also in reasonable amounts. And, of course, no marinades!

Do not take a hot bath and shower, do heavy physical exertion.

Paracetamol and preparations with this active substance are not suitable for relieving headaches:

• panadol;
• efferalgan;
• ibuclin;
• Tylenol;
• ifimol;
• apotel;

Paracetamol is also found in many antipyretic powders that are taken as hot drinks.