Hangovers

Factual Questions
1

  1. Why do many people get “stuffy noses,” or clogged sinuses after a good night of drinking?

  2. Is there anybody out there working on an effective “hangover pill?” (I’ve seen caffeine/acetaminophen pills that can be found near the register at some gas stations with names like “Hangover Helper,” etc.) I mean something that would eliminate hangover symptoms completely. Is something like that possible? There would certainly be a good market and plenty of $$ in developing such a pill/drug/combination of drugs that would cure the common hangover.

2

  1. Ethanol is a potent vasodilator. This can cause a sensation of congestion (because it does cause congestion when the capillaries in the nasal and sinus passages swell). Also, ethanol relaxes the sphincter between the stomach and esophagus, so a lot of acid reflux can occur, irritating the throat and nasopharynx, causing congestion.

  2. Best cure for hangover is prevention. Avoid alcohol consumption. I know of no other cure, only treatments which mitigate the effects of the post-intoxicative state to variable degrees.

Qadgop, MD

3

I don’t think we can trust anyone who says “avoid alcohol consumption”, do you??? :wink:

Here’s my cure: drink lots of water before going to bed - I usually drink about 2 quarts. (yeah, I know - I usually have to go a couple of times in the night). A large part of the hangover seems to be dehydration.

Also, I take 2 aspirins with the water. That seems to help.
If Jeeves were here, he would mix you one of his concoctions.

4

When someone invents the fool-proof 100% effective hang-over pill, they will be a millionare in about 10 minutes.
I rarely drink that much anymore, but when I did this was my plan to fend off hang-overs:
Before going to bed, take a spoonful of honey, vitamin C and eat. The enzimes in the honey are supposed to break down the alcohol quicker blah blah blah. Food helps absorb some of the alcohol. And take aspirin - pre-emptive strike.
A drink the next morning will help if you can stomach it. Bloody Mary anyone?
BC powder and a sugary, caffinenated beverage (e.g. Coke) also seemed to help.
None of the above is based on any solid evidence that I know of. And IANADr. But it did seem to help…

Cheers!

5

Building on The Great Gazoo’s cure I would take tylenol (less likely to irratate an abused stomache) before going to bed so that I get a better night’s sleep. Drinking water before going to bed is very important. I only take Tylonel in the morning if I still don’t feel good. I also find a shower in the morning is very helpful in getting back to a functional mode.

6

Since I’ve heard that Tylenol can be hard on the liver, wouldnt taking it with alcohol be doubley hard on the liver? Although I do agree with the drinking lots of water part.

7

Vitamin B1 has always worked well for me. Wash it down with a big ol’ glass of H2O, and maybe a Goody’s Nighttime powder (no caffeine, so you can sleep) Dehydration is a major contributor to hangovers, and replenishing those vital fluids is key. A shot of Xenedrine, or similar caffeine stimulant, again washed down with another big ol’ glass of water first thing in the morning, coupled with some fat laden food for breakfast, although not the healthiest thing in the world, always seems to help. Hair of the dog, if you can stomach it, never fails, but makes the afternoon a bitch. 'Course, what the hell do I know…I’m drunk.

8

BEFORE you begin the drinking binge, take Pepcid AC. I’ve used this many times (ex: Bachelor party the night before the wedding in which I was a groomsman, New Year’s Eve Eve, Vegas) and it works to perfection.

If I forget to take the Pepcid AC, which happens about 90% of the time, this cure works for me the next morning, and I can get all these ingredients from my kitchen at work:

Cold water
Alka Seltzer
Pain Aid
Coke Classic
4 V8’s (They’re small)

<1> Put Alka Seltzer in cold glass of water, after the tablets dissolve, drink as fast as you can.

<2> Take Pain Aid and wash it down with Coke. Finish can.

<3> Slowly drink the 4 V8’s over about ten minutes or so.

Wait 30 minutes, hangover gone.

9

I believe that it isn’t the Ethanol that gives you the hangover, it is the enzyme that the liver produces to break down the ethanol.

(My friend hypothesised that if you got the doseage just right then we could inject pure ethanol into the jugular and get all of the ethanol to the brain without any of it passing through the liver. Thus all of the effects of intoxication but no hangover. Of course finding the correct dose would be a bit of a pain)

I think that they are currently working on an anti hangover pill in Europe that stops the liver from making this compound, but they are far from releasing it.

10

There is no cure that I know of for the hangover besides time.

But it can be prevented.

No, avoidance and moderation is not the answer, the problem is that, alcohol, and all the trips to the bathroom, cause your body to dehydrate. You may be consuming a lot of fluids, but you are losing much more. This lack of water is the cause of the headaches and sickness the day after. Therefore, in order to remedy this, try drinking as much water as you can (at least a pint) before you fall asleep/pass out. By drinking lots of water before sleep, you are removing the problem before it occus because you are no longer dehydrated.

Folks, the weekend is upon us, tell me how it goes.