Some of us may have had more than our healty 1-2 drinks last night. Any advice (other than: don’t do it again)?
Would a “no alcohol for a few days” policy be best, or are we back to “1-2 drinks a day is good for you” right away?
Are there any vitamins that will help one’s system recover, or is distilled water the best way to flush everything out?
I thank you for those who will need this information–not myself, of course.
I seem to remember my dad touting GNC’s Mega M(e/a)n vitamins. Otherwise, just sleep for the next few days.
Continued drinking will postpone the hangover.
Time, Rest, and Gatorade.
Lots of water and sleep!
I saw a pill developed by the KGB in the papers too. Supposed to have been created to let their agents drink someone under the table and wake up fresher than they were the next day 
Suffering from enough hangovers has led some people to recovery.
I always drink a liter to a liter and a half of water right after heavy drinking to avoid the hangover. (It may seem like it would make you pee 3 times in the night, but you won’t.) (At least I don’t) 
If you already have the hangover, I think drinking a lot of water will prevent further damage to your noggin; but once the damage is done you have to wait to let it heal.
The vitamin thing probably got started because most people have to drink something in order to swallow it.
-k
Absolutely water. As Kempis said, you should have drunk it last night. Of course, some of us were too drunk to negotiate that last night, even if we had thought about it. But it still helps today. They say a lot of a hangover is actually dehydration.
And if you don’t think you’re about to throw up in the absolutely immediate future, eat something. No, really. Convince your stomach that it’s a good idea. A real meal is best, too, not just toast or dry cereal or whatever sounds least unappealing. Go have soup and a sandwich and that really will help a lot.
I don’t know about you guys, but my body lets me know when it dosen’t want anymore alcohol (I mean when I’m hungover - if it had told me last night I wouldn’t be downing the Advil today, would I?) - I can’t stand the smell of a drink when I’m still paying for it. I’d listen to that physical reaction, personally.
A personal testimonial?
Eating is a good idea. And while fried greasy food probably sounds appealing, you’ll actually be much better off if you eat some fruit.
And lots of water / sports drinks too.
On the serious side, the site that B & I cites suggests 200mg cysteine. What is this stuff and will it help?
My own, personal experience: after drinking, and before bed, drink a large glass of water (to ward off dehydration), eat something light (maybe some toast; to help absorb excess stomach acid), and take a couple of Tylenol (to help ward off headaches). As I’ve gotten older, I don’t drink nearly as much as I used to; this has had the effect of making me more sensitive to the effects of alcohol when I do drink. Attended a DopeFest last weekend, drank 5 beers, and was rapidly approaching drunk!:eek: As soon as we got home, I did all the above, and woke feeling pretty good, considering I only got about 5 hours of sleep!
Just some FYI, you’re not supposed to mix Tylenol or any other drug that contains acetaminophen with alcohol. Warning is right on the bottle.
I think there is a warning on the liquor/beer bottle also.
IANAD but IIRC Tylenol is is a bit of a workout on your liver so is alcohol. So the combination thereof could be a hefty chemical 1-2 punch to your poor liver.
Please defer to proper medical authorities rather than anecdotal claims of magic hangover cures.
If one really existed it would be a major cash cow for the pharmecutical company that patents it. It would probably have commercials for it during the superbowl and around any major holidays “Ask your doctor if NopukeiXR is right for you”.
I always heard the headache was due to dehydration and very low glucose levels in the blood.
If I recall from college, take a vitamin and an aspirin (though I’ve heard aspirin and alcohol don’t mix) before you go to bed, IF you can remember. Fluids too.
Eat food. Fats, proteins, electrolytes are all needed to replace lost nutrients. So, a Burrito Supreme before and after sleep should do the trick.
I’ve read recently about eating something containing fructose the next morning (ie: hangover time). Can’t remember the method it was supposed to help, simply that something created during the metabolism of fructose would help with the recovery period.
Take it for what you will, I can’t cite a thing at the moment. Hopefully tomorrow I’ll have time to find the book I read it from.
When I was in college, Walgreens sold a product called X/S. It was basically Pepto Bismol, Tylenol, and a couple other things. It worked. I never had a hangover in college. And I was in one of the “party” fraternities.
Nowadays, my best advice is to skip the pain pills, they only take 20 mins or so to kick in and won’t help the night before. Instead, make yourself throw up. This will help get whatever hasn’t been processed out, and keep it from your liver. Then drink the water, try to stay alive a little longer, hit the Pepto then hit the bed. And pray. Pray hard.
Not a doctor, but I’ve done a shitload of research on this.
One more thing, if you’re drinking beer and you had enough to be hungover, you most likely smell like a brewery. No matter how hard you scrub in the shower and regarless of the amount of bleach on your toothbrush. If you want to punish yourself by going to work, they WILL know!
I am not a doctor, but I am a drinker. Some advice:
–NO TYLENOL— aspirin instead.
–Lots of water-- before, during and after the booze.
–Replace all the B-complex vitamins you are losing.
–Take some liver cleansing agents (marshmellow root? is one I think??)
To cover the last two items, try a hangover prevention aid like Source Naturals’ “Hangover Formula”. About $35 a bottle (of 120) and you would take from maybe 6 to 9 on a night of heavy drinking, but they are WELL WORTH THE MONEY!!!