What’s the Safest Medicine to Take for a Hangover?

If you’ve ever woken up after a night of drinking and tried to find relief from your hangover symptoms, then you’re probably familiar with the headache, nausea, vomiting, and overall misery that comes with the morning after an alcohol-fueled evening. Unfortunately, you might not know that the medications you might reach for to treat these symptoms can make things worse over time.

What causes hangovers

Hangovers are caused by two primary factors: dehydration and toxic buildup in your body. If you drink alcohol, your body begins to metabolize it by breaking it down into acetaldehyde—one of your body’s most toxic substances.

Then acetaldehyde becomes acetic acid and is broken down into water and carbon dioxide. This can happen over several hours as you drink more and more alcohol, leading to severe dehydration—the primary cause of hangovers.

Dehydration can cause headaches, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and dizziness. Alcohol also affects your central nervous system, which regulates your appetite and digestion—so you may suffer from dry mouth, abdominal cramps, or constipation. If you drink too much alcohol during a single sitting, you could end up with alcohol poisoning—an emergency requiring immediate medical attention.

Anti-nausea medications

First and foremost, it’s important to determine whether you have, in fact, experienced nausea. The most common hangover side effect is headaches, and if you’re feeling nauseous along with your headache, then anti-nausea medication may be needed. If not, go ahead and skip anti-nausea.

Some medicines that treat post-drinking nausea are:

• Zofran (Ondansetron),
• Emend (Ramelteon),
• or Tigan (Trimethobenzamide).

These medications can be found over the counter and don’t require a prescription.

If you have experienced nausea and vomiting from alcohol consumption, two main categories of medications are available. The first is anti-nausea, which works by suppressing your stomach acid production.

The second category is called anti-emetics, which prevents your body from sending signals to your brain that cause nausea and vomiting.

Pain killers

Ibuprofen is probably your best bet for treating pain that results from a night of overindulgence. Advil’s NSAID (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug) can block prostaglandins, which are involved in sending pain signals from your brain to your body. And it can also help reduce inflammation and swelling. But don’t go overboard—taking too much ibuprofen can cause stomach ulcers and bleeding, so stick with the recommended dosage. And be sure to drink plenty of water when you pop these pills—ibuprofen reduces inflammation and swelling around injured tissue; if you don’t stay hydrated enough, it won’t work either.

Other treatments

Home remedies for hangovers may not be as effective as some remedies, but many sufferers swear by them.

Start your morning with a glass of orange juice or two, and throw in an apple or two if you can stomach it. Drink plenty of water while avoiding sugar-rich foods like cookies and candy bars. While at it, keep drinking water throughout your day—at least eight 8-ounce glasses—to help stave off headaches later on.

It’s tough to know exactly what works and what doesn’t. Some home remedies like eating pretzels or drinking pickle juice may be effective—but no one knows why. Some people swear by foods like bananas or peanut butter, but there’s no scientific evidence that these foods can cure your hangover symptoms.

We only know that dehydration is a major cause of hangovers, so it’s important to replenish lost fluids with water and other non-alcoholic beverages throughout your day after drinking heavily. That’s why hangover IVs have grown in popularity.

Hangover IVs

In large hospitals and medical clinics, IV drips with saline (salt water) solution may be used to hydrate and rehydrate patients suffering from dehydration. Most major markets now have companies like Drip Hydration offering at-home hangover IVs. They are a blend of IV fluids, electrolytes, vitamins, and medications to detoxify your body. Hangover IVs are safe if you’re healthy enough to receive an IV. The procedure is not painful or invasive.

You get comfortable while a nurse inserts an IV needle into one of your veins in both arms. Afterward, you can return to your normal routine without worrying about missing class or work!

With at-home infusions, you just need to schedule a time with your local company and have them come to your home or office. You’ll receive a series of IV bags containing saline solution and detoxifying medications. You’ll be in a relaxing environment. No need to waste time, energy, and money going to a local clinic! You can get up and go about your day while they do their work!

It’s a great alternative to traditional hangover remedies like eating greasy food or taking painkillers that leave you feeling worse than before.