How to Cure a Hangover Fast

It’s Sunday morning, and you are waking up just to discover, that you are feeling terrible. Your body is aching; you feel like a hammer is beating your head, you are tired, dizzy, nauseous, etc. wondering, what can you do to get over it?

It is a matter of discussion in today’s society. This question is so common that if you ask 50 people how to cure it. The chances are that every one of them will give you a different answer with a different approach. Many of the traditional hangover remedies are myths. Those don’t have any beneficial effect.

What is a hangover? It is the body's response posterior to acute ethanol intoxication, once the levels of alcohol decreases and the brain restores the cortex functions. The main physical symptoms are constitutional malaise, hammering headaches, and gastrointestinal disturbances. These symptoms can be mild or extremely severe, depending on the quantity of alcohol Ingested and the body capacity to eliminate it.

This issue has been subject of numerous investigations with no clear answer. Among the proven reasons to a hangover are:

1. The inflammatory response caused by alcohol (ethanol) in the body.

2. The products of ethanol metabolism by the liver that act as toxins.

3. Decreased blood sugar (glucose).

4. Electrolyte imbalance in the organism's fluids, (mainly decrease in sodium and potassium levels).

5. Dehydration, particularly, if the drink makes you urinate too frequently.

6. Direct intracellular damaged caused by ethanol.

There are several valid approaches to adequately address a hangover disturbance and reestablish the organism's balance. I will divide them into two broad categories. One that uses medical drugs and the other that uses home remedies.

The scientifically proven methods are:

Intravenous fluids with normal saline and glucose follow by some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug administration, and electrolyte correction if needed,
· Pros: This remedy is the best. It’s extremely fast and 100% efficient.
· Cons: You are required to go to the hospital or any urgent or emergency department. Therefore it is not very accessible to everybody. It could be princely. You may need someone to drive you to the hospital.

Aspirin and caffeine. There are many over the counter medicines that contain this combination. Aspirin has an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effect that reduces most of the displacing symptoms, and caffeine helps to increase wakefulness and improves the brain’s blood flow.
Pros: It works pretty well. It’s very accessible, easy to find, one box or bottle could last you for months.
Cons: It can cause stomach irritation.

Ibuprofen, Naproxen, Acetaminophen, all of them help to reduce the general malaise symptoms and headache. However, acetaminophen should be avoided in the first 48 hours, since it’s metabolized and excreted by the liver that is currently working on eliminating ethanol and its residues.
Pros: They relieve a hangover. They are easy to find. One box or bottle last for months, they are inexpensive.
Cons: Acetaminophen can affect liver functions if it is taken too often especially with alcohol association.

Sometimes, if you feel a heartburn sensation, you may need to take some antacids; the best one is Omeprazole (Prilosec), Ranitidine (Zantac), or Alka-Seltzer any one of them will help you to calm the gastrointestinal disturbances.
Pros. It reduces the stomach acid secretion. It relieves the gastrointestinal disturbances. All of them are cheap and last for months.

Opuntia Ficus Indica, the ingestion of Opuntia Ficus Indica as a tee, or a tablet 500 mg three times per day. This herbal supplement helps to relieve and eventually eliminate a Hangover symptoms by its anti-inflammatory properties. This herb can be taken 4 hours before ethanol intake, and it has proved to be an excellent prevention method.
Pros. It works. It’s natural and organic.
Cons: it’s not easy to find. It’s not as useful as the previous ones, according to medical data.

Additionally, to the medical approach, some home remedies have proven to work. These home remedies do a great job relieving the unpleasant hangover symptoms.

Re-hydration, you need to drink larger than the usual amount of water to reestablish the loss.
Pros. It helps. It’s the cheapest thing to do, and the most available resource.
Cons. It only addresses one of the problem’s causes. It works very slowly.

Food intake, eating as soon as you can do it, especially easy to digest food with higher caloric intake to increase blood sugar and body energy. However, it doesn’t relieve any pain, on the other hand, you can trigger vomiting.

Tomato soup or Tomato’s Juice are frequently used, habitually, this includes a half to one pound of tomatoes with four tablespoons of sugar and a ½ teaspoon of salt.
Pros: This food will give you sodium, potassium, and glucose. Therefore, it helps to recover faster.
Cons: Sometimes, if the ingestion is too fast or your stomach is very upset, it may trigger vomiting.

Chicken soup, or stew, eating easy to digest, light food, increases the blood sugar and body energy.
Pros: It raises the sugar in the blood and energy in the body. It is easy to get,
Cons: The recovery time can be extremely slow.
Ethanol consumption, this remedy, may make you feel better, but you are just intoxicating yourself, and this can be dangerous, particularly, if you are going out or doing any task that requires your attention and concentration.

You are an expert on how to get over it. Now, You are going to learn the best way to prevent it. Before, I start to describe it. I just want to highlight that the most important and 100% effective method is alcohol abstinence; follow by limitation in alcohol consumption. Even though self-limitation is very personal, because, alcohol tolerance depends upon many factors, even in the same person during his life, it may vary. The best ways to prevent it are:
1. Ethanol consumption limitation.
2. Hydration, before the ethanol ingestion and during it. You should keep yourself very well hydrated during the intake time. You need to drink water between alcoholic beverages (a good rule of thumb one glass of water per every alcoholic drink).
3. Eat a hipper-caloric food during the day, and before start drinking ethanol (Be aware that greasy food can produce embarrassing gastrointestinal disturbances during the alcohol ingestion).
4. Eat some food accompanying the alcoholic ingestion (It helps to maintain the blood sugar level normal).
5. Avoid drinking red wines, and grapes liquors.
6. Don’t mix different brands or types of liquors.
7. Don’t eat sweets during alcohol ingestion.
8. Take any over the counter pain reliever such as aspirin or ibuprofen before start to drink and after you finish it If more than 6 hours have passed since your last pill ingestion.
9. Take omeprazole (Prilosec) or any antacid before start to drink (if you are not allergic to it.
10. Drink plenty of water before going to bed and eat something, easy to digest and light to your stomach.
11. Sleep and rest long enough at least 8 to 9 hours of sleep.
12. Take aspirin with caffeine as soon as you wake up and every 6 hours for three times.
13. Drink plenty of water during the day or juices.

In this article, I have summarized all the real, 100% medically proven evidence on how to cure a hangover, and how to prevent it. Keep in mind that a hangover is not only dose-dependent, but also some liquor substances tend to produce it more often, and more severe than others. The information provided here is just for educational purpose. It pretends neither to replace medical advice nor to encourage excessively or any ethanol consumption.
You need to ask your healthcare provider if any of this advice is good for you, and the best way to use them.

Happy Holidays, and remember moderation is the most important factor for enjoying.