Hangover...helper

[Howhownow]

Alright- disclaimer first. I am talking about a product, here, but I am in no way affiliated, and there are lots of different vendors to purchase from. This is just one man and his ramblings. That out of the way:
I was finishing up the book "Proof- The Science of Booze" by Adam Rogers early this year, and before the conclusion there is a chapter on hangovers, their physical and psychological effects, as well as causes and some science. I am a pretty... steadfast drinker, and since college I also have suffered from pretty bad hangovers, even when I don't drink enough to warrant them. I am not worried about dependency (I am a weekly, not daily drinker), but I'd love to get my next-days back. Anyway, there is a situation set up where Rogers intends to test out some assorted hangover cures with some friends, but the experiment dissolves into chaos because, well, everyone gets drunk.
The assumption that Rogers begins with, and that I generally operate on, is that 'silver bullet' hangover cures are BS. You may be able to help for a bit with the symptoms, but the outcome is similar.
I finished the book right before I was leaving for Vegas for a bachelor party, and decided to do a 'what the heck' experiment of my own. The one remedy that was mentioned that that has even a modicum of scientific backup was oriental raisin extract, or it's active ingredient, Dihydromyricetin. Typed it in to Amazon an there is a selection of vendors, running the gamut from sketchy to slightly less sketchy. I chose the most legit looking one I could find and pulled the trigger on a bottle.
In my research on Dihydromyricetin, I see two effects referenced. One is hangover prevention, and the other is an actual reduction in intoxication while drinking (when taken during, of course). They are both very subjective, especially the latter, so there is no way for me to quantify my results. That said, I have since bought and gone through a second bottle of the stuff, and have had much more active Saturdays and/or Sundays. I think the biggest effect is much higher cognizance while drinking, which I think helps with the hangover as much as anything. I'm more careful with how much and how quickly I drink, because my mind is clearer when I am doing it. I've not had that "one too many" feeling any time in the past few months.
If you're feeling skeptical... well, yeah, I am too. Is it the placebo effect? Yeah, most likely. I will say I've tried just about every other trick in the book, and never achieved what I would call "success". Mostly just lesser degrees of disaster. That is why i am writing this- I was going to purchase a third bottle, and I wanted to check out there with a community that I trust (and that I know drinks) and see if anyone else has tried this, and what results you had?

One note and endorsement I don't mind giving: read Proof. It's excellent, and though is about all kinds of fermented beverages, spoke straight to the homebrewer in me.

 

[Grannyknot]

The only thing I've ever found to work (marginally at best) is that as soon as I wake up in the morning, I use a berocca tab in a glass of water. It actually does nothing for the hangover itself, it just gives me a small window where I have an appetite. When I get hangovers, I am too nauseous to eat anything. But, food in the stomach is the only thing that sends the hangover on its way for me.

 

[Psylocide]

I kill a pitcher of water before bed, eat something really greasy in the morning and follow it up with an ancient herbal remedy.

Does the trick every time, unless I'm just super tired.

 

[Homercidal]

Everyone keeps touting water as the cure. I mean, I JUST drank a BUNCH of beer. I simply could NOT fit more liquids in my gut!

Plus, I'd get no rest getting up to pee every 30 minutes!

While I can't argue against dehydration at a cellular level, I haven't found the outpouring from my body to be more than the intake, so I'm suspicious that it's the real root cause.

My best cure is semi effective: Gatorade (or any electrolyte rich drink) and Vitamin B.

And I agree that eating helps, but I'm often to sick to want to do much of it until the next afternoon.

What I find curious are the times where I can drink a bunch, fell totally stoned, and wake up feeling great. It's rare, but it happens. I have NO idea what make that event any different from the many other times I've felt awful drink much less. I'd sure like to find out. Maybe it's the amount of exercise I do before or after drinking?

 

[Howhownow]

I kill a pitcher of water before bed, eat something really greasy in the morning and follow it up with an ancient herbal remedy.

Does the trick every time, unless I'm just super tired.

This has helped in the past, but I'm still just treating the symptoms. It also tends to lay me out for the rest of the day, anyway.

I was also doing a little research last night and found a couple of interesting write-ups.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3292407/
http://www.smarternootropics.com/2013/08/dihydromyricetin-an-end-to-alcohol-woes/

The guys referenced in the second one are the ones I've bought it from, so I feel a little better about that.
Apparently it helps out with your liver, too. Poor fella needs all the help he can get.

 

[Pyg]

I wont drink water as a cure....

 

[hunter_le five]

Chugging water right before bed always prevents them for me.

However, that obviously doesn't work if you fall asleep/pass out before you can do so.

Gatorade and greasy food are the backup. Deep fried chicken livers and gizzards have been my go-to hangover breakfast for years, with lemon-lime gatorade. :cross:

A breakfast beer or two will kill a mild hangover, but for more serious hangovers, something stronger is needed. *cough*passitpsylocide*cough*

 

[SierraBravo]

Anyone ever try that hangover bus in Vegas?

I usually use the greasy breakfast and denial method ("I didn't have that much to drink! I'm just tired because I stayed up too late!".

 

[DrunkleJon]

I used to get away with drinking (in college) half a handle of Jim Beam at night and wake up feeling great. I miss those days. My hangovers now are whole day affairs. I wake up feeling nausious and only able to stomach sips of water at a time. As it is I cannot eat within the first hour of waking (no desire) and I pretty much have the no appetite with the hangover as well. I feel betterish if i eat though it is hard to do. For the most part I need to drink a bunch of water and snack and then every 50 minutes need a half hour nap. Then I am good for another 50 until I go to bed at night and wake up okay the next next day.

I do seem to remember hearing something along the lines of a hangover is dehydration, malnutrition (all the vitamins you lose with all that water) and withdrawl. That is why the boatload of water at night and a greasy breakfast seems to help so much. As for the withdrawl, there is supposedly nothing you can do for it other than hair of the dog. Maybe that is why i didnt feel it in college. I did take a multivitamin with a lot of water as my preventative measure before bed. I should try this again.

If you find a solid hangover 'cure' let me know. I also have no desire for hair of the dog the next day either.

 

[hunter_le five]

Alternative solution: Pray for divine intervention. It's worth a shot.

 

[lowtones84]

I think hydration is the cure, but drinking water throughout the night rather than a ton at the end keeps you from feeling too full and waking up to pee every 30 minutes, as mentioned above.

Have a drink or two? Have a glass of water. Have another drink or two? Have another glass of water. Sure, it will be a slight inconvenience while drinking to have to pee a little more than normal but it's worth it to me. The gatorade at the end of the night seems to help too.

 

[m_c_zero]

The cure to a hangover is to never stop drinking.

 

[Komocabo]

Chug water before bed. Run for three miles in the morning. It sucks, but you feel better afterwards. Back in the college days I would just wake-and-bake and kinda forget that I had a hang over. Can't wait for July 1 in Oregon

 

[hunter_le five]

The cure to a hangover is to never stop drinking.

Jesus agrees.

 

[jtratcliff]

Seems like I heard somewhere (don't know if it's true) that Med students give each other IV fluids and an vitamin B shot to treat hangovers...

 

[HumulusHead]

Seems like I heard somewhere (don't know if it's true) that Med students give each other IV fluids and an vitamin B shot to treat hangovers...

My mom once told me a story that when she was younger, some of her dads friends worked for the local fire department. That actually would do this. Well the iv fluid part. Best part was, they would do it at Perkins.

 

[Hacky2447]

Seems like I heard somewhere (don't know if it's true) that Med students give each other IV fluids and an vitamin B shot to treat hangovers...

been told by a couple buddies that are EMT, that they would use oxygen tanks and breathe the pure oxygen.

For me, its a good breakfast with bacon, and a couple tall bloody mary drinks. I feel perfect the rest of the day.

 

[slym2none]

I guess it must be genetics, but I have only had one hangover in my entire life, when I was in my early 20's. I blame that on the liquor mixture I had at the party the night before.

I had my first and only actual blackout drunk when I was 39 - didn't know when I left the bar, if I even paid my tab, nor how I got home. I felt fine the next day.

Maybe that's what having Scots/Irish parental mix will do for you. I was born to live in a bog, drinking whiskey all day.

 

[Singletrack]

Ketchup. Ketchup on greasy food. With lots of ketchup. Ketchup.

 

[Django]

As a med student, I'll weigh in and say I haven't done the IV fluids and B vitamin thing. I've heard it's catching on as a practice model though--hangover recovery centers in Vegas or something. I hate needles, so I'll just pay the piper.

I took a look at the 2012 study in the Journal of Neuroscience, and it looks like they had some success with those drunk rats. Interesting stuff. If I'm reading correctly, dihydromyricetin has been shown to enhance the activity of both alcohol dehydrogenase and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase. Acetaldehyde is the hangover culprit, and acetaldehyde dehydrogenase gets rid of it. Interestingly enough, drugs like disulfiram, which are prescribed for alcoholics, work by inhibiting acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, so that if you drink, you feel awful.

So if you're beefing up your acetaldehyde dehydrogenase, it sounds like you could be tcb'in it on the hangover front. I guess my only caution is that I'd be wary of sourcing ancient remedies online--herbal supplements aren't FDA regulated, so who knows what you're getting. Unless you're ordering from Sigma Aldrich or something, it's hard to know what you're ingesting.

 

[podz]

A breakfast beer or two will kill a mild hangover, but for more serious hangovers, something stronger is needed.

It's rumoured that John Adams, the second US president, started every morning with a big glass of hard cider.

 

[joshesmusica]

The best cure for a hangover is not getting drunk...
Hahaha yeah right. Honestly I don't get bad hangovers, luckily. Just a headache, the worst ones are a headache that lasts almost all day.

 

[HumulusHead]

I forgot to eat the raisins last night. Ugh

 

[HomeDrewBrew]

Coconut water is a good anti hangover remedy.

 

[DerrangedPOJO]

I normally drink a glass of water and keep it by my bedside for when i wake up with cotton mouth.. Then i take a tylenol with orange juice when i wake up. Then when that all kicks in a vitamin and food.

 

[HumulusHead]

Coconut water is a good anti hangover remedy.

And a good way to crap your pants, IMO. Recently went to the Dominican Republic. All over the resort there were gardeners that would love to climb up trees and cut down coconuts for you and chop the tops off and hand it to you with a straw to drink. It was a really cool show! But all four of us that drank them got the sh!ts that night. Come to learn coconut milk is good for constipation haha

I've heard coconut water doesn't do this tho. So really that was a pointless story on my end haha