Hangover Cure?

[RxBoy]

Anesthesiologists have to be at work 6 am so i am pretty sure they know something about hangovers.

This past month I been doing a little more partying than usual (thank you 4th year) however I found that I have been getting pretty bad hangovers every time I drink.

Granted when I went to undergrad, I could drink like a fish and I would never get hangovers. I am guessing its probably because i am getting older.

Anyone got any good tips on beating a hangover?

I usually pregame it with vodka and drink only beers at the bar/club (saves some serious dough). I don't get totally sh*tfaced, but just enough where I am pretty uninhibited.

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[huktonfonix]

Anesthesiologists have to be at work 6 am so i am pretty sure they know something about hangovers.

This past month I been doing a little more partying than usual (thank you 4th year) however I found that I have been getting pretty bad hangovers every time I drink.

Granted when I went to undergrad, I could drink like a fish and I would never get hangovers. I am guessing its probably because i am getting older.

Anyone got any good tips on beating a hangover?

I usually pregame it with vodka and drink only beers at the bar/club (saves some serious dough). I don't get totally sh*tfaced, but just enough where I am pretty uninhibited.

NSAIDS, water, IV fluid, or drink less.

 

[sethco]

When I was an EMT, had a bunch of friends that swore by 2 L O2 via nasal cannula as a great cure for hangovers, but never did try it out. Will definitely agree with IV Fluids and NSAIDS, though.

 

[pgg]

Sorry to be a killjoy and interrupt the folk remedy discussion ...

Anesthesiologists have to be at work 6 am so i am pretty sure they know something about hangovers.

Drinking to the point of risking a hangover the night before you have to be at work at 6 AM is rolling the dice with your medical license, career, and potentially patient safety. Even if you are "sober" by 6 AM your BAL probably won't be zero. You're screwed if someone even makes the allegation that you came to work impaired. God help you if there's a bad outcome - even if it's absolutely not your fault.

Anyone got any good tips on beating a hangover?

Drink less alcohol, drink more water.

Honestly, take a step back, look at yourself, and think about what you're doing. If you're drinking so much on a work night that you're worried about symptoms when you get to the hospital the next morning, you have a problem. The solution isn't looking for hangover cures on a web forum.

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but our specialty has issues with substance abuse, and it's usually NOT fentanyl.

 

[OB1🤙]

The OP is a 4th year, and he should drink to his heart's content until intern year starts. Nobody condoned showing up to the OR hungover (which I agree should never happen).

Assuming cure #1- a Bloody Mary or two- isn't feasible...

Replenish lytes before bed- have a bottle of gatorade in the fridge. Coffee and lots of it in the morning. Greasy breakfast. More gatorade. Ibuprofen.

Basically, salt, volume, and caffeine are your friends.

 

[Noyac]

I found that as I got older so did the drinking late at night. But I am not so old that it doesn't still happen from time to time. I definitely try not to do it the night b/4 I have to be at work though. Mostly because it is sooo painful.

But if I find myself putting down a few the night b/4 work I like a good vodka. The better the vodka the less the hangover for me and if I am drinking beer its guinness. I really am impressed with how much of that stuff I can drink and still feel good in the morning. Not everyone will respond in the same way though.

If I'm still concerned about a hangover then I drink a fair amount of any non-etoh drink, usually gatorade, b/4 bed and put another bottle of it on the night stand to finish through the night. I swear by the motrin b/4 sleep as well.

 

[Bertelman]

2L LR IV

In the absence of that, if I anticipate a hangover, I pop a couple Advil before going to bed, and down a full glass of water. I fill the glass of water up and leave it by my bed. If I drank enough to need it, I'll probably be getting up in the middle of the night to piss, at which point I down the other glass of water and more Advil.

Tends to make the symptoms much more manageable the next morning.

Before anyone steps up on the high horse to throw stones, I absolutely don't go crazy the night before I go to work.

 

[OB1🤙]

I swear by the motrin b/4 sleep as well.

Definitely.

 

[aphistis]

+1 to a big glass of water and a dose of advil before bed.

 

[jetproppilot]

Sorry to be a killjoy and interrupt the folk remedy discussion ...
l.

🙄🙄🙄

Wow.

Thanks for the lecture.

I don't think Rx needs another mom.

 

[JohnnyRock]

It might be old school college but if you're pregaming with Vodka, make sure you mix it with gatorade. That way you are hydrating throughout the whole process, and excedrin before bed might be a little more potent.

 

[pgg]

Nobody condoned showing up to the OR hungover (which I agree should never happen).

Before anyone steps up on the high horse to throw stones

I'm not casting stones. I'm a big fan of alcohol myself. But recall from the OP:

Anesthesiologists have to be at work 6 am so i am pretty sure they know something about hangovers.

Not "anesthesiologists know a lot of physiology so i am pretty sure they know something about hangovers" ... "anesthesiologists have to be at work 6 am" ... I interpreted that to be

• perhaps a belief that it's ordinary for physicians to get drunk the night before work
• a request for tips on how to get to work at 6 AM without a hangover

Yes, sure, I think there's an element of joking around in that first post. I also think we ought to be quick to spot and question red flags when it comes to a potential substance abuse problems. Even if it's just alcohol, and just a couple binges per week.

I'll let it go now. 🙂

 

[Noyac]

It might be old school college but if you're pregaming with Vodka, make sure you mix it with gatorade. That way you are hydrating throughout the whole process, and excedrin before bed might be a little more potent.

I don't mix my liquors with anything but ice or olive juice. I think the sugar makes the hangover worse. But I do like the Cuba Libre's. Just try not drink too many of these in one sitting.

 

[wmc24]

It might be old school college but if you're pregaming with Vodka, make sure you mix it with gatorade. That way you are hydrating throughout the whole process, and excedrin before bed might be a little more potent.

gatorade with vodka is a good idea and still tastes good. this is old school though, my uncle went to college in kentucky and was a bartender to make some cash on the side. he said the guys down there drank so much whiskey that they would take a shot and follow it up with a shot of pepto bismol. i think they may have had a slight drinking problem

 

[RxBoy]

THanks for the responses guys. I think the overall theme seems to be hydration and NSAIDs. I'm going to try and drink a huge Gatorade before I go to bed and see if it helps. NSAIDs for the headache. IV would be nice... can't say I would have access to it.

As for the lecture... I have no idea why some people think I am a potential drug abuser?? I'm a 4th year and after 3 years of hard work I finally have days (who am I kidding, months) off to enjoy myself.

I never drank heavy before clinical duties as a med student let alone as a resident! I was simply implying that anesthesiologists are morning people, therefore they must have some good remedies.... which is evident in this thread. Not that they go in drunk...

PS: Don't worry I graduated this in 4th grade...

 

[Code Brown]

Smartwater seems to work a bit better than gatorade.

 

[fakin' the funk]

Sorry to be a killjoy and interrupt the folk remedy discussion ...

I totally agree with your cautionary take here.

However, when we're not talking about the context of showing up for work at 0600 with a detectable BAL and mild hangover encephalopathy...

(and I do believe it's a mild form of an encephalopathy, have you ever tried to play a sport with a hangover, your coordination/agility/strategery go to crap)

...my TOC for a hangover is homemade gatorade (salt+water+lemon juice+sugar), water, ibuprofen, and greasy late-night or breakfast meal.

 

[leviathan]

Before bed: Drink plenty of water + Multivitamin
The next morning: 500 cc N/S with NAC + Greasy food + Multivitamin + NSAID (if needed)

If you forget to hydrate the night before, just add more fluid in the morning by IV.

 

[aphistis]

It might be old school college but if you're pregaming with Vodka, make sure you mix it with gatorade. That way you are hydrating throughout the whole process, and excedrin before bed might be a little more potent.

IIRC, Excedrin is aspirin, acetaminophen, and caffeine. When I'm drinking I tend to stay away from anything with APAP; I figure my liver is working hard enough already.

 

[Bertelman]

I'm not casting stones. I'm a big fan of alcohol myself. But recall from the OP:

I see where you're coming from. My radar on some of these posts is set to a pretty low threshold, but this one didn't strike me as out of line.

Just last night, I had two glasses of Malbec with dinner around 8 p.m. Woke up at 0300 with a bit of a headache, so I downed a glass of H20. Woke up again at 0600, symptom free. Showed up for call at 0700.

I'm sure my BAL would have been <.01 regardless of hydration, but I probably would have still had the headcahe. I don't believe two glasses of wine is out of line, and I don't think it impairs my judgment the following morning, but it would give me a headache, thus I treat.

 

[bigeyedfish]

I knew some people that went to new orleans for mardi gras every year with one suitcase dedicated to "hangover supplies." 2L of fluid hangin from the hotel room ceiling fan, with some zofran and toradol squirted in it. Then it's over to Pat O's for a hurricane, stopping for a hand grenade on the way. Repeat X 5 days. That's f'n hardcore.

 

[Masseter Spasm]

Doesn't the airline industry have a mandatory period of hours that pilots must abstain from alcohol before flying? (Perhaps that is a poor example) What do you all think is a reasonable length of time to abstain from alcohol prior to resuming clinical duties?

 

[RxBoy]

Doesn't the airline industry have a mandatory period of hours that pilots must abstain from alcohol before flying? (Perhaps that is a poor example) What do you all think is a reasonable length of time to abstain from alcohol prior to resuming clinical duties?

Thread HiJacked... but its ok I got some great advice already.

I personally think you should know your own limits. If you have clinical responsibilities you should not drink heavy the night before, especially if you can't function at baseline. I agree with fakin above about it being some type of mild encephalopathy.

I know the rule is you can't be impaired as this will have legal ramifications. Does that mean you can have 2 glasses of wine at 9 oclock the night before, but not 3? THere is no hard set rule.

Back to your question, its a judgment call you make. If you can return to baseline in the morning, than drinking socially the night before should not be a problem. If however you repeatidly drink to an oblivion and jeapordize patients health than sooner or later you'll either:
a) You'll injure a patient and get sued.
b) Co-workers will discover this and report you.

Its your choice.... but its your career on the line.

 

[RxBoy]

BTW tried the Gatorade trick sat night and it worked pretty well. I forced myself to drink an entire 32 oucer before I went to bed. WOke up and popped a couple motrins. Worked like a charm but still had that fatigued, IQ deficiency feeling.

And I read up on hangovers. I have too much free time, I know, but seriously this month has been way too easy... BTW the medical term for hangover is veisalgia. The 4 enemies of alcohol intoxication:
1) Hypoglycemia
2) Dehydration
3) Acetalaldehyde intoxication
4) Vitamin B12

Gatorade (has electrolytes, H2O and simple carbs) fixes the first 2. Multivitamin fixes the 4th. Now as for the acetaladehyde... No idea how to fix that one aside from good old time. Any suggestions for you physiology/biochem buff out there? I think this is what give you that "encephalopathy like" feeling.

Intrested in the physiology??? Great wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangover

as well as http://health.howstuffworks.com/hangover.htm

Even if you're not a drinker, great info to know for patient advice and impressing your social circles.

 

[leviathan]

BTW tried the Gatorade trick sat night and it worked pretty well. I forced myself to drink an entire 32 oucer before I went to bed. WOke up and popped a couple motrins. Worked like a charm but still had that fatigued, IQ deficiency feeling.

And I read up on hangovers. I have too much free time, I know, but seriously this month has been way too easy... BTW the medical term for hangover is veisalgia. The 4 enemies of alcohol intoxication:
1) Hypoglycemia
2) Dehydration
3) Acetalaldehyde intoxication
4) Vitamin B12

Gatorade (has electrolytes, H2O and simple carbs) fixes the first 2. Multivitamin fixes the 4th. Now as for the acetaladehyde... No idea how to fix that one aside from good old time. Any suggestions for you physiology/biochem buff out there? I think this is what give you that "encephalopathy like" feeling.

Intrested in the physiology??? Great wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangover

as well as http://health.howstuffworks.com/hangover.htm

Even if you're not a drinker, great info to know for patient advice and impressing your social circles.

If you read my post above, I include intravenous N-acetylcysteine in my cure to combat the acetaldehyde problem. Trade name is Acetadote isn't it???

Definitely feel ya about that 'encephalopathy' or brain fog feeling the next day. If I drink too much I often get a strange surreal feeling all the next day where everything people say to me / everything I read seems strange, like the way things sound in dreams.

 

[gudog]

BTW tried the Gatorade trick sat night and it worked pretty well. I forced myself to drink an entire 32 oucer before I went to bed. WOke up and popped a couple motrins. Worked like a charm but still had that fatigued, IQ deficiency feeling.

And I read up on hangovers. I have too much free time, I know, but seriously this month has been way too easy... BTW the medical term for hangover is veisalgia. The 4 enemies of alcohol intoxication:
1) Hypoglycemia
2) Dehydration
3) Acetalaldehyde intoxication
4) Vitamin B12

Gatorade (has electrolytes, H2O and simple carbs) fixes the first 2. Multivitamin fixes the 4th. Now as for the acetaladehyde... No idea how to fix that one aside from good old time. Any suggestions for you physiology/biochem buff out there? I think this is what give you that "encephalopathy like" feeling.

Intrested in the physiology??? Great wiki: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangover

as well as http://health.howstuffworks.com/hangover.htm

Even if you're not a drinker, great info to know for patient advice and impressing your social circles.

Had a biochem prof in undergrad who said that eating honey would combat the evil aldehydes. Don't remember the mode of action, tho.

 

[akpete]

My most reliable method is chocolate milk and Advil followed by Gatorade throughout the day. Works every time.

In high school, my teacher informed us that he and his buddies would each melt down a pound of butter and drink it before a night of partying. Claims it never failed him. After retiring from teaching, he took a position at the local liquor store, complete with drive thru.

 

[Bertelman]

MIn high school, my teacher informed us that he and his buddies would each melt down a pound of butter and drink it before a night of partying. Claims it never failed him. After retiring from teaching, he took a position at the local liquor store, complete with drive thru.

Is he a fatass now?

One pound of butter has >360 grams of fat, or 500% of your RDA.
...230 g of which is saturated, or >1000% of your RDA


It sounds like he was more interested in binding the EtOH to prevent effect. If you don't want to get drunk, don't drink.

In retrospect, I was never really impressed with any of my high school instructors, save my Physics teacher.

 

[Planktonmd]

My most reliable method is chocolate milk and Advil followed by Gatorade throughout the day. Works every time.

In high school, my teacher informed us that he and his buddies would each melt down a pound of butter and drink it before a night of partying. Claims it never failed him. After retiring from teaching, he took a position at the local liquor store, complete with drive thru.

If drinking melted butter does not make you sick then you shouldn't be afraid of drinking alcohol or gasoline or whatever you want.

 

[aphistis]

If drinking melted butter does not make you sick then you shouldn't be afraid of drinking alcohol or gasoline or whatever you want.

 

[Hockeyguy]

Huge breakfeast burrito in the AM and a liter of H2O. A Rocky marathon on TNT or a day of college/NFL football on the couch or sitting poolside (depending on time of year). Start sipping on a few Heinikens about 7-8 PM. Didn't cure any hangovers but seemed to make them tolerable for four years in college and fourth year of med school. Man those were the days.

 

[gman33]

I used to work at a golf course and it was pretty common for some people to show up for work hung over or even borderline buzzed from the night before.

Gatorade was everyone's best friend. We would judge the partying the night before with the size of the gatorade bottle they showed up with.
16 oz = a few drinks
32 oz = pretty standard
64 oz = they would probably be passed out on the work bench most of the morning, don't expect them to do too much

Boy, those were the days with no responsibility.😀

 

[foil]

Always drink expensive booze,

The hangovers are less.

Replenish in the morn with another shot

 

[InductionAgent]

Sorry to be a killjoy and interrupt the folk remedy discussion ...



Drinking to the point of risking a hangover the night before you have to be at work at 6 AM is rolling the dice with your medical license, career, and potentially patient safety. Even if you are "sober" by 6 AM your BAL probably won't be zero. You're screwed if someone even makes the allegation that you came to work impaired. God help you if there's a bad outcome - even if it's absolutely not your fault.



Drink less alcohol, drink more water.

Honestly, take a step back, look at yourself, and think about what you're doing. If you're drinking so much on a work night that you're worried about symptoms when you get to the hospital the next morning, you have a problem. The solution isn't looking for hangover cures on a web forum.

I'm not trying to be a jerk here, but our specialty has issues with substance abuse, and it's usually NOT fentanyl.

I'm glad you made this post. There is such a strong sentiment to condemn those who abuse IV narcotics by many who turn a blind eye to the potential danger of their own or others' alcohol consumption.

Indeed, statistically speaking more anesthesiologists are likely to become addicted to alcohol than to illicit drugs, because many more anesthesiologists use alcohol than illicit drugs. The fact that most use alcohol relatively responsibly does not obviate its serious potential danger, nor does it guarantee that one's consumption will not continue to progress with time. There is no excuse to come into work in the medical profession with a hangover.

As a medical student, the OP should restrain his drinking behavior while he still can. Or if unable to do so, he should learn this now and seek help. We all see the potential devastation of alcohol on a frequent basis in our patients. It takes its toll on doctors at the same percentage as everyone else.

 

[UTKB]

Consistent with what others have already stated, what always works for me: stay horizontal until the queasies go away (about 11 to noon; not good for getting up early), then get up and eat, then take ibuprofen and drink (water, gatorade). Feel better after an hour, although the swimming feeling in my head lingers til around 4-5pm.

 

[Arch Guillotti]

As a medical student, the OP should restrain his drinking behavior while he still can. Or if unable to do so, he should learn this now and seek help. We all see the potential devastation of alcohol on a frequent basis in our patients. It takes its toll on doctors at the same percentage as everyone else.

I don't think anyone is discounting the devastation that alcohol can cause. I think the OP is just blowing off some steam (which I think all 4th years should do). If residency time comes and the OP has hangovers on work days, then there is a problem. Personally I rarely if ever drink on a work night. I get up way too early in the morning and even a couple noticeably slow me down and it just isn't worth it to me.

 

[Frank Rizzo]

I don't think anyone is discounting the devastation that alcohol can cause. I think the OP is just blowing off some steam (which I think all 4th years should do). If residency time comes and the OP has hangovers on work days, then there is a problem. Personally I rarely if ever drink on a work night. I get up way too early in the morning and even a couple noticeably slow me down and it just isn't worth it to me.

Agreed. Its the second half of Rxboy's 4th year of medschool for christs sake. Drink 'til your hearts content! His 'stupid-ass, fall up the stairs, can't feel shi t, drunk to sober night ratio' should at least be 4:7. Live it up while you can!

Hangover cure: rinse out that 40oz of King Cobra or the fifth of Night Train you've been pounding, fill it up with water and down it. It will either stay down, or make you throw up. If you stays down, great! Take 3-4 advil and go to bed. If you throw up, great! Out with the bad!!!! Fill it up with water again, down it, pound a few advil and go to bed! Eating or anything else greazzzy as hell in the AM usually helps too!

 

[RxBoy]

I'm glad you made this post. There is such a strong sentiment to condemn those who abuse IV narcotics by many who turn a blind eye to the potential danger of their own or others' alcohol consumption.

Indeed, statistically speaking more anesthesiologists are likely to become addicted to alcohol than to illicit drugs, because many more anesthesiologists use alcohol than illicit drugs. The fact that most use alcohol relatively responsibly does not obviate its serious potential danger, nor does it guarantee that one's consumption will not continue to progress with time. There is no excuse to come into work in the medical profession with a hangover.

As a medical student, the OP should restrain his drinking behavior while he still can. Or if unable to do so, he should learn this now and seek help. We all see the potential devastation of alcohol on a frequent basis in our patients. It takes its toll on doctors at the same percentage as everyone else.

Wow... Because I asked about hangovers? A little judgmental aren't we? Read my responses above.

Restrain? I typically drink twice a month... if I restrained from drinking I wouldn't be drinking at all. Now unless you were a big Hoover fan and think the prohibition should be reenacted... I can't see the justification.

Classic Example of:

 

[BitingPlates]

I rarely drink now, but If I do I make sure to drink a few glasses of water while I am out, and have pedialyte in the fridge when I come home. Eating pizza before bed helps a lot also.

 

[InductionAgent]

Wow... Because I asked about hangovers? A little judgmental aren't we? Read my responses above.

Restrain? I typically drink twice a month... if I restrained from drinking I wouldn't be drinking at all. Now unless you were a big Hoover fan and think the prohibition should be reenacted... I can't see the justification.
]

Sorry if my language was a bit strong. I'm not judgemental, just concerned. If you are in complete control of your drinking and only drink twice a month, why not do so on nights when you don't have to work the next day? Or why not only have a few on nights when you do work the next day so that you don't have a hangover at work?

 

[gman33]

Sorry if my language was a bit strong. I'm not judgemental, just concerned. If you are in complete control of your drinking and only drink twice a month, why not do so on nights when you don't have to work the next day? Or why not only have a few on nights when you do work the next day so that you don't have a hangover at work?

OP never said he was hungover at work.

 

[RxBoy]

OP never said he was hungover at work.

Yeah but those that love to lecture, hear what they want to hear.

I learned 2 great things from this thread:
1) Hangover remedies... the advice above was great.
2) Never be judgmental with my patients. No wonder so many patients hate doc's these days... They mention they drink and they're labeled an alcoholic.

 

[dhb]

2) Never be judgmental with my patients. No wonder so many patients hate doc's these days... They mention they drink and they're labeled an alcoholic.

you haven't yet seen the liver transplant recipient who has had a psychological evaluation that states that he believes he's not an alcoholic.
Nice guy: didn't move when the a-line went in without local, and the 2 squirt lido FO intubation is also convenient.

 

[RxBoy]

you haven't yet seen the liver transplant recipient who has had a psychological evaluation that states that he believes he's not an alcoholic.
Nice guy: didn't move when the a-line went in without local, and the 2 squirt lido FO intubation is also convenient.

There's a difference in level.

I don't tell my healthy patients that eat a candy bar here or there that there feet will eventually be amputated due to diabetes. I'm usually concerned about the ones eating a box of donuts in the waiting room.

 

[InductionAgent]

OP never said he was hungover at work.

His first line was this: "Anesthesiologists have to be at work 6 am so i am pretty sure they know something about hangovers. "

This made me believe that OP thought it was acceptable for anesthesiologists to show up at work with a hangover, and caused me to infer that (like most red-blooded American males) he had also done so himself.

Granted, showing up at work with a hangover does not an alcoholic make. But doing so with any frequency is at best irresponsible behavior. By the time one gets to be a doctor, this kind of behavior should be in the past, since we should set the example for workplace conduct. Hopefully the OP (and anyone else perusing this forum) will be exclusively using the hangover cures he has learned to better enjoy his days off.

 

[dfk]

gee, nobody mentioned a big fatty😀 i hear that always works!

 

[CrazyJake]

I had the pleasure of getting rather liquored up for most of Saturday and then got up this morning, did an hour run, and followed that with a few bloody marys..felt great all day.

 

[perilou]

Out of curiosity: What's the rationale behind greasy food the morning after?

 

[Handinhand]

Out of curiosity: What's the rationale behind greasy food the morning after?

It tastes good? I mean really, who wants a nice salad after a night of drinking?

 

[OB1🤙]

IMO it isn't the grease in the greasy food that helps, it's the salt. Greasy food is usually pretty salty.