Hangover syndrome

Probably, many are familiar with the state when, some time after a turbulent holiday with a lot of drunkards, you start hating the whole world for being so bad.

Such a terrible state of health is called a hangover syndrome, and it occurs a few hours after taking alcoholic beverages.

[1], [2]

Causes of the hangover syndrome

The cause of hangover syndrome is the usual intoxication (poisoning) of the body by the products of alcohol breakdown.

[3], [4], [5], [6]

Pathogenesis

Getting into the human body in large quantities, ethyl alcohol simply poisons it. The main load goes to the liver, which processes ethanol into carbon dioxide and water. This occurs through a special enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. The intermediate product of the decomposition of alcohol is acetaldehyde. This is a very toxic substance, much more dangerous than ethanol itself. It is acetaldehyde, we are responsible for the appearance of symptoms of hangover syndrome. A hangover is a unique signal of an organism about the danger caused by its poisoning.

When using large doses of alcohol, as well as with regular intake of the liver, the liver can no longer cope with the processing of ethanol. The body begins to use alternative ways of eliminating alcohol, through other enzymes and systems. Thus, the amount of acetaldehyde in the blood increases, it accumulates in the tissues of the body.

Acetaldehyde has the property to influence the production of dopamine - a hormone that is responsible for the mental and emotional state of a person. It is dopamine, acting on the nerve receptors, maintains our heart and brain in working condition, helps to control body weight and its performance. Deficiency of dopamine in the body leads to depression and weight gain.

Further - worse. Alcohol in place of dopamine affects the nerve cells, filling the deficit of the latter. The first stage of alcoholism begins. The lack of dopamine and alcohol substituting it causes certain suffering in patients. This leads to mental dependence. The transition from the first stage of alcoholism to the second signal about the possibility of developing a hangover withdrawal syndrome.

The second stage of alcoholism changes the situation. Refusal of alcohol intake enhances both cleavage and synthesis of dopamine. A large amount of dopamine is the cause of the reactions of the vegetative system: poor sleep, irritability, excessive restlessness, as well as increased blood pressure. When the level of dopamine becomes three times more than normal, a person develops a white fever (the third stage).

Acetaldehyde also affects the ability of red blood cells to bind oxygen and saturate them with body tissues. This leads to oxygen starvation and the emergence of the corresponding symptoms of hangover syndrome.

[7], [8], [9], [10], [11]

Symptoms of the hangover syndrome

Symptoms of alcohol poisoning are more or less familiar to everyone who has ever experienced a hangover. These include:

• Dry mouth
• Excruciating headache, dizziness
• Prolonged nausea, leading to vomiting
• Lack of appetite
• Trembling in the hands of varying degrees
• Hyperhidrosis (increased sweat secretion)
• Lethargy, weakness
• Depressive state or aggression
• Indifference to the environment
• Shortness of breath due to increased pressure

The severity of symptoms depends on the type and quantity of alcoholic beverages consumed. Drinks with aging for several years: wine, champagne, cognac, whiskey are carried by the body heavier than others. A red wine, containing a histamine-like substance, tyramine, drunk in significant amounts, can cause a prolonged migraine, vomiting, an increase in blood pressure.

Nausea with hangover syndrome is common. Thus, the body signals the entry into the digestive system of dangerous substances that poison the entire body. The strength and speed of the appearance of this symptom depends on the state of human health. So people suffering from gastritis, a stomach ulcer and duodenal ulcer, pancreatitis, can experience nausea even with small doses of alcohol.

When there is nausea accompanying hangover, you need to act immediately. To start, you need to induce vomiting, after drinking a large amount (about 1 liter) of slightly warm water or a solution of manganese gently pink. Good help in this situation, activated charcoal in significant quantities (1 tablet per 10 kg of weight).

Symptoms such as severe hand tremors, sleep disturbances with insomnia or nightmares, frequent heartbeats, increased heart rate, increased blood pressure, aggressive or apathetic condition indicate a strong hangover syndrome, which in medicine is called a hangover withdrawal syndrome. This pathological condition, characterized by an irresistible craving for alcoholic beverages, especially in the afternoon, and serious disorders of the psychosomatic, autonomic, neurological and psychological spheres of the body.

On the question of how long the hangover syndrome lasts, it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer. Hangover symptoms may occur within a few hours. The duration of this condition depends on the rate of metabolic processes in the body, on the quality and quantity of alcohol consumed. In case of abstinence syndrome development, the duration of symptoms manifestation is from 2 to 5 days (peak falls on the 3rd day), in severe cases, the consequences of intoxication remind themselves of 2-3 weeks.

[12], [13]

Complications and consequences

Since the hangover is a serious poisoning of the body, with regular repetition and improper treatment it can have unpleasant consequences: violation of water-electrolyte metabolism, accompanied by vomiting and rupture of the gastric mucosa with the appearance of gastric bleeding, arrhythmia, prolonged sleep disorders, due to which a person appears weakness, decline in efficiency, depression.

Alcohol is a strong diuretic, as a result of which, by increasing the volume of urine, it reduces the amount of fluid in the tissues of the body, i.e. Comes dehydration. Complications of this process can be a violation of the hormonal and acid-base balance of the body. Alcohol is able to raise blood pressure, heart rate, so it can cause complications of cardiovascular diseases, sometimes leading to the death of the patient.

The prognosis for prolonged regular intake of alcohol and an incorrect approach to treatment of hangover syndrome is generally unfavorable: there may come a binge, which subsequently leads to the phenomenon of white fever with hallucinations and other mental disorders and personality degradation.

[14], [15], [16], [17]

Diagnostics of the hangover syndrome

In order to choose the right treatment, the diagnosis of hangover syndrome is carried out, including the collection of anamnesis and additional tests for suspected co-morbidities.

To make the diagnosis of "hangover syndrome", it would seem, is quite simple even for the layman. Suffice it to say from the words of the patient or his relatives to establish the fact of taking a large amount of alcohol, and the visible symptoms (excessive excitement, redness of the eyes and skin of the face, dryness of the oral mucosa, shaking hands) will say for themselves. Complaints about nausea, vomiting and headache can only confirm the diagnosis.

Nevertheless, everything is not so simple. Since many of the symptoms that indicate a hangover syndrome are characteristic of a complicated hangover and other diseases, differential diagnosis is necessary to clarify the diagnosis.

The therapist on the basis of an external examination and anamnesis should establish whether the symptoms of a hangover are a signal for the development of withdrawal symptoms. The appearance of the latter may indicate a longer duration and severity of hangover symptoms, puffiness of the face, dry skin, deterioration of the scalp, neurological disorders, deterioration in the quality of sleep, and others.

Manifestations of symptoms of hangover syndrome can mask the true cause of the ailment. In case of suspicion of acute conditions associated with other diseases, the therapist can recommend consultations of other specialists: gastroenterologist, neurologist, cardiologist, etc. Additional tests (general and biochemical blood analysis, urinalysis) and studies (ultrasound, gastroscopy, cardiogram, EEG and MRI of the brain).

[18], [19], [20], [21],

Treatment of the hangover syndrome

The effectiveness of treatment for a hangover depends on the correctness of the diagnosis. If the usual hangover requires only a few measures to remove symptoms, then developing alcoholism, and the more hangover withdrawal symptoms, require cardinal treatment. At the same time, the earlier the patient turns to the doctor for help, the sooner a return to normal will occur.

Sometimes everything is so obvious that there is no need to go to a medical institution, and sometimes there is no possibility (for example, in rural areas or in remote areas of small towns there are not always nearby hospitals). In this case it is better to know how you can remove the hangover syndrome at home and what drugs should be kept in the home medicine chest in reserve.

The primary task in the treatment of hangover syndrome is to eliminate the effects of dehydration and regeneration of the water-salt balance, disrupted by enhanced excretion of salt in the urine. To this end, it is recommended to consume as much water as possible, especially when vomiting. Thus, the symptoms of dehydration are eliminated and the work of the kidneys on the elimination of alcohol breakdown products is stimulated.

Positive effects of hangover syndrome are products containing a significant number of enzymes. These are various brines, barrel apples, sauerkraut, a variety of sour-milk products, live kvass, as well as juices with a high content of citric acid.

If the hangover is accompanied by fatigue and weakness, doctors recommend more rest or even a sleep, until the symptoms disappear. To accelerate the metabolism shown motor activity in the fresh air. However, with tachycardia and elevated blood pressure, it is better to refrain from this. 

With a very severe hangover, it is recommended to induce vomiting and rinse the stomach with plenty of water and salt. To reduce the effects of intoxication take activated charcoal, white coal or a more modern sorbent "Enterosgel", which absorbs all harmful substances in the stomach. They should be consumed no later than one hour before meals and medications.

Drugs for hangover syndrome

One of the most common drugs, helping to get rid of some symptoms of hangover syndrome, is everyone known aspirin or acetylsalicylic acid. This drug, most likely, can be found in any pharmacy and home medicine cabinet. It has a useful ability to relieve pain, so it is recommended for a headache, which is an invariable companion of a hangover. Take "Aspirin" after meals, squeezed a significant amount of liquid, 1 tablet no more than 3 times a day.

With caution you need to take aspirin to people with kidney and stomach diseases, bronchial asthma, and also to those who are prescribed the reception of anticoagulants. Taking aspirin can be accompanied by allergic rashes and pain in the stomach. In such cases, it is better to resort to the usual means that help with headaches: citramone, citropac, spasmalgon, analgin, and others.

To remove nausea with a hangover syndrome, antiemetics such as metoclopromide, cerucal, motillium, mint pills and other drugs will help.

Motillium, like metoclopramide, use 1-2 tablets half an hour before meals, and also before bed, but no more than 4 times a day. With caution, you need to use these drugs for those who have violations of kidney and liver, peptic ulcer, epilepsy, glaucoma and hypersensitivity to these drugs.

Possible side effects: a feeling of dry mouth, constipation or diarrhea, heartburn, sleep disturbances, allergic manifestations, a feeling of intense heartbeat, irritability, etc. Before using these medications, be sure to get a doctor's advice on this issue, and with the development of side effects, refuse to take data medicines, giving preference to safe mint tablets.

One of the inexpensive and effective drugs for a hangover, which are dispensed in pharmacies without a prescription, is "Glycine. " It relieves neurological and brain disorders in the body, associated with intoxication with acetaldehyde, stabilizes sleep, reduces craving for alcohol.

To get a stable effect of treatment, take "Glycine" every hour for 2 tablets for no more than 5 hours. The component of the preparation aminoacetic acid in smaller quantities is found in the food habitual for us, therefore it is well perceived by the body as a natural stimulant of its natural forces. Contraindication to taking the drug is hypersensitivity to aminoacetic acid. Side effects are poorly expressed and manifest as allergic reactions.

To stabilize the general condition, neutralize the negative effects of alcohol poisoning, improve liver function, and also treat the hangover withdrawal syndrome and chronic alcoholism, medication "medochronal" on the basis of glycine or its analog "Metadoxil" is shown.

The applied dosage and dosage forms of the drug "Metadoxil" depend on the degree of alcohol dependence. At usual alcoholic poisoning which is the reason of a hangover syndrome, the preparation is applied in the form of nyxes: from 300 to 600 mg intramuscularly, or intravenously 300-900 mg. Treatment of chronic alcoholism and liver disorders associated with the abuse of alcohol, assumes the taking of tablets 2-3 times a day for 500 mg for 3 months. With abstinence syndrome, preference is given to droppers: 900 mg once a day for 3-7 days.

Use "Methadoxil" with caution is for people with hypersensitivity to the drug, with Parkinson's disease, as well as with bronchial asthma, to avoid bronchospasm. The drug can sometimes cause allergic reactions.

To replenish the reserves of potassium and magnesium in the body, lost due to the diuretic effect of alcohol, use "Panangin", known to many as "Asparks". To eliminate the symptoms of a hangover, usually 1-2 tablets are enough. But with a mild symptom it is still better to refuse it, since the drug itself has unpleasant side effects similar to hangover symptoms: nausea and vomiting, pains in the head and abdomen, etc. Besides, Panangin is contraindicated in people with heart and vascular diseases the brain, with renal failure, severe forms of myosthenia, an overabundance of potassium and magnesium.

If there is a violation of the heart rhythm associated with uncontrolled drinking of alcohol, "Corvalol" is recommended . However, toxicologists consider this method of treatment unjustified and even dangerous and advises giving preference to "Grandaxin", which does not react with alcohol.

The most effective and fastest way to get rid of hangover syndrome are droppers that deliver the necessary drugs and vitamin-mineral complexes directly into the blood.

Droppers that save from hangover syndrome can be of several types and pursue different goals, such as normalizing blood pressure, water-salt and acid-base balance in the body, saturation with vitamins, minerals and glucose, removing symptoms of intoxication, maintaining liver and kidney functions, etc. They can contain glucose, vitamin complexes containing vitamins B1, B6 and C, calcium chloride, cerucal, zuffylline, insulin.

[22], [23]

Alternative treatment for hangover syndrome

Since hangover syndrome is a common occurrence, and medications for hangovers are often not at hand, alternative healers are not left out of the problem. There are many recipes to mitigate the hangover symptoms from foods that are frequent guests on our table. Here are some of them:

• Fresh cabbage finely chop and pour kefir. Eat the squeezed cabbage completely. This recipe replenishes the stores of potassium in the body.
• Antialcoholic cocktail. Mix a glass of tomato juice and a yolk of a fresh egg. This cocktail has an enveloping effect and promotes the removal of acetaldehyde from the body.
• In a glass with ice, add a slice of lemon, a little salt and pour "mineral water". Drink slowly. This drink clears nausea and vomiting, and also eliminates the symptoms of dehydration.
• In 100 g of kefir add 1 tbsp. L. Cereal flakes. Give a little biting and eating completely. This is a recipe for the rapid removal of harmful substances from the body.

An excellent assistant in the fight against a hangover is bee honey. The use of honey for hangover syndrome is due to its unique properties: bactericidal, anti-inflammatory and tonic.

Due to its composition, rich in vitamins, trace elements, glucose and fructose, honey excellently removes the symptoms of intoxication, replenishes the lack of vitamins and minerals, and necessary to combat the effects of alcohol poisoning, improves the heart by replenishing the body with glucose and fructose, improves liver function, digestive system, stimulates immunity.

In alternative medicine, the treatment of hangover syndrome with herbs and broths of berries is practiced. For example, chamomile tea relieves headache, improves digestion and sleep. Fresh dandelion leaves or tea from them accelerate the excretion of harmful substances from the body, help the kidneys and liver, as well as the gallbladder. Fennel tea helps to cope with intoxication and nausea. Positive effect on all systems of the body with a hangover syndrome is made by decoctions of wild rose berries, hawthorn (for normalizing blood pressure and work), cranberries and other berries, which are important suppliers of vitamins that help in the fight against a hangover.

In the fight against alcoholism and the associated hangover syndrome, homeopathy has also become involved, creating biologically active supplements, both for removing hangover symptoms, and for developing a steady aversion to alcohol.

For example, the "Rekitsen" preparation , made from wheat bran and enriched with vitamins and microelements necessary for the body, gets into the intestines, helps to remove harmful substances formed during the decomposition of ethanol, and saturates the body with useful substances, improves the functioning of the intestines, eliminating dysbacteriosis.

Take the drug in the form of powder should be 30 minutes before meals from 3 to 16 st. L. 3-4 times a day. Contraindications for the drug is not, but if you have allergies to the components of the drug, it is better to refuse it. There may be some side effects: flatulence, a feeling of heaviness and overcrowding in the stomach, a quickening of the stool that quickly passes and does not require the withdrawal of treatment.

"Proproten 100" is a homeopathic remedy that removes hangover symptoms (hand trembling, digestive disorders, anxiety, weakness, disturbance of heart rhythm and sleep) and reduces the desire for alcohol.

The drug is taken under the scheme: during the first 2 hours, 1 tablet every half hour, then 1 tablet every hour. If the condition improves, reduce the dosage to 4-6 tablets per day. Treatment lasts for 3-4 days.

The drug is virtually no side effects. Very rarely there is a short double vision in the eyes. Do not use this medicine for people with hypersensitivity to it.

Homeopathic remedies that have good reviews in the fight against hangover include Monastic Tea with a unique composition of 16 herbs that help rid the body of harmful toxins, restore the functions of internal organs affected by alcohol, increase immunity and mood, and minimize alcohol addiction.

To restore the function of the liver, which is disturbed by alcohol intoxication, homeopaths can prescribe the drug "Hepel". It is available in the form of tablets, which need to dissolve. Take 1 tablet 3 times a day, without chewing. The drug contains raw milk thistle. Contraindicated in people with sensitivity to milk thistle and other components of the drug, intolerance to lactose. Side effects, which occur in isolated cases, are allergic manifestations and mild jaundice. When you cancel the drug, everything comes back to normal.

To get rid of alcohol dependence during withdrawal symptoms it is recommended to take such supplements as Alco Barrier and Extra Blokator, which cause a strong aversion to alcohol, supposedly increasing the symptoms of hangover. Their action is generally safe for a healthy organism and causes only a psychological aversion of alcohol-related negative feelings.

It's no secret that for the effective treatment of conditions associated with alcohol consumption, it is not enough to restrict oneself to taking one of the drugs. There is no such panacea for a hangover. Treatment of symptoms of a hangover should be carried out by drugs in combination with homeopathy, water and air procedures.

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Prevention

As in any other case, the best way to fight the disease (in this case, the symptoms of a hangover and a painful craving for alcohol) is its prevention.

Prevention of a hangover is a measure that prevents the onset of unwanted effects of drinking alcohol. There are certain rules, adhering to which, you can make sure that about the upcoming feast there are only pleasant memories, not overshadowed by hangover syndrome.

1. Try to drink spirits belonging to the same category. Mixing various drinks complicates the situation with a hangover.
2. Do not drink alcohol with fizzy drinks, the more sweet.
3. Milk slows the process of getting alcohol into the blood. But you need to drink it beforehand.
4. Drink only quality spirits.
5. Dancing and moving games will speed up the elimination of alcohol decay products from the body.
6. Do not start a feast with a toast. Before drinking, you must eat well.
7. During and after the feast, drink more water to avoid dehydration.
8. Dark and colored drinks (wine, cognac, etc.) cause a stronger hangover syndrome. Try to avoid their use.
9. To raise a glass it is necessary not earlier, than in 15 minutes after the previous toast. In the break between toasts, you should eat well, avoiding too fatty foods.
10.  Before going to bed after a plentiful feast on alcohol, you need to drink an antipoverment complex: activated charcoal (1 tablet for every 10 kg of weight), then aspirin and a couple of no-shp tablets. This will help avoid a heavy hangover the next morning.

Following these recommendations is the only way to prevent a hangover syndrome from turning a happy holiday into a real nightmare and causing significant harm to your body's health.

[25], [26], [27]