7 Ways to Get Rid of a Hangover

I caution patients to order a specific brand of alcohol when ordering a cocktail rather than relying on well drinks or lower-quality brands. Drinking even a small amount of alcohol can trigger headache symptoms in certain individuals. These symptoms may begin within minutes or hours of drinking and vary widely in severity.

Brandy, red wine, and rum why does alcohol cause migraines have the highest levels of congeners, while gin and vodka contain fewer of these chemicals. Once it gets into your system, it is converted into a chemical that triggers migraine. Lastly, in some cases, medication such as naltrexone and acamprosate may be used to treat alcohol use disorder by reducing alcohol cravings and withdrawal symptoms. Additionally, people with Wernicke encephalopathy often need thiamine via an IV. “Many times, it can reverse the most acute symptoms,” Dr. Rothenberg says. While there are a variety of supplements and vitamins that are marketed for reducing hangover symptoms, remember there are no scientifically proven remedies for alleviating hangovers.

We have created customized plans than have helped more than 12,000 people live the pain-free lives they deserve. If none of the preventative measures above work or you didn’t know alcohol triggered migraines until after the fact, there are still options available to you. However, if you already have a headache, it is a good idea to stop drinking. While some research shows that the correlation between migraines and and headaches might be weaker than once stated, roughly 30% of people who experience migraines report alcohol as a trigger. In the same study indicating red wine as a frequently cited migraine trigger, vodka (which is primarily comprised of ethanol and water) was least likely to be cited. This includes being careful about the amount of alcohol you consume and paying attention to how and when your migraine symptoms flare up in relation to drinking.

• However, migraine patients consume less alcohol for various reasons.
• Migraine is a symptom of an underlying condition, and one of the elements of a migraine is a headache.
• Seven articles used International Headache Society (IHS) criteria from 1988 46, 47, 50, 51, 56, 59, 60.
• The review also suggests that having migraine leads people to avoid alcohol, rather than alcohol having any protective role against migraine.
• There’s no proof that drinking raw eggs or downing hot sauce will get rid of your morning-after migraine faster.

Why Does Alcohol Give Me a Headache? Discover Causes and Relief Methods

And many people are surprised to find out that it doesn’t take much alcohol to trigger them. Headaches and migraines can be extremely uncomfortable, and even debilitating at times. Learning more about exactly what causes alcohol-induced headaches can provide motivation for building healthier habits and feeling better. Let’s look at why alcohol makes your head hurt, what you can do to remedy it, and how to avoid headaches down the road.

Additionally, keeping a diary to track your triggers and being mindful of other factors like stress and sleep can be helpful. Keep a diary of exactly what brand you drink, how much alcohol you drink, how you’re drinking it, and if there are any other migraine triggers present — like hormonal swings, weather changes, or certain foods. Certain additives can increase the chance of developing a headache after drinking. People prone to headaches may be at a higher risk of experiencing alcohol-related headaches. Among people who find alcohol can trigger a migraine, most find that any alcoholic drink can trigger one, but others may find that particular drinks are more of a problem. If you suffer from migraines, you will learn to recognise which particular symptoms affect you.

• The steps for case–control assessment are presented in Table 5.
• The majority were female (419/487, 86.0%), actively working (293/378, 77.5%).
• This can lead to foodborne illnesses, such as food poisoning, which can trigger headache symptoms.
• You also run the risk of experiencing another hangover the following day, as your body needs adequate time to recover from the effects of drinking alcohol.

What Factors Affect the Risk of an Alcohol-Induced Headache?

We recommend exploring complementary treatments such as biofeedback, green light therapy and aerobic exercise. Learn how these common therapies can help you manage migraine. As you work with your doctor on next steps, it will be important to maintain access to reliable resources on migraine. We recommend a look at our patient guides, which include useful information including how to talk to your doctor about migraine.

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However, each patient makes individual decisions based on their own experience. Headache after a certain amount of alcohol is likely to induce behavioral reactions (i.e., alcohol-intake adjustment). Similarly, common beliefs may influence patients habits, e.g., the conviction that “red wine causes migraine”, even if studies present conflicting evidence 80, 81. Consequently, it seems likely that people with migraine to some extent avoid alcohol, which would be one interpretation of our results. After using the above key terms, 1,892 articles were identified in the three databases.

Understanding Hangovers

The steps for case–control assessment are presented in Table 5. Headaches are one of the most common neurological symptoms related to the sensation of pain 1 and cause a decrease in patients’ quality of life 2. Their global prevalence is estimated at 52% of the population 3. The severity of your headache depends on the type of alcoholic drink you consume.

Please note the date of last review or update on all articles. Alcohol is embedded in our society, and it is difficult to be in a public space without seeing a reference to alcohol or being offered a drink. Alcohol is broken down in the liver by an enzyme called alcohol dehydrogenase. People with a variant in this enzyme have issues with metabolizing alcohol and can develop total body flushing or reddening of the skin. Beth Ann Mayer is a New York-based freelance writer and content strategist who specializes in health and parenting writing. Her work has been published in Parents, Shape, and Inside Lacrosse.

There is even some debate about whether alcohol itself or another chemical component in alcoholic drinks acts as the trigger. This uncertainty makes it difficult for many people who want to responsibly enjoy alcohol during the holidays or on special occasions to effectively manage their migraine symptoms. Although any type of alcohol can trigger a migraine, people who experience regular migraine attacks cite red wine as the most frequent culprit. Understanding the causes of alcohol-induced headaches can help individuals make informed choices about their alcohol consumption. By recognizing that alcohol can cause blood vessels in the brain to expand, leading to increased blood flow and triggering headaches, individuals can take steps to minimize this effect.

Another 6 individuals were excluded because they never tracked alcohol consumption. The final sample size was 487 individuals, who collectively contributed data on 43,830 diary days, of which 9578 were migraine days and 5913 were the first days of a migraine attack. Devi et al. identified a plausible mechanism to explain the headache and hangover symptoms commonly experienced by red wine drinkers. Whereas the World Health Organization (WHO) states that there is no safe alcohol dose 19, Panconesi et al. conclude that low consumption is not a contraindication for headache patients 79.

A 2016 study showed that alcohol consistently induced migraine in 10% of people. With 30 years of paying close attention to consumption and the boundaries, I have evolved to limiting high alcohol, highly tannic, and heavily processed wines. With the huge focus on organic foods and what we all eat, there should be as much attention put on what we drink. Find out why, and what you can do to avoid alcohol-related migraines. Pontinen said triptans are commonly used to treat migraine once symptoms start. Taking one before drinking isn’t recommended or known to be effective.

These chemicals may also trigger migraine headaches in certain people. Vasodilation may trigger migraine attacks in certain individuals. This is especially true for people prone to headaches or migraine without alcohol. Drinking too much can trigger migraines, and possibly other types of headaches—such as cluster headaches and tension headaches—in people who are already susceptible to these issues. Such headaches can occur while you are drinking, or a few hours after—even if you’ve had as little as one drink. There were a total of 2990 embedded missing days (2990/46,820, 6.4%) resulting in 43,830 days (90 for each individual) eligible for analysis.

Lower-quality wines contain molecules known as phenolic flavonoid radicals, which may interfere with serotonin, a signaling molecule in the brain involved in migraine attacks. Staying hydrated and keeping alcohol consumption to a minimum can decrease the chance of experiencing a headache. Individuals who experience severe headaches after drinking alcohol may also avoid alcohol altogether. Alcohol seems to trigger both migraine and cluster headaches. However, the type of alcoholic beverage that triggers these headaches is not clear. Alcohol may trigger migraine attacks, and it’s very unlikely to ease them.

Additionally, being aware that alcohol can cause dehydration, which worsens the headache-inducing effects, individuals can ensure they stay adequately hydrated while consuming alcohol. Considering the possibility of food contamination and individual food sensitivities as contributing factors, individuals can also take precautions to avoid these triggers. Criteria to recognize habits for alcohol consumption was various in almost each study.

However, the research suggests that alcohol may not be the only trigger and may also depend on other factors. The tables below group alcohol types by the amount of these additives. Migraine is more common, affecting around 12% of people in the United States. I also find hard liquor gives me more of hangover than when I was younger but doesn’t give as much of a headache. Read on for answers to common questions about alcohol and migraine. Additionally, it’s possible to have migraine episodes and hangovers, Rosen said.

The alcohol in the blood increases more quickly with liquor than with beer. For example, if a person drinks liquor before beer, they are likely to feel the effects of the alcohol sooner. As a result, a female’s blood alcohol concentration tends to be higher, making it more likely for females to experience headaches and hangovers. This article will explore the relationship between alcohol and headache and consider why some people develop an alcohol headache after one drink.