Why does my head hurt......

[Sorcerer]

....after last night on the piss. I had a bottle of red and 4 beers.... about 12 standard drinks..... what causes the headache in a hangover.... and don't just say "dehydration", how does dehyration cause pain?

 

Oh, and where did I leave my glasses? (not the wine ones)

[5614]

i think its just your body telling you theres a problem... do something about it!

[Sorcerer]

Yes but that would require me to think ahead and stop drinking....not easy to do when you're drunk..... I took some iburoprofen(sp?) instead.

 

P.S. I've drunk more before and not had a hangover.... maybe it was doing it in the sun while playing backyard cricket?

[zakfab]

It has a lot to do with the colouring in the drinks, and what other chemicals are in it to make it taste better.

 

If you drink vodka straight, or with water, you shouldn't get a hangover!

[Sorcerer]

hmmmm just had red wine and beer, no artificial colourings there.

[Sayonara]

Red wine has all sorts of things in it.

[Sorcerer]

Hmmmm perhaps 'twas the antifreeze....... I noticed it said traces of SO2 added...... tasted like boysenberry mmmmmmmm poisonberry

[badchad]

I think it's due to the toxins and other additives (like others have said). I also heard that the deyhdration can cause differences in the pressure on some nerves and such which contributes to the pain.

[YT2095]

as Sayo said, red wine contains all manor of different chems in it, and don`t think the only alcohol in it is Ethanol either!

 

that`s why it`s unwise to distill it unless you have the proper kit.

[SubJunk]

but sorcerer, i thought you were a hardcore new zealand bloke? what are you doing, wine's for poofters mate. drink speights mate. as for the vodka thing, i agree with that, i've never had a hangover while drinking vodka straight. it's when you mix fundamental "colours" (e.g. black, white, cream) that you come across problems.

I think people sometimes forget that alcohol is extremely poisonous and kills people regularly.

and hey, whaddayaknow, poison often results in pain...

[YT2095]

have a look here:

http://txtx.essortment.com/whatisthebest_rsws.htm

 

it also advised against Ibuprofen and Aspirin.

 

a little more info about the cause:

http://cocktails.about.com/library/blcongeners.htm

http://biology.about.com/library/weekly/aa010104c.htm

[LucidDreamer]

Dehydration and the interference of normal chemical reactions with the presense of alcohol. The fact that you were in the sun will dehydrate you faster and exercise will dehydrate you even more. Drinking large amounts of water while you drink or before you go to bed will eliminate most of a hangover but who remembers to do that when they are drunk.

[Gilded]

I got a weird headache once after a math lesson. Probably had something to do with banging my head on the desk all the time. I never achieved an intentionally self-inflicted continuous (aching for more than 1 hour or so) headache though. :<

[Ophiolite]

Dehydration is one of the main factors. When you stumble back to your home (or anybody else home) force yourself to drink two pints of water. If you wake at any time during the night, drink another pint.

An alternative, thought much maligned, solution is moderation.

[Sorcerer]

have a look here:

http://txtx.essortment.com/whatisthebest_rsws.htm

 

it also advised against Ibuprofen and Aspirin.

 

a little more info about the cause:

http://cocktails.about.com/library/blcongeners.htm

http://biology.about.com/library/weekly/aa010104c.htm

 

Hmmm yeah but other pain killers dont work for me........ whats the common name for acetaminophen?

[TWJian]

Let me 1st explain how alcohol cause headaches.Hangovers(velsagia) are generally caused by the diuertic effects of alcohol. Alcohol, once consumed, enters the bloodstream and causes the pituitary gland in the brain to block the creation of vasopressin. Without this chemical, the kidneys send water directly to the bladder instead of reabsorbing it into the body.According to studies, drinking about 250 milliliters of an alcoholic beverage causes the body to expel 800 to 1,000 milliliters of water; that's four times as much liquid lost as gained. This diuretic effect decreases as the alcohol in the bloodstream decreases, but the aftereffects help create a hangover. The morning after heavy drinking, the body sends a desperate message to replenish its water supply, usually manifested in an extremely dry mouth. Headaches result from dehydration because the body's organs try to make up for their own water loss by stealing water from the brain, causing the brain to decrease in size and pull on the membranes that connect the brain to the skull, resulting in pain. The frequent urination also expels salts and potassium that are necessary for proper nerve and muscle function; when sodium and potassium levels get too low, headaches, fatigue and nausea can result.

 

Liquors that contain congeners cause more severe hangovers. Certain type of liquors contain higher concentration of congeners, byproducts of fermentation in some alcohols.The greatest amounts of these pesky toxins are found in RED WINE(YOU DRANK THIS) and dark liquors such as bourbon, brandy, whiskey and tequila. White wine and clear liquors such as rum, vodka and gin have fewer congeners and therefore cause less frequent and less severe hangovers.The colorings sometimes used in vodka can also cause severe headaches. BTW,i'm a minor so i never drank liquor before.Futhermore,the carbonation in the beer you have drank causes your digestive system to absorb more alcohol.It is normally a bad idea to drink beer(or other carbonated drinks before drinking liquor).

 

There are several ways to cure hangovers.The first,and one of the best,have already been stated,which is drinking lots of water.Electrolytes-rich drinks,such as fruit juices are recommmended.The fructose -- fruit sugar -- in fruit juice helps to naturally increase your energy, and studies have proven that it also increases the rate at which your body gets rid of toxins such as those left over from alcohol metabolism.You should also eat bananas to combat hangovers since it is rich is potassium.Food rich in cysteine, such as eggs can also work.The cysteine is used by the liver when it processes or metabolizes alcohol; therefore building back up this chemical may help. In contrast,burnt toast also work since it contains high level of carbon,which act as a natural filter and absorber of alcohol.

 

Do not drink more alcohol to help your hangover.(rather obvious) It will lower the pain for a bit but it will soon return with increased intensity.Strong black coffee also does not work.Coffee contains a high amount of caffeine, which is a stimulant and therefore helps combat fatigue; however, when the caffeine wears off you may be even more tired than before. It can help alleviate your pounding head because caffeine is a vasoconstrictor, meaning it reduces the size of blood vessels. This counteracts the effect of the alcohol, which makes them swell, making your head hurt in the first place. Unfortunately, caffeine is also a diuretic like alcohol and can make you even more dehydrated than before, thereby increasing the severity of the hangover.

 

Drugs may also work.However,i recommend only using them as a last resort.Certain painkillers are more effective at combating a hangover than others. For instance, Excedrin can be helpful for headache because it combines acetaminophen for the pain and caffeine to reduce the size of the pounding blood vessels; however, prolonged combination of alcohol and acetaminophen has been shown to cause liver damage, and caffeine is a diuretic. Aspirin is a non-caffeinated pain reliever and is also in a class of anti-inflammatory drugs known as prostaglandin inhibitors. High levels of prostaglandin have been associated with increased hangover severity. In one study, participants who took a prostaglandin inhibitor before bed reported less of a headache and less nausea and thirst than those who had drank the same amount of alcohol but did not take the prostaglandin inhibitor before bed. If you have a sensitive stomach, though, beware -- taking aspirin after drinking can make your stomach hurt even worse. Supplements such as Sob'r-K Hangover Stopper, Chaser and Uncle Rummie's Hangover Helper because they make use of the effective filtering qualities of carbon to reduce the number of impurities the body has to process (see "Burnt Toast" above).

 

I hope you find my info helpful.Bye.

[Sorcerer]

Hmmm, I dont think we have any acetominophen painkillers which can be got over the counter here in NZ.....

 

aspirin and paracetamol don't do anything for me, only iburoprofen stops pain for me.

[YT2095]

Hmmm yeah but other pain killers dont work for me........ whats the common name for acetaminophen?

this may help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Acetaminophen

[Sorcerer]

... why didnt you say so....... right I get the word now, pehnol group and actyl amine on a benzene ring.... anyway, that doesnt do anything for me, I was told to take it when I had a broken leg, never did cause the few times I did take it, no effect, can't take anti-inflam's with broken bones, it slows the healing process, but theyre the only kind of painkiller that works, that and pot and alcohol.........hmmmm marijuana the perfect hang over cure. Pity it costs so damn much.

[YT2095]

actualy anti inflamatory medicines ARE prescribed for breakages where contra-indication allow. a typical one is Diclofenac Sodium (I had for a good 4 months), it does nowt for pain, but I`m sure it must have helped or done something as they don`t like wasting money at my local hospital!

[Bernstein]

Two things:

 

I find aspirin does help actually.

 

Also I find drinking another alcoholic beverage the next day is a definite cure for the hangover. A small amount of alcohol is an antidote to a large amount of alcohol. It is where I come from anyway!

 

One more thing:

 

Marijuana definitely helps.

[YT2095]

the addition of more alc only prolongs the hangover (liver filteration), although it may APPEAR to be cure, it`s actualy doing more harm than good

(thats not to say I haven`t or don`t use it myself on occasion), but it really just delays the onset, seriously, it does!

 

I find that a Vit C 1`st thing (1000mg) in the morning when I wake up, a few slices of toast, and a hot OXO drink about an hour later helps.

 

and Urban Myth or not, but a curry and/or Hot Chili works great too!

[Gilded]

"and Urban Myth or not, but a curry and/or Hot Chili works great too!"

 

Nothing beats the good ol' capsaicin.

[TWJian]

Curry/Hot Chilli act as a stimulant,expanding your blood vessels,therefore enabling alchohol to be excreted more quickly.The toast functions as a toxin absorber(carbon).Alchohol will just delay your hangover.It will return with greater severity soon.

[birdo118]

Hmmm' date=' I dont think we have any acetominophen painkillers which can be got over the counter here in NZ.....

 

aspirin and paracetamol don't do anything for me, only iburoprofen stops pain for me.[/quote']

 

 

a very common acetominophen painkiller is just tylenol...this is meant more for the headaches than the iburoprofen is....iburoprofen is meant for muscle and joint pain, not headaches

 

i would talk about the science behind hangovers, but TWJian kinda covered that.....

 

if u really dont like hangovers, you either need to stop drinking so much, which you said is hard for you, or you can take Chaser....an over the counter drug that you could get sent to NZ. This medicine prevents the hangover by preventing the pressure in the brain as well as the chemical factors involved with the hangover.

 

try these things and hopefully what has been posted by people helps