How IV Hydration Helps You Get Over That Nasty Hangover

The head pain, fatigue, and queasiness following a night of imbibing can put a real damper on your day. But there are ways to ease the suffering.

At Life Point Medical in Clayton, Georgia, we offer care that counts. Having a few alcoholic drinks can leave you feeling less than perfect, but we don’t want our patients to suffer. That’s why our primary care provider, Dr. Timothy Scott Beck, offers intravenous (IV) hydration.

With IV hydration we can rapidly rehydrate your body, helping you get over that nasty hangover quickly. Here, we want to explain how it all works. 

Alcohol and your body

Your body doesn’t digest alcohol in the same way it digests food. When alcohol hits your stomach and small intestine, it gets absorbed, going directly into your bloodstream. Having food in your stomach can slow down the absorption.

The alcohol quickly circulates throughout your body, affecting multiple processes, like the production of vasopressin, the antidiuretic hormone. This hormone helps your body absorb and retain water. When it’s in low supply, your body gets rid of water. That’s why you need to pee so much when you’re drinking adult beverages.

Lack of water absorption and increase in urination leads to dehydration, one of the contributing factors that leads to the hangover.

The hangover

The hangover refers to a set of symptoms that occur following alcohol consumption. These symptoms may include:

• Fatigue
• Headache
• Body aches
• Nausea and vomiting
• Dizziness
• Weakness
• Sensitivity to light
• Irritability
• Anxiety
• Hunger

These symptoms are the result of how alcohol affects normal bodily functions. In addition to dehydration, alcohol causes inflammation (aches and pains), slows down digestion (nausea and vomiting), and disturbs your sleep (fatigue). 

Alcohol also lowers your blood sugar, which is why you feel so hungry after indulging in alcoholic beverages. 

Hangover symptoms reach their peak when your blood alcohol level returns to zero, which can take up to 24 hours.

Easing your hangover symptoms

Recovery from a hangover varies, but rehydration is one of the key remedies. With IV hydration, we deliver the fluids directly into your bloodstream, rapidly rehydrating your body for quick symptom relief.

We may include B vitamins in your IV hydration to support your recovery because alcohol inhibits absorption of thiamin (B1), folic acid, and vitamin B12. 

IV hydration for a hangover takes about 30-60 minutes. Once the IV treatment is complete, you may feel more like your normal self. Eating bland food, catching up on sleep, and taking over-the-counter pain medication may also ease your hangover symptoms. 

In addition, we offer ortho jelly, a medicinal rub with a blend of natural ingredients that reduces inflammation and may help ease your hangover-related muscle soreness. 

There’s no need to suffer through a nasty hangover. We can help you feel better faster with IV hydration. Call our Clayton, Georgia, office or request an appointment online today.