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How Can I Treat Hangover Vomiting?

Angela Farrer
Angela Farrer

Hangover vomiting can typically be treated with rest, fluids, and sometimes small amounts of mild food that can help with neutralizing excess stomach acid. Hydration is one of the most important parts of treating a hangover because of the diuretic effects of alcohol, and inadequate fluid replacement can often prolong the effects of this unpleasant condition. Drinking alcohol past your body's natural limit and mixing more than one type of alcohol in the stomach are two of the more common causes of a long hangover with nausea and vomiting. While most cases of hangover vomiting pass within a day, persistent vomiting of any ingested foods or liquid for a longer period of time may be a sign of alcohol poisoning that requires medical attention.

The day after drinking a large amount of alcohol, rest is a key component of feeling better when you are hung over to the point of vomiting. Do not go to work or school; simply call in and tell the appropriate party you are vomiting, without further elaboration. The same idea applies to any types of scheduled appointments or obligations. Spend the day resting in bed, ideally where you have quick access to a bathroom during bouts of hangover vomiting. If you are experiencing sensitivity to light, close any window curtains in your room; bright light can sometimes worsen hangover nausea in this case.

Drinking too much alcohol can lead to hangover vomiting.
Drinking too much alcohol can lead to hangover vomiting.

Consistently drinking enough water before and after consuming alcohol is one of the most effective ways to minimize hangovers. While hangover vomiting is the body's natural way of expelling toxic alcohol by-products, it can also usually get rid of any other fluids the body needs to recover. Sip small amounts at a time from a glass of water while recovering from a hangover, but do not drink large gulps at first to avoid further irritating the stomach. Sports drinks can be good sources of replacing lost electrolytes and glucose, and mild juices such as grape or apple can also help with the rehydration process.

Peppermint and chamomile teas can sooth upset stomachs.
Peppermint and chamomile teas can sooth upset stomachs.

Certain foods such as bland crackers and dry toast are effective at reducing hangover symptoms. Eating small amounts of these can help lessen the acidic effects of the broken-down alcohol by-products that often creating burning sensations in both the stomach and throat during hangover vomiting. These kinds of foods should be eaten slowly at first, ideally after you are able to drink and keep down at least one glass of water, juice, or sports beverage.

Discussion Comments

codester

This just happened to me yesterday. It was awful! After about nine hours of suffering I took a Gatorade to bed with me. Still couldn't drink but was so dehydrated from puking so much. So I just sipped it and held it in my mouth as long as I could, then spit it out. Yes, it made me feel awful even though I didn't swallow but I did it anyway. When I woke up I was able to sip on that Gatorade until it was gone. Then I got the runs but that too slowed down. I'm sipping on ginger ale now. Food it out of the question so I'm going back to bed.

This was a come to Jesus moment for me too. I will be a whole lot more mindful in the future about how much and how fast I drink. It's just not worth a two day hangover.

anon989848

@mainemade: This works. My mother used to give me Sprite or 7-up when I would complain about tummy aches. Something in those naturally settles the stomach

mainemade

Sprite! I've tested it several times and nothing works on a hangover like sipping a Sprite. No substitutions have worked, but the Sprite worked every time.

stl156

Something that wasn't mentioned here as a food item is bananas. I don't know how they work or why. All I know is that they help me out.

I used to go with the cracker method, and that was all right, but since I only keep saltines, I found the salt to just make me thirstier, and that caused a problem.

I read some article about eating bananas and tried it, and it works like a charm. I guess something about the fruit coats the lining of your stomach and doesn't react with stomach acid like a lot of other foods. I'm sure it's different for everyone, but once I can keep a whole banana down, I'm usually free to eat whatever I want without problems.

It doesn't get rid of the other symptoms like headaches and nausea, but being able to stop vomiting is key.

kentuckycat

@KaBoom - I would agree with that, too. Almost everyone who drinks will go overboard at one point or another, but it's when it happens on a regular basis that you should rethink what you're doing to yourself.

When I was in college, I didn't drink nearly as much or as often as most people, but I still went out on occasion. The article mentioned sports drinks, and that is what I finally found helped me out the most. I have a pretty high tolerance for alcohol and usually don't get sick, but when I do it's a worse reaction than most people have, I've found. The sports drinks really calm down my stomach.

Like the article also mentions, though, the key is to take small sips. Usually the first instinct is that your mouth is extremely dry and you are very thirsty, but taking huge swigs will only make things worse.

Monika

@sunnySkys - It's not surprising you experiences anxiety after drinking. Alcohol is actually a depressant, so it can make you feel pretty down. It's kind of ironic, because a lot of people use alcohol to make themselves feel better.

One thing that I actually found that helps hangover symptoms is taking a long hot shower. Someone told me that if you take a hot shower you sweat, and it helps you sweat out some of the alcohol. I'm not sure if that's true, or it just makes me feel better because I think it will, but I've found it to be very effective.

sunnySkys

@KaBoom - That's very true. I used to drink a lot when I was in college, but when I got older that kind of behavior didn't appeal to me. Also, I have some trouble with anxiety, and I would often get anxiety after drinking. So I had a lot of incentive to change my behavior.

Anyway, a lot of people talk about hangover cures, but really, I think the only cure is treating dehydration and giving it time. When I was in college I tried taking random supplements, or eating food people told me was good for hangovers. Nothing really worked except waiting it out!

KaBoom

I hate to be a party pooper, because I know this article is about hangover cures. Vomiting frequently because you drank too much the night before isn't normal!

If you often find yourself sick from drinking too much to the point where you have to call out of work the next day, you have a serious problem. Yes, a lot of people do abuse alcohol for a short time in college or at another point in their lives. Many of these people "mature out" of this behavior, but some don't.

If you blackout while drinking and hangovers interfere with the rest of your life, it's time to seek help. Now.

wavy58

Alcohol poisoning can be so extreme that a person cannot vomit. This happened to a friend of mine. She drank so much in such a short time that she passed out and could not wake up.

Her breathing was so slow that it scared us. We took her to the emergency room, where she received treatment for alcohol poisoning.

The doctor told us that alcohol in extreme quantities actually lessens the gag reflex, so she could not vomit up what was poisoning her. This scary experience was a wake-up call to her, and she refused to drink more than two drinks in one night after that.

seag47

Promethazine suppositories work great for people who cannot stop vomiting. My mother got some from her doctor when she had a stomach virus, and they knocked her out so fast that she didn't have time to vomit anymore. I had to have help carrying her from the car to her bed, because she passed out on the way home from the doctor's office.

They work to relieve nausea while putting you to sleep. They are available by prescription only, though, so I doubt you could get any for a hangover. However, if you happen to have a couple of leftover pills from some other illness lying around, just know that these would work to stop your vomiting.

Perdido

@golf07 – Peppermint tea is a wonderful hangover treatment. Spearmint tea works just as well, for those who prefer a slightly sweeter taste.

My sister used to get hammered a lot, and she always kept peppermint tea in her cupboard. She would wait until the uncontrollable urge to vomit had passed, and then, she would begin sipping the tea.

It was the only thing that made her stop vomiting. Thankfully, she doesn't go on drinking binges anymore. However, she keeps the tea around, just in case she experiences any nausea for whatever reason.

orangey03

Caffeine-free carbonated beverages tend to help soothe an upset stomach, so I would think these would be good at treating hangover vomiting. I've never had a hangover personally, but I have had stomach sickness plenty of times, and a little carbonated soda with crackers always helped me recover.

Once I had stopped vomiting for a couple of hours, I would get brave enough to try the beverage and a cracker. I ate it very slowly, waiting to see if any of it would come up. If it didn't, I would continue eating crackers and drinking soda until I felt satisfied.

I definitely did not try to eat any meat or greasy foods while sick. I got nauseated even thinking about them.

golf07

If you are looking for some ways on how to stop vomiting, there are some natural remedies that have worked for me.

Any time I feel nauseated and like I am going to vomit, I look for any kind of mint. One of the quickest ways to do this is by keeping some peppermint candy close by.

If I have a little bit more time, I will make a cup of mint tea. The mint really has a soothing effect on my stomach.

If you feel up to it, a long hot bath can also help with the symptoms of too much drinking. This will really relax your body and it will help if you take a few sips of water or suck on some ice chips at the same time.

sunshined

Whenever I am trying to recover from nausea and vomiting like this, nothing works like a long rest in a dark, quiet room.

I get really bad headaches, and any bright light or loud noises make it a lot worse. I make sure all the shades are pulled down, and hope I won't be disturbed for awhile.

Anytime you are vomiting no matter what the reason, your body gets dehydrated. As soon as I wake up, I try to get some kind of sports drink down that has electrolytes in it. This is a lot easier to get down than plain water.

If I can get several hours of rest and replenish my body with some fluid, I am usually much better by the afternoon.

bagley79

I can attest to the fact of how excessive alcohol works as a diuretic and makes you dehydrated.

My brother-in-law was an alcoholic and eventually lost his life because of it. By this time in his life, he was way past the point where he would have a hangover and vomiting all day.

I don't think he knew what it was like to feel sober. When he was hospitalized right before he passed away, they told him his body was extremely dehydrated. He said he couldn't understand that because he had been getting plenty of fluids.

The fluids he was talking about was alcohol, and had the opposite effect of what that amount of water would have had on his system.

myharley

@burcidi - Anytime my stomach is so upset that I can't even drink water, I have found that taking very small bites of crackers usually helps. This will not help me stop vomiting though, and I have to wait until this has passed first.

This has to be done very slowly and in very small bites to give your stomach a chance to absorb and digest it. If I am able to keep this down, eventually I can take a few sips of water.

This process always seems to take longer than I want it to, but have found it works best for me. I know that drinking water is the best thing for me, so try not to go to long without getting some water in my system.

discographer

@burcidi-- Ginger is absolutely amazing for nausea and vomiting. Have it in whatever form you can- as ginger tea, ginger ale, ginger candies, anything! It soothes the stomach and will hydrate you if it's a drink.

For hangover diarrhea, I've found a small amount of coffee or cola to be helpful. But it's better to try that when your nausea and vomiting has stopped. Chocolate milk and salty potato chips are two other foods that help with nausea and vomiting. I don't know how but potato chips always settle my stomach after vomiting.

If your symptoms don't disappear any time soon though, you should get checked out by a nurse or doctor. There might be something more serious going on like alcohol poisoning or alcohol allergies. And you wouldn't want to waste time with home remedies if that's the case.

Oh and you can take pain relievers, but only if you've had food. Otherwise it's going to hurt your stomach more. Try to have some food first and then try a pain reliever. The headache is a symptom of dehydration, it will go away when you have fluids and rest.

burcidi

I'm hungover, drank way too much last night and mixed drinks. I did throw up when I got home and then fell asleep. This morning I threw up again and I'm feeling extremely nauseated. I can't even have water, I feel like that's going to make me throw up even more. And I think I might also be dealing with diarrhea, I have a bad churning in my stomach.

I need to go to work tonight and need to get rid of this hangover as soon as possible. I wish I could stay home, but just not possible. What's the fastest vomiting treatment? And can I take some pain reliever? I have the worst headache of my life!

Please help!

bear78

The article has pretty much covered everything. I've had this happen to me quite a few times in the past because I have low tolerance for alcohol. It took me a while to learn what my limits are and not drink more than I could take.

Especially in college, I used to see my friends drinking a lot more than me and not getting sick and I just assumed that I could do the same. But while they were just fine, I would be vomiting and having a headache all night and sometimes the next day too.

I couldn't leave my bed even if I wanted to when this happened. I would ask my roommate to buy me a lot of Gatorade and vitamin water and I would keep drinking these to get the alcohol out of my system. The only thing I could really eat the next day was a cheese sandwich or some mashed potatoes.

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    • Drinking too much alcohol can lead to hangover vomiting.
      By: WavebreakMediaMicro
      Drinking too much alcohol can lead to hangover vomiting.
    • Peppermint and chamomile teas can sooth upset stomachs.
      By: unpict
      Peppermint and chamomile teas can sooth upset stomachs.
    • Hydration is a key to dealing with hangover vomiting.
      By: Lars Zahner
      Hydration is a key to dealing with hangover vomiting.
    • Sports drinks may help replenish body electrolytes.
      By: James Phelps JR
      Sports drinks may help replenish body electrolytes.
    • In cases of alcohol-induced vomiting, it's essential to drink sufficient water and other healthy fluids to offset dehydration.
      By: fotum
      In cases of alcohol-induced vomiting, it's essential to drink sufficient water and other healthy fluids to offset dehydration.
    • Eating certain foods, such as bland crackers, is an effective way to reduce hangover symptoms.
      By: WavebreakmediaMicro
      Eating certain foods, such as bland crackers, is an effective way to reduce hangover symptoms.