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Hangover Disproportionate to Intake

Jambalaya

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Today, I've been suffering from a horrific hangover, but I didn't drink enough to cause this, I think. Obviously, it was enough, but I was taken by surprise. I went out last night to a restaurant and had a tomato and cheese salad followed by a half-order of a chicken dish that had tomatoes, peppers, onion, and rice. With the meal, I had two glasses of white wine and finished with a Bailey's. I did notice that I felt unusually buzzed, but not being a heavy drinker it never occurred to me to drink water before bed. Maybe it's because I ate less food than usual, since I'm trying to lose weight, but I'm thrown by my reaction because I don't seem to have drunk that much considering I had a meal. I was only in the restaurant for an hour and a half, so maybe I drank too quickly. I'm not on any medication.

Today, I've felt as if I'm dying. I think the worst has passed, so I'm feeling up to posting now. Earlier, I was reading all the interesting threads on here to try to keep from focusing on the nausea, which really helped.

I've had a banging headache all day - ibuprofen did nothing - felt extremely tired, and had waves of horrible nausea which made me throw up once, which was so unpleasant. I even had a slight ache in my kidneys, briefly. I consoled myself with the thought that I can't possibly have done any serious damage to myself with that amount of alcohol, being otherwise healthy. It's scary to feel so sick when you're alone in the house, as I am this weekend.

I really can't express how horrific I've felt today, and I'm just very surprised that this amount of alcohol with food can do that. In the past, I've felt quite over-happy with two glasses of wine taken with a large meal, so I guess one glass of wine taken with a meal is my limit. I never saw this hangover coming and I had a lot of things to do today.

We had a thread on here a while back about drinking - I think someone started it anonymously, worried about their alcohol intake. I don't know how anyone can drink heavily when hangovers feel this bad. I don't ever remember feeling this miserable.

Share your hangover experiences! Have you ever been caught out like this?
 

Jambalaya

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While researching hangover cures on the internet, I did find a very funny quote, although it didn't say who said it:

"I've spent half my wealth on alcohol and loose women. The other half, I pretty much wasted." :lol:
 

monarch64

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That sounds completely abnormal, especially if you are somewhat used to drinking wine and liqueurs. Have you had any issues with sulfites in the past? My mother cannot drink wine because she has a terrible reaction to the sulfites--awful headaches and nausea. Are you on any meds that might interact negatively with alcohol? And, is it at all possible someone put something in your drink?
 

Tacori E-ring

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Go to your PCP ASAP and have your liver function tested. It is a blood test.
 

Jambalaya

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The Bailey's was rather large, so I'm thinking that may have done it, together with the half-order of food. The Bailey's is so sweet, I wasn't really focusing on the alcohol content. Also, I wouldn't say I'm that used to alcohol. I can't remember the last time I had a Bailey's - must be years - and I usually have one glass of wine, sometimes two, about two or three times a week. I also go for long periods without drinking anything.

I'm gso rateful that this hangover lasted only 7 hours and appears to be over now. I did read that people who have a high amount of fat in their bodies feel it worse, and I'm 198 pounds, so...Due to being overweight, I've wondered if I have a nonalcoholic fatty liver, but I know the treatment for that is healthy diet and exercise, which I started a couple of weeks ago (lost about 4lb already).
 

Tacori E-ring

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I am sure you are fine and hopefully something else just disagreed with you. However, reduce tolerance is a sign of poor liver function. There are ways to improve it so don't let that scare you. A simple blood test could put your mind at ease.
 

Jambalaya

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Thanks, Tacori. I've never been able to hold my alcohol though, even as a very young, slim, fit person. That amount of alcohol would probably always have been too much for me, but I just wasn't paying attention. I could kick myself, I felt so bad today. I'm so glad it's gone.

Thanks, Monarch. I wondered if someone could have put something in my drink, but I don't think so. I don't know about sulfites. I mean, I know what they are, but I don't really know if I have a problem with them.

I remember my mother getting giggly from half a glass of wine.
 

ksinger

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It could be that your reaction to alcohol is simply changing. Mine has changed several times.

I've never been much of a drinker. Oh, I did the obligatory couple (and by that I really mean 2) serious drunk events in college, but the second one made me realize that I and drinking were never going to get along. One bad hangover was more than enough for me, thanks.

After that, I was very careful and didn't drink often. But as I hit my 30s, I noticed that sometimes I would have A drink and I'd get the dang hangover BEFORE the 3rd sip. Wine, mixed drink, whatever, roaring pounding headache instantly. So I backed off even more, if that was even possible. Now I really am on medications that don't mix well with alcohol. I can still have it, but eh...maybe 2 glasses of wine a month? Practically teetotaling.

I used to wonder if it was hormonal. I think it may have been, but who knows. Mah constitution is ver' delikit after all. :rolleyes: ;))

Glad you're feeling better. And yeah, Bailey's is probably better in smaller amounts. That stuff is soooo rich. :???:
 

cmd2014

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I can't speak to why you've reacted so poorly, other than the fact that tolerance goes down the longer it's been since you drank a fair bit. And Bailey's is deadly (very high alcohol content and it tastes like there's nothing in there, so a small glass might be the equivalent of 3 - 4 shots of hard liquor). But after surviving grad school (3 back to back degrees with all that comes with that) I can give you my hangover routine that always makes me feel better: lots of apple juice (there's something about it that works better than any other fluid for getting you feeling human again - you'll need at least a large highball glass or two) and a full breakfast with runny eggs, toast, and some sort of salty meat of your choice. The salt, fat, and B vitamins in the egg yolks do wonders to restore your electrolyte balance and buffer your stomach. You'll look at it wanting to die, but it will make you feel better once it's in. For some reason scrambled eggs don't work quite as well. Eggs on toast will work in a pinch, but bacon or ham with it works better.

Feel better soon!
 

PintoBean

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Was it very hot that day? Also, when you eat out, the food can have elevated sodium levels, so that plus alcohol could have dehydrated you.
 

lovedogs

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Jambalaya|1468191434|4054110 said:
The Bailey's was rather large, so I'm thinking that may have done it, together with the half-order of food. The Bailey's is so sweet, I wasn't really focusing on the alcohol content. Also, I wouldn't say I'm that used to alcohol. I can't remember the last time I had a Bailey's - must be years - and I usually have one glass of wine, sometimes two, about two or three times a week. I also go for long periods without drinking anything.

This seems like the likely culprit. I'm sorry you felt so sick today! That's just the worst :( I don't really drink at all (maybe 1 drink a month--medication makes alcohol disagree with me, plus I don't like the taste), but I know that when I wasn't on the medication and could drink I liked baileys, Kahlua, and other sweet stuff like light fruity white wine. The problem with the sweeter stuff is that you don't notice as much when you drink it, plus the sugar content makes hangovers worse. Glad you feel better now!
 

Jambalaya

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Thanks, everyone. Due to being on the go yesterday, I only had a cereal bar and a coffee for lunch, and I ate this meal at about 9.30pm, so I guess I didn't have much food in me. I had pumpernickel toast for breakfast.

I remain rather shocked at how bad an actual hangover feels - never really had one before!

Appreciate all the responses. I'm feeling much better, but am tired, so will sign off now and curl up with some good TV.

Lots of love to everyone,


Jambalaya
 

jordyonbass

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If I drank wine with baileys the night before I'd probably be feeling pretty ordinary as well!! When I used to drink I found that mixing different types of alcohol like that was a sure way to feel rather gross the next day, even in small amounts.
 

ericad

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Is there any chance you were roofied? My friend and I got roofied in Vegas a few years ago and it sounds very much like what you're describing. I can tell you more about it, if you're interested. It was a very unique experience.

I also can say that mixing alcohol now, at the age of nearly 40, will utterly ruin me the next day. So it could well be the combo of wine with Bailey's. If I stick with one kind of booze, I can drink like a champ and feel fine. But the minute someone talks me into that shot of tequila, I'm DONE lol.
 

maccers

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It's very possible that on a different day with a different meal, you may not suffer such an extreme hangover. Things that affect our ability to metabolize alcohol and how we react to it:
1. Food that includes fat and protein helps slow down the amount of alcohol entering the blood stream, you won't get buzzed quite as quickly
2. Sleep/level of tiredness prior to drinking (the more tired you are, the more likely you'll feel the effects of alcohol)
3. Level of hydration (better hydrated, slower rate of entering blood stream)

Other things already mentioned:
- as we age, we metabolize alcohol less efficiently, making the effects more pronounced
- medications can amplify the effect of alcohol
- overall drinking habits (less experienced drinkers have less idea how much they can drink and their bodies are less able to handle it)

And of course women do not metabolize alcohol as well as men. Not sexist, just science. :)

Hope you feel better soon!
 

AdaBeta27

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alcohol-acetaminophen syndrome -- Hepatotoxicity -- That might be possible if you already had acetaminophen in your system and were drinking alcohol. Just mentioning it because Tylenol is generally considered "safe." It can kill your liver if mixed with alcohol.

I don't care what anyone says, and I am well aware of the risks involved, but the fastest cure for a hangover has been to drink some more alcohol. Not a lot. Just "some" is enough to make the nausea go away long enough to get me moving. I almost never even drink anymore. Since I so rarely drink, alcohol wears me out nowadays. Whatever tolerance I ever had, I have lost. So, if I get up with a hangover and I have no particular place to go, I'll get myself a beer and offer a toast to Jim Morrison. Why suffer. Once or twice a year cannot an alcoholic create, and that's literally as often as I ever feel anything like a hangover. I remember college parties. I have no desire to go there again. :lol:
 

AdaBeta27

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ericad|1468200272|4054147 said:
Is there any chance you were roofied? My friend and I got roofied in Vegas a few years ago and it sounds very much like what you're describing. I can tell you more about it, if you're interested. It was a very unique experience.
...

:-o :-o That sounds scary.
 

iluvshinythings

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Two glasses of wine and Baileys would get me, especially with a small meal. Back in my younger years, I used to drink early and often and rarely had a hangover. The best cure I ever found was a meal containing grease and carbs followed by lots of water and caffeine. After age 45, a glass of wine is enough to give me night sweats so it's not even worth it.

I used to take Welbutrin and combining that with alcohol gave me the worst hangover I've ever had. I didn't even drink that much (I think it was 2-1/2 glasses of wine) but the next day I had nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache and light sensitivity. Might have also been a bug but I learned my lesson.

I'm glad you are feeling better!
 

amc80

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This happened to me about 10 years ago. I would have a very low tolerance and then have horrible hangovers...from maybe two drinks. Turns out I had a stomach ulcer.
 

Phoenix

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Jambalaya,

I think you may have remembered my thread. I wrote bc I didn't like the effect alcohol had on me, admittedly I barely drank over 2 or max 3 glasses of champagne and/ or wine each time; most often it was just the one drink, but I would drink a few times a week. I am no longer a drinker. Alcohol is the pits! It always made me feel extremely dehydrated and "fuzzy" the next morning, not to mention that regular long term drinking results in a larger waistline (on anyone) and is the number one culprit for general weight gain, for me.

The reaction you described sounds rather abnormal though. Has it completely passed now? You said you had carbs for dinner and seemed to have had enough food at that particular meal, so all that should have helped with the ill-effects. And although the total amount of alcohol you consumed sounds like a lot, it was NOT huge. If there's any doubt lingering re how you feel, I'd still go to the Dr if I were you.
 

Lady_Disdain

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Also, sometimes a particular brand or label may not agree with someone. Once, I took my parents to a Japanese restaurant, where they shared a dose of sake. My father was perfectly fine but my mother had a hangover and literally couldn't walk straight halfway through the meal. We got out of the restaurant as fast as possible and were about to take her to a hospital, since it was so unexpected.
 
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