How to Cure a Hangover: What the Evidence Says

There is no cure. NIAAA puts it in a single sentence — there is no cure for a hangover other than time — and a person simply has to wait while the body clears the toxic byproducts of alcohol metabolism, rehydrates, heals irritated tissue, and restores normal immune and brain activity. Everything below is about making that wait shorter to endure, not shorter.

What the trials found

A systematic review of randomised controlled trials indexed on the NCBI Bookshelf tested the things people actually buy: borage, artichoke extract, prickly pear, a yeast-based preparation, tolfenamic acid, propranolol, tropisetron, and glucose or fructose. Its conclusion was that no strong evidence exists to support the effectiveness of conventional or complementary interventions to prevent or treat alcohol hangover. Three single small trials hinted at an effect; five interventions showed no difference from placebo at all. The reviewers’ advice about the cures sold online was that they should be considered with caution.

NIAAA reaches the same place from the other direction: although many remedies are mentioned on the web and in social media, none have been scientifically proven effective.

What genuinely makes the morning easier

1. Time, protected. The one intervention with a mechanism. Cancel what you can.
2. Fluids. Alcohol suppresses vasopressin and drives fluid out, so replacing it corrects a real deficit — one of six, which is why it never fixes everything.
3. Rest. MedlinePlus notes that even when you feel fine, the lasting effects of heavy drinking reduce your ability to perform at your best.
4. Plain food, in small amounts. Easier on a stomach dealing with extra acid.
5. A dark, quiet room. Sensitivity to light and sound is on the symptom list; removing the trigger costs nothing.

Four things that do not do what people think

• Coffee. It may lift drowsiness. It does nothing about fluid loss, inflammation, acetaldehyde or the rebound arousal underneath the anxiety.
• A cold shower. Named specifically by NIAAA as a myth, alongside coffee.
• Electrolyte drinks and IV treatments. No correlation has been found between electrolyte disruption and hangover severity, and the body restores its own balance quickly.
• Another drink. It may briefly mask symptoms while prolonging the malaise behind them.

The painkiller decision

The head is the reason most people search for a cure at all, and it is where the risk sits. MedlinePlus warns that acetaminophen may cause liver damage when combined with alcohol, and NIAAA notes this specifically about the common habit of taking it before bed after drinking. Aspirin and ibuprofen carry a different cost: like alcohol, they increase acid release and irritate the stomach lining. Ask a pharmacist which fits you, particularly if you take other medication. The timing and the mechanics of that headache are covered in hangover headache.

The only prevention that holds up

NIAAA is blunt here too: the only way to completely avoid a hangover is not to drink, or to keep intake to a minimum. Below that, MedlinePlus offers the practical version — drink slowly and on a full stomach, and have a glass of water between alcoholic drinks. The order of drinks makes no difference; beer before liquor is folklore. In general, the more alcohol, the worse the hangover, whichever form it arrived in.

This content is informational and does not replace medical consultation, diagnosis, or treatment. See also how long does a hangover last and hangover symptoms.