Why Does Alcohol Give Me A Headache?

Can drinking bring on a migraine? – Alcohol is a diuretic – it acts on your kidneys to make you pee more fluid than you’re taking in. Losing fluid from your body like this can lead to dehydration, which can cause headaches. So if you’re prone to migraines, you might get one if you drink to excess.

Why do I get a headache after 1 glass of wine?

– Wine headaches are unlike headaches caused by alcohol in all alcoholic beverages. Most of these pains will not start until a few hours after alcohol has entered your system. The main ingredient in alcoholic beverages responsible for the intoxicating effect is ethanol (aka, ethyl alcohol).

Ethanol dilates the blood vessels and dehydrates the body, both of which can cause inflammation of vessels in our head and invite a painful headache. Some people begin to feel the first few twinges of a wine headache after only a few sips of a glass of red wine, while others will not notice it until a few hours.

There are plenty of contributing factors that determine the intensity of your wine headache and how long it will last. The best you can do is pop a couple of painkillers, drink 2-3 cups of coffee, hydrate and try to get some rest!

Why does wine in Italy not give you a headache?

So what explains the headache-free European wine drinking experience? It might be related to alcohol levels – European wines usually have less alcohol than American wines. So enjoy your wine whether you’re home or abroad, and rest assured that it’s the sulfites that keep your wine happy, healthy and delicious.

How do you get rid of a wine headache?

3 Tricks to Remedy a Wine Headache – #1 Drink a Glass of Water With Every Glass of Wine. The most common mistake that wine drinkers make is hydration. It’s easy to forget because you are drinking already, When there’s wine involved hydration is key and water is what you need.

Make it a habit to chug a glass of water prior to enjoying a glass of wine. It may stress your waiter out but your forehead will appreciate you. #2 Take “Two” Before Drinking. By “two” I mean two aspirin, ibuprofen, or acetaminophen. This is, of course, at your own risk and not recommended if you drink heavily.

That said, over-the-counter blood thinners can help. The pills are also a great way to force yourself to drink a glass of water. Since I’m suggesting over-the-counter-drugs and I’m not your doctor, be sure to consult your doctor first. If you are uncomfortable with this idea (as many are), skip to trick #3 and repeat trick #1.

Can I take ibuprofen after drinking?

Combining ibuprofen and alcohol can raise your risk for serious side effects, such as gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and kidney or liver problems. It’s best to wait at least 10 hours after taking a dose of ibuprofen to drink alcohol.

Is a hangover just dehydration?

What is a hangover and what are the symptoms? – Hangovers vary from person to person, but usually involve a headache, nausea, tiredness and dehydration. Dehydration is one of the main causes of your hangover symptoms. A hangover can leave you struggling to concentrate, feeling irritable and sensitive to light – not a good combination if you were planning to make the most of the day and not spend it in bed.

Is it bad I never get hungover?

Stocksy Most of us love to joke about hangovers. For example: What’s the best thing for a hangover? Drinking heavily the night before. But what is happening in our bodies is more serious than that — it’s alcohol withdrawal. Yes, the symptoms are less extensive, unpleasant and life-threatening than those an alcoholic will go through.

1. But however you dress it up, your brain and body are withdrawing from alcohol.
2. Hangovers are the experience of various unpleasant physiological and psychological effects that follow a medium-to-high consumption of alcohol.
3. Typically, it comes on around 10 hours after your blood alcohol peaks — but this varies according to sex, weight and genetic disposition.

However, some people don’t get hangovers at all: Between 3 percent and 23 percent of the population is reported to be hangover-resistant. Not surprisingly, these people may be more likely to become heavy drinkers, as they don’t experience the deterrent effect of hangovers.

Why do I get hungover after 2 drinks?

Risk factors – Anyone who drinks alcohol can experience a hangover, but some people are more susceptible to hangovers than others are. A genetic variation that affects the way alcohol is metabolized may make some people flush, sweat or become ill after drinking even a small amount of alcohol. Factors that may make a hangover more likely or severe include:

Drinking on an empty stomach. Having no food in your stomach speeds the body’s absorption of alcohol. Using other drugs, such as nicotine, along with alcohol. Smoking combined with drinking appears to increase the likelihood of next-day misery. Not sleeping well or long enough after drinking. Some researchers believe that some hangover symptoms are often due, at least in part, to the poor-quality and short sleep cycle that typically follows a night of drinking. Having a family history of alcoholism. Having close relatives with a history of alcoholism may suggest an inherited problem with the way your body processes alcohol. Drinking darker colored alcoholic beverages. Darker colored drinks often contain a high volume of congeners and may be more likely to produce a hangover.

Can you suddenly become intolerant to alcohol?

Can You Develop A Sudden Intolerance to Alcohol? – A sudden intolerance to alcohol is possible if you begin using a medication that causes alcohol intolerance or develop a disease that causes it. Most cases of suddenly developed alcohol intolerance occur due to starting a new medicine that causes it. Genetic alcohol intolerance will not begin suddenly and will be present from birth.

What is the most common alcohol to be allergic to?

An alcohol allergy is when your body reacts to alcohol as if it’s a harmful intruder and makes antibodies that try to fight it off. This causes an allergic reaction, Alcohol allergies are rare, but if you do have one, it doesn’t take much to trigger a reaction.

Two teaspoons of wine or a mouthful of beer may be enough. Most people who have a reaction to alcohol aren’t allergic to it. They have an intolerance. They don’t have one of the active enzymes needed to process alcohol – alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) or aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH). This is often called alcohol intolerance.

Alcohol allergy symptoms The symptoms of alcohol allergy are usually more serious. Signs of an alcohol allergy include:

Rashes Trouble breathing Stomach cramps Collapse Anaphylaxis, which is a severe reaction that can include a rapid, weak pulse, nausea, and vomiting. If you have this, swelling, or trouble breathing, call 911.

Alcohol intolerance symptoms If you have alcohol intolerance, you may get:

A red, flushed face Diarrhea A hot feeling Headaches Heartburn Hives A rashA fast heartbeat or palpitations Low blood pressure A stuffy nose Stomach pain, which may include nausea or vomitingTrouble breathingIf you have asthma, your symptoms get worse

In a few cases, alcohol intolerance can be a sign of a more serious problem. If you think you have it, talk with your doctor and find out what’s causing it. Alcoholic beverages are made from complex mixtures of grains, chemicals, and preservatives that your body needs to break down. If your body can’t do this well enough, you will have a reaction. Common allergens in alcoholic beverages include:

BarleyEgg protein (usually in wine) Gluten GrapesHistaminesHopsRyeSeafood proteins Sodium metabisulfiteSulfitesWheatYeast

Red wine is more likely to cause a reaction than any other alcoholic drink. Beer and whiskey also can cause reactions because both are made from four common allergens: yeast, hops, barley, and wheat. You may be more likely to have an intolerance to alcohol or allergic symptoms if you:

Are of Asian descentHave asthma or hay fever Are allergic to grains or have other food allergies Have Hodgkin’s lymphoma

If you’re taking medication, check with your doctor to see if it’s OK to drink alcohol while you take it. If you think alcohol is causing your reactions, talk to your doctor. To find out what’s going on, they may do the following:

Ask you about your family history, Much like allergies, alcohol intolerance can be passed down in families. Your doctor will ask if you have other relatives who have similar problems when they drink.Ask you about your symptomsDo a physical exam Do a skin prick test. It can show if you are allergic to an ingredient in alcoholic beverages. You’ll get a prick on your skin with a tiny bit of the substance you may be allergic to. If you are allergic, you’ll get a raised bump in that spot.Test your blood

Your doctor also may recommend that you stop drinking all alcoholic beverages for a while. Then you can start again, perhaps trying just one of your go-to drinks at a time. If the reactions return with specific drinks, then you know which ones cause problems for you.

Lie down right away.Take a shot of adrenaline ( epinephrine ) if possible.Call 911.

If you have an alcohol allergy, make sure to have epinephrine shots with you at all times and wear a medical ID bracelet that tells health professionals you have an allergy.

Do Italians really drink wine every day?

How to Drink Wine Like an Italian — Miramonti Corteno Italians love wine – Chianti, Pinot Grigio, Prosecco – the whole shebang. It is said that Italians drink at least a glass of wine per day, and we’re sure that’s true. While the rest of the world may consider drinking ‘wine’ as a luxury, in Italy, it is treated as an everyday custom.

Lunch, dinner or dessert – Italians love to pair their meals with a hearty glass of vino. For centuries, perhaps even millennia, the people of the country have had an interest in winemaking. From the Etruscans to the Romans, the art of winemaking runs deep in their veins. In those ancient days, the Romans even believed in the God of wine ‘Bacchus’.

Why Does Wine Give Me a Headache?

The wine was so important to the point that it is used as part of the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion. Today, Italy is considered to be one of the largest winemakers in the world, only second to France. In total, there are twenty wine regions in the country, all following the strict rules and restrictions that help regulate the quality of the wines produced. Italians love to know where their food comes from. It’s no different with wine. If you’re a lover of vino, then what better way to learn about the winemaking process than visiting an authentic Italian vineyard yourself? In the Northern Italian region of Italy, where our Alpine Hotel is located, there are countless vineyards you can visit.

For instance, if you are a fan of the red wine, then try visiting speciality Valtellinese wineries like, La Gatta has over cultivated about 30-acres of Nebbiolo grapes in the stunning scenery of the Valtellina landscape. There, you can book a tour of the winery, allowing you to see how the grape variety is grown, as well as how they’re fermented.

Without a doubt, learning about how wines are made will not only inform you of interesting knowledge but also foster a better appreciation of, Finding great food and wine pairing is one of those truly joyful moments in life! Though some certain pairing rules should be followed, it’s all about what feels best for you. In Italy, almost every meal can be paired with a delicious glass of wine, whether that’s a plate of or slices of salumi – there is always the perfect wine for it. In most cases, drinking wine usually involves drinking from a bottle, but if we told you theirs is a way to drink wines from a cask? And at much lower prices? In Italy, there are places called ‘Cantina Sociale’ – or social cellars in English – which allow you to get vino from a cask! Drinking from barrels derives from an age-old tradition where the wines are stored and fermented inside these wooden constructs. A daily ritual uniquely attributed to Italians is ‘aperitivo’. is a pre-meal drink specifically meant to whet your appetite, just before you have dinner. Though some popular drinks are usually a glass of Negroni or Spritz, much of the drinks does include a mixture of sparkling wines such as Prosecco or sparkling white wine. As you know, wines can be paired with most meals, particularly savoury dishes such as steak or pasta. But some of you may not know that dessert wines are also a thing. Dessert wines are sweeter varieties of wine that are typically paired with desserts.

Sweet wines are made from very ripe harvests, which require the right climatic conditions to support it (usually Autumn). In Lombardy, the most well-known wines are Moscato di Scanzo and Sangue di Giuda. To find the perfect desserts to pair with these sweet wines, do read our article on ‘ You Have to Try’.

: How to Drink Wine Like an Italian — Miramonti Corteno

Why don t you get hungover in Europe?

I get a message every three months or so on this topic. Someone has gone to Europe for the first time, and had wine there. They don’t get headaches, like they do when they drink wine in the US. They think it’s something special about European wines. Usually they think, because European laws don’t require the “has sulfites” warning on the label, that European wines are sulfite free, while American wines have sulfites added.

This is definitely not true at all. I’ve been to Europe several times. Here’s what is happening. First, the wines in Europe are NOT different than the European wines in the US. They don’t make an Italian wine “without preservatives” and then create a different US blend “with preservatives”. To begin with, ALL wines made everywhere have sulfites in them.

This is a natural substance found on the grapes, and is a natural preservative. If wine didn’t have sulfites in it, it would turn to vinegar immediately. The Europeans think Americans are ridiculous for saying “has sulfites” on wine labels. To them it’s like requiring a label saying “Has seeds!” on each apple you buy. Now, in addition to these natural sulfites, the vast majority of wineries add more sulfites to their wines, to help the wines age more than 6 months. This is true for pretty much every winery in the world except for the rare few who have labels which read “no sulfites added”.

1. You might say to yourself “Heck I’ll drink the wine the night that I get it from the store, it doesn’t need sulfites”.
2. However, remember that while you might intend to drink this wine you buy within six months, you don’t necessarily know how long it sat at the winery before shipping,
3. How long it took to ship to the warehouse,

how long it sat there, or how long it was sitting in the store. Because of all of these cumulative delays, wineries almost universally add sulfites to their wines. This helps the wines survive until the consumer opens the bottle, to ensure that the wine is still drinkable.

• A second reason that wines have sulfites added is that sulfites kill off nasty bugs that result from a not-super-clean winery.
• Some brand new wineries in California have constructed themselves in a way that is extremely hygenic, and can use low sulfites for drink-quick wines.
• The wineries who can do this promote this very loudly on their bottle labels, because it is so rare! This couldn’t happen at centuries old European wineries.

Remember, even if a winery is super clean and does not need sulfites to keep its equipment clean, the winery would still need to add sulfites to the wine unless they were making sure that you, the consumer, were going to drink the wine immediately. Without the sulfites added in, the wine starts turning into vinegar very quickly.

• The easy way to see if sulfites are a problem are for you is to eat a food high in natural sulfites – say, dried apricots.
• On average, 2oz of dried apricots have 10 times the sulfites as a glass of wine does.
• If you eat those apricots and have a reaction, now you know it’s time to talk with a doctor.
• If you don’t have a problem with the apricots, the wines with sulfites are not going to cause you a problem either.

So in general it’s very UNlikely that sulfites are suddenly “not a problem” when you go to Europe. If anything, you’d have more of a problem in Europe if you were sensitive to sulfites. So what else could it be? How about tannins? Many people who get a “red wine headache” are sensitive to tannins.

However, European wines certainly aren’t “less tannic” than American wines! In fact, most Americans have a sweeter palate than Europeans do, so most European wines are generally made in a style which is more tannic than US wines are. Tannins come from the red skins of the grapes. It’s the thick, tongue-leathering, tea leaf aspect of wine.

In fact your tongue IS being “tanned” by the tannins, just like leather gets tanned. In any case, all red wines are going to have tannins. If you’re sensitive to tannins, do you have a problem with tea? That would narrow it down for you there. If you can drink strong tea without an issue, then tannins in wine probably aren’t going to bother you. How about histamines? We all know how histamines cause allergies. Yes, red wines have histamines in them. Again, like tannins, histamines come from the skins so red wines (which sit on the skins during fermentation) will have more. Histamines are also found in strawberries, tomatoes and ripe fruits.

Some poeple are allergic to bee stings, and have reactions to histamines in foods. These reactions can range from nervousness to panic attacks and more. Sometimes it takes 2-3 days for these reactions to begin, because of the way the body metabolizes histamines. To test if it’s histamines that cause you problems, eat a bunch of strawberries and then note your feelings for the next 3 days.

Of course I caveat that if you’ve never tried at strawberry at all, maybe you should start with one in case you have a serious reaction 🙂 In any case, after you eat the bunch, if you seem to have an issue, talk with a doctor. But as far as wine goes, wine has far less histamines than these natural fruits do – and European wine would have the exact same amounts (if not more) than typical American wines.

It’s unlikely, if you’ve been drinking wines in the US, that you’d have a “better experience” with wines in Europe, based on any histamine issues. OK, how about cogeners? Cogeners are the impurities found in alcohols. Careful winemaking techniques can often reduce the amount of cogeners in a wine. Really, this is usually seen in hard alcohol and sake production.

It’s very unlikely, unless you drank $2.99 wine in the US and were drinking $50 wine in Europe, that this would be any different. So what does this leave? It leaves HOW you are drinking the wine in Europe, vs HOW you drink wine in the US. Numerous tests have shown over and over again that this is the real difference, when people drink wine at home in the US vs when they travel in Europe and drink wine there.

In European wine culture, you always have a bottle of water on the table, your glass of wine, and a lot of healthy, natural food. You drink the wine, you drink the water, you eat the food, over a multi-hour long meal. The wine is absorbed in small doses. The water helps to moderate the dehydration the wine causes.

The food slows down the absorption. In between meals, you are walking around and getting exercise. In comparison, when you drink in the US you usually eat far less variety of healthy food in one sitting. The food you eat doesn’t absorb the wine as well.

You’re often eating processed white bread instead of hearty fiber-rich bread. You’re rarely drinking water. You usually aren’t getting nearly as much exercise. You’re usually eating much more quickly. All of these things combine to cause the wine to hit you with a much harder effect. Of course, there’s an easy way to prove this to yourself, if you don’t believe our tests.

The next time you go to Italy or France, get a bottle of a known wine – say Ruffino’s Chianti or a known Bordeaux. Drink it there and write down your reactions. Then, when you get home, get the exact same bottle. You don’t have to carry it back with you – the winery ships the same bottle to all locations, only the label changes.

1. Drink it one time in your normal eating style.
2. Write down notes.
3. Then re-create an atmosphere of the restaurant – make rich, healthy food.
4. Eat high fiber bread.
5. Make multi courses over several hours.
6. Play relaxing music.
7. Spend the time talking with friends, and drinking water.
8. Go for long walks before the meal.

See for yourself that your body doesn’t magically react differently to the wine, It’s the same wine. Your body is reacting to the way you’re drinking the wine. The Europeans have been doing this for thousands of years, and know how to drink wine in a healthy way.

Why is wine different in Europe?

3. Alcohol Content – Lower alcohol content is the norm in European wines. This is partially due to the tradition of drinking wine with meals in Europe. But, in the United States, alcohol levels in wine have increased over the past several decades. This can make American wines more challenging to pair with food.

Will alcohol headache go away?

– There is no proven cure for a hangover headache, but there are some methods for improving the symptoms of a hangover. These include hydrating, eating carbohydrates, and taking certain painkillers. A person should avoid acetaminophen as it can worsen the effects of alcohol on the liver.

1. A person should take ibuprofen or aspirin with caution as they could irritate the lining of the stomach.
2. The ethanol in alcoholic beverages can cause headaches through vasodilation and by acting as a diuretic.
3. Congeners are present in some alcoholic beverages, and can also cause or contribute to headaches.

People should generally avoid hangover cure myths, including “hair of the dog” and eating usually unpalatable food such as raw eggs. A person should contact a doctor if they or someone around them is experiencing symptoms after alcohol consumption including excessive vomiting, seizures, skin turning purple or blue, or falling unconscious.

Which wines don’t give you a headache?

Sips of the Week – This week we are addressing your questions on wine and wellnesswhat wines to drink if you are watching your weight, have migraines or even seasonal allergies. Find out which wines are the best to consume if you suffer allergies, headaches or just want to drop some pounds! Migraine Headaches? Drink: Pinot Gris White wines like Pinot Gris or low tannin red wines like Pinot Noir.

• Tannins, also found in chocolate, are known to cause Migraine headaches but number one reason for wine headaches is dehydration.
• Tyramine constricts then dilates blood vessels and Sav Blanc and Chard are lowest in this Drink more water! Avoid: Tannic reds like Cabernet, Petite Sirah and Nebbiolo Wine: Elk Cove Pinot Gris, Oregon $18, Watching Your Weight? Drink: Beaujolais If you are watching your weight choose lower alcohol, dry wines like Riesling for white or Beaujolais for red as these have the lowest calorie content.

Most importantly watch your Portion controlShow what 3 and 6 oz looks like in glass. Wine during the meal will slow down eatingshow how to make a wine sandwich. Wine is part of the recipe of your meal. Avoid: Avoid dessert wines like ice wine or Sauternes that are high in calories or high alcohol red wines Calculate Calories for Dry Wines: Ounces of wine x alcohol % x 1.6 = calories 15% Zin: 5x15x1.6=120 12% Beaujolais: 5x12x1.6=96 – Saved 24 calories times 365 days that’s 2.5 pounds!! Wine: Henry Fessy Beaujolais Villages, Burgundy France $15 Allergies? Drink: Sauvignon Blanc If drinking wine gives you symptoms like congestion or headaches it might just be histamines are the culprit.

• Try drinking dry whites like Sauvignon Blanc or sparkling wines like Cava or Prosecco as they are lower in histamines than red wines.
• If you have a sensitivity to sulfites, you may need to avoid all wine as sulfites are naturally created during fermentation.
• People sensitive to sulfites will get hives and/or asthmatic reactions.

Depending on the severity of your reaction you can experiment with organic wines that have no added sulfites. Avoid: Red wines which are high in histamines that can cause an allergy/Sinus like headache. If sulfites are a problem then avoid sweet white wines that tend to have higher sulfite content.

Why do I get headache after 1 beer?

Dehydration – Drinking alcohol causes the kidneys to excrete more fluid. This leads to excessive urination and dehydration, which may cause a headache after a small amount of alcohol. Making sure to drink plenty of water during and after alcohol consumption can decrease the chance of headaches.

What alcohol is least likely to cause headaches?

Related Articles – Drs Terwindt and Onderwater: Various alcoholic beverages have been suggested as migraine triggers. However, although all of these beverages contain ethanol, other compounds vary between drinks. Thus, it is difficult to say whether ethanol — perhaps through its vasoactive properties or neuroinflammatory effects — may be the culprit, or whether other compounds found in alcoholic drinks are responsible.

1. Our study identified vodka, which contains almost no substances other than ethanol and water, as the least frequent migraine-provoking beverage, and red wine as the most frequent provoking beverage.
2. This implies that ethanol is not the main culprit, but other compounds in wine such as histamine, tyramine, phenylethylamine, and flavonoids, which have also been suggested by other studies.

However, as these compounds vary between brands and types of wine, further research on this would need to be performed in an experimental fashion. Neurology Advisor: What are some key considerations for clinicians in advising patients on this topic? Dr Minen: Following alcohol exposure, some people with migraine can have a migraine attack, while others are completely fine.

As Dueland says, “Based on the literature, there is no reason to tell headache patients in general to abstain from alcohol.” 1 Thus, I do not recommend elimination of specific foods or alcohol, but I do ask people to track their headaches in a headache diary and see if they can note any associations, as well as their response to headache management.

Certain migraine triggers may be unavoidable, so preventive treatments – both pharmacologic and behavioral – may be used to try to prevent attacks. Other triggers, such as alcohol exposure, can be avoided. Despite many requests for medications to prevent alcohol-induced migraines, counseling patients regarding avoidance is my preferred treatment plan.

Many medications interact with alcohol, and furthermore, because of the tenant “First, do no harm,” it is hard to justify using medications so that people can consume alcohol when most medications have adverse effects. Drs Terwindt and Onderwater: Our results show that alcoholic beverages are frequently recognized as migraine trigger factors and already have a substantial effect on alcohol consumption.

Whether alcohol is a factual or presumed trigger remains to be investigated further, as the low consistency of provocation observed thus far suggests alcoholic beverages may be insufficient as the sole migraine trigger; perhaps a fluctuating trigger threshold is also involved.

• Therefore, we would recommend that clinicians advise their patients to keep a headache trigger diary to see if a possible relationship with alcohol may be present (including other factors that may influence this effect, such as sleep deprivation or menstruation).
• If so, a trial of abstaining might be worthwhile in these specific cases.

We do not advocate abstaining in all patients with migraine. Neurology Advisor: What should be the focus of future research pertaining to alcohol intake as a headache trigger? Dr Minen: Researchers should continue to investigate the mechanisms behind alcohol triggering headache, as these are not fully understood.

1. Drs Terwindt and Onderwater: As mentioned, we currently do not know which compounds might be responsible for the presumed triggering effect or whether other trigger factors may be involved.
2. Various factors would need to be investigated in placebo-controlled studies.
3. However, such studies are difficult to set up and expensive to perform.

Additionally, prospective cohort studies, likely through the use of mobile diary apps in which patients record triggers and headaches on a daily basis, may be helpful. Most likely, a combination of triggers is needed to provoke an attack at a certain time, and these combinations may be different for each patient.

Dueland AN.,2015;55(7):1045-1049. Onderwater GLJ, van Oosterhout WPJ, Schoonman GG, Ferrari MD, Terwindt GM. Eur J Neurol, doi: Zlotnik Y, Plakht Y, Aven A, Engel Y, Am NB, Ifergane G. J Neurosci Rural Pract,2014; 5(2):128-134.

: Migraine and Alcohol: Encouraging a Healthy Balance of Indulgence and Vigilance

Does water help alcohol headaches?

2. Stay hydrated – Drinking alcohol can lead to dehydration in a few different ways. First, alcohol has a diuretic effect, meaning that it increases the production of urine. This can lead to the loss of fluids and electrolytes that your body needs in order to function properly ( 4, 5 ).

1. Second, consuming excessive amounts of alcohol can lead to vomiting and diarrhea, causing further loss of fluids and electrolytes ( 6 ).
2. Although dehydration is not the only cause of a hangover, it contributes to many common hangover symptoms, including increased thirst, fatigue, headache, and dizziness ( 7 ).

As such, increasing your water intake may alleviate some symptoms of hangovers — or potentially even prevent them altogether. When drinking alcohol, a good rule is to alternate between a glass of water and an alcoholic drink. Though this won’t necessarily prevent dehydration, it can help you moderate your alcohol intake.

Do I get instant headaches when I drink alcohol?

Frequently Asked Questions –

• Can alcohol give you an instant headache? Yes, some people can experience what is medically referred to as an immediate alcohol-induced headache. This was previously known as a cocktail headache. The medical definition of an immediate alcohol-induced headache is that it occurs within three hours of consuming alcohol.
• What does a cocktail headache feel like? An immediate alcohol-induced headache, also called a cocktail headache, typically occurs on both sides of the head. This kind of headache is often a pulsating or throbbing type of pain.
• How do you treat an alcohol-related headache? Alcohol-induced headaches can be treated with an over-the-counter pain reliever, such as Tylenol (acetaminophen) or Advil (ibuprofen). In addition, it is essential to drink water or a hydrating electrolyte drink like Pedialyte or Gatorade. If you are hungry, eat something bland. And get plenty of rest. Alcohol-induced headaches can last for a few hours, though they may linger for the rest of the day.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

1. Panconesi A. Alcohol-induced headaches: evidence for a central mechanism ? J Neurosci Rural Pract,2016;7(2):269–275. doi:10.4103/0976-3147.178654.
2. Headache Classification Committee of the International Headache Society (IHS). The International Classification of Headache Disorders, 3rd edition, Cephalalgia,2018;38(1):1-211.
3. Onderwater GLJ, Van Ooosterhout WPJ, Schoonman GG, Ferrari MD, Terwindt GM. Alcoholic beverages as trigger factor and the effect on alcohol consumption behavior in patients with migraine, Eur J Neurol,2019;26(4):588-595. doi:10.1111/ene.13861
4. Pergolizzi JV, Coluzzi F, Varrassi G, et al. Red wine triggers may lead to better understanding of migraine headache: a narrative review, J Wine Res,2019;30(1):15-30. doi:10.1080/09571264.2019.1573360
5. García-Martín E, Martínez C, Serrador M, et al. Alcohol dehydrogenase 2 genotype and risk for migraine, Headache,2010;50(1):85-91. doi:10.1111/j.1526-4610.2009.01396.x
6. Davis-Martin RE, Polk AN, Smitherman TA. Alcohol use as a comorbidity and precipitant of primary headache: review and meta-analysis, Curr Pain Headache Rep,2017;21(10):42. doi:10.1007/s11916-017-0642-8
7. U.S. National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus. Headache,

By Colleen Doherty, MD Colleen Doherty, MD, is a board-certified internist living with multiple sclerosis. Thanks for your feedback!