Does marijuana prevent/treat alcohol hangovers?

[npts2020]

no! paracetemol is processed by the liver, incidently also the organ which is dealing with the large amount of alcohol in your blood stream. ibuprofen is a much better alternative as it is not processed by the liver.

*this is not medical advice*

 

Ibuprofen is definitely processed by the liver. Google "effect of ibuprofen on the liver" and you will find literally thousands of articles and studies about the negative effects of the drug on your liver.

[mississippichem]

I might be wrong, someone correct me or confirm, I think hangovers are caused by the oxidation of ethanol en vivo to acetaldehyde. I have a sneeking suspicion that many low molecular weight aldehyde are arterial constrictors...tension headache. I know that certain ethnic groups lack an enzyme that oxidizes ethanol (ethanol oxidase...?), these ethnic groups have a statistically lower incidence of hangovers. Can't find a citation, but I read it in a peer reviewed journal. Anyone find a reference?

[Payne_sx]

Hi there,

 

Randomly stumbled across this thread - so I thought someone might care about my experience with this

 

 

I smoke weed on a daily basis (just as a side note, I live in Holland where's it perfectly legal) - mind you it's not a lot in quantity (maybe up to 5 grams in two-four weeks of Holland's better stuff) - and I also recently started using a vaporizer (out of heath precautions; I do a lot of sports).

 

 

Based on my own experience with alcohol and weed - that you can still get quite a sizable hangover even if you've smoked recently. By recently I of course do not mean right before drinking, because as someone pointed out - that's VERY bad. Ill cover that a bit at the end. If it's of any use: I also generally have pretty high alcohol tolerance; exceptionally high metabolism; and always hydrate properly; and rarely overdo alcohol or weed as I enjoy both in moderation. So anyway, like I said just last night I was at a party and .. well ended up going with the hype and drinking a bit too much.

 

 

I drank about a liter of water overnight (was out of sports drinks, which usually do it for me) and I'm experiencing a nasty hangover. As the day progressed I actually forced myself to vomit, drank tons of sports drinks (which did not necessarily help as I was already hangover) and it's subsiding now. I just smoked a bit of weed and it does seem to be helping a bit, perhaps I should've tried it sooner .

 

 

Now to alcohol and weed at the same time - it's not horrible if done in extreme moderation. The problem is that you can very easily overdo it. Mixing a slight buzz with a little highness can be awesome, however the line to "totally passed out and drained of all energy" is extremely thin. Hence why I rarely do this, and would advise anyone against it.

 

 

By the way - I'm sorry as I only read about half the posts in this thread, and I normally dislike posting without getting the whole picture. But as I pointed out I'm hangover and not in the best of states, so I thought my experience with this might help someone.

[gene999]

Some things you can do to prevent hangovers are 1) eat a greasy meal first 2) drink clear alcoholic drinks MORE?

 

[tycon69]

FYI, acetaminophen and alcohol are metabolized by the same enzyme in the liver. Ibuprofin is metabolized by a different enzyme in the liver, so it a bit safer post-binge.

 

Both ethanol and the other chemicals in alcoholic beverages contribute to the hangover.

 

As for the OP's original question, I personally believe it to be a great hangover treatment but not a cure. If one were to wake up with the need to throw up, a small portion of marijuana would inhibit the nausea, from my experience, although in extreme cases it is ineffective. I also believe it to be beneficial in the treatment of hangover headaches. Generally, marijuana also brightens a person's mood, especially when one is grumpy and hungover.

Edited August 23, 2011 by tycon69

[Moontanman]

Drinking lots of water post alcohol binge is the best way to prevent hang overs, i haven't had a hang over since I figured this out, I like tequila and I will drink lots of it on occasion but I get no hang overs, i literally haven't had a hang over in 20 years or more. I feel fine the next day i get up fry eggs and potatoes and i am ready to go while everyone else is hung over too bad to enjoy anything (I usually do this on fishing/camping trips) kind of sad really hang overs are so easy to prevent. They even give this info out to college students.

[John Cuthber]

"FYI, acetaminophen and alcohol are metabolized by the same enzyme in the liver. "

FYI they are not.

One is oxidised by cytochrome p4502EI and the other is dehydrognated to acetaldehyde by alcohol dehydrogenase.

Ibuprofen is metabolised by a different enzyme again, but more similar to the one that oxidises paracetamol.

[Bobbicus]

While alcohol and acetaminophen aren't metabolized by the same enzyme alcohol does increase the risk of liver damage from tylenol. Just as an honest FYI, watch out when taking medications containing it if you plan on drinking, it can kill you. Drinking water does help a hangover; drinking it after you've finished drinking alcohol is no less helpful than drinking it before and probably even more helpful. Aclohol works as a diuretic, it forces you to urinate much more than you normally would which results in the dehydration. Also build up of lactic acids contributes to the hangover. That's where most of the symptoms come from, dry mouth, head ache, nausea and what not. The only benefit marijuana would provide would be from the immediate effects of the "high". If you'd smoked a bowl yesterday it's not going to help your hangover today.

Edited October 10, 2011 by Bobbicus