Headache etc.
Does this social media trick really help against the New Year’s hangover?
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The skull is buzzing, the stomach is reporting nausea. If the last drink was bad, we usually end up with a nasty hangover the next day. A special remedy is said to be a real insider tip against headaches etc.
New Year’s Eve is one of those evenings on which even otherwise very disciplined people quickly drink too much. While it’s a lot of fun to have a little (or not so little) tipsiness at the party, we get the receipt the next morning at the latest: the nasty hangover is knocking on the door – complete with a headache, nausea and tiredness.
But what really helps against the after-effects of alcohol? Eating rollmops and other salty foods? Headache pills? Or just endure it? An alleged hangover insider tip is currently making its way online: the drug Elotrans. Actually a remedy for diarrhea, the medicine is also said to quickly get rid of hangover symptoms. But is that really true?
Diarrhea medication Elotrans for hangovers: what’s wrong with it?
Influencers post on Instagram about their positive experiences with Elotrans for a hangover – at times the hype got so bad that it was even hard to get in pharmacies. This often affects parents because the medication is normally used primarily to treat children with diarrhea. The manufacturer, the pharmaceutical company Stada, also posts memes and pictures about the drug and its effects against diarrhea – and hangover symptoms – on a specially created Instagram account.
In order to be able to judge whether Elotrans can really put an end to headaches, nausea, etc. after one too many drinks, we first have to look at how it actually works. According to the manufacturer, the drug compensates for the loss of water and electrolytes with salts, glucose and minerals. You mix a powder into a solution for drinking. Instead of just for diarrhea, you should now take Elotrans before going to bed after a night of drinking to ease the hangover the next morning.
Can this work? If we drink (a lot) of alcohol, it can actually have a negative effect on our electrolyte balance. Heiner Wedemeyer from the German Society for Gastroenterology, Digestive and Metabolic Diseases (DGVS) confirmed this to the German Press Agency. In this case, a remedy like Elotrans could actually help. “But the effects won’t be big,” said the expert.
Headaches and the like: This is the best way to combat the (New Year’s Eve) hangover
Rather, Heiner Wedemeyer recommends “the good old home remedies” in the event of an alcohol hangover, for example after a New Year’s Eve party. Because they are ultimately equivalent to a drug like Elotrans. His tips if it was a glass too many: “Drink enough, add carbohydrates, if necessary a headache tablet, for example aspirin, eat salty.”
The best option for minimizing headaches, grumbling stomachs, etc. the next morning is of course in the evening: enjoy alcohol in moderation, don’t mix too many different things and drink water with your drinks. Well then cheers!
Sources used: DPA, rnd.de, geo.de