No single medicine cures a hangover, but a few over-the-counter options can take the edge off specific symptoms like headache, nausea, and stomach irritation. The right choice depends on which symptoms are hitting you hardest and, just as importantly, which medicines are safe to take after a night of drinking.
Best Pain Reliever for a Hangover Headache
Ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin) is the most commonly recommended option for a hangover headache. It reduces inflammation and works relatively quickly. A standard over-the-counter dose is usually enough to bring relief within 30 to 60 minutes.
Aspirin works similarly but shares a downside with ibuprofen: both can irritate your stomach lining. If your hangover leans more toward nausea and stomach pain than headache, these might make the gut symptoms worse. For a headache-dominant hangover with minimal stomach trouble, ibuprofen is a solid pick.
Why You Should Avoid Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is the one pain reliever you want to skip after drinking. Both acetaminophen and alcohol are processed by your liver, and they compete for the same protective molecule called glutathione. Drinking depletes your liver’s glutathione stores, which means your liver has fewer resources to safely handle acetaminophen. The combination can cause serious liver damage.
For people who drink heavily or binge drink regularly, the risk is even higher. Cleveland Clinic physicians recommend that heavy drinkers keep their daily acetaminophen dose under 2,000 mg, half the usual maximum of 4,000 mg. After a night of heavy drinking, the safest move is to avoid it altogether and reach for ibuprofen instead.
Settling Your Stomach
Alcohol irritates the lining of your stomach directly, which is why nausea, heartburn, and that queasy “acid” feeling are such common hangover symptoms. Antacids (like Tums or Rolaids) are FDA-approved for mild heartburn and indigestion, and they can help neutralize excess stomach acid the morning after. They also help with symptoms of gastritis, the inflammation of your stomach lining that alcohol causes.
Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) is another option that targets both nausea and stomach upset. It coats the stomach lining and can calm that churning feeling. Keep in mind, though, that it contains a compound related to aspirin, so it carries the same caution about stomach irritation if your gut is already in rough shape.
One thing worth knowing: antacids are safe to take after drinking, but alcohol can continue irritating your stomach even while the antacid is working. They’ll help, but they won’t fully cancel out the damage alcohol already did.
Hydration Matters More Than You Think
Alcohol is a diuretic, meaning it pushes your body to lose more fluid than you’re taking in. Much of what makes a hangover miserable, including the headache, fatigue, and dizziness, ties back to dehydration and electrolyte loss. Medicine alone won’t fix that.
Plain water helps, but drinks with electrolytes (sodium, potassium, glucose) do a better job of restoring fluid balance. Water by itself can actually dilute your remaining electrolyte levels further if you’re already depleted. Oral rehydration solutions, sports drinks, or even broth give your body the sodium and minerals it needs to actually hold onto the fluid you’re drinking. A glass of water or an electrolyte drink before bed, and another when you wake up, makes a noticeable difference.
Do B Vitamins or Supplements Help?
Plenty of hangover products market B vitamins, especially B6 and B12, as a cure. The evidence doesn’t support this. A 2020 study found that a multivitamin containing B vitamins showed no statistically significant reduction in hangover symptoms. Taking a large dose before drinking doesn’t help either, because alcohol reduces your body’s ability to absorb B vitamins in the first place.
Dihydromyricetin (DHM), a compound from the Japanese raisin tree, has generated buzz as a hangover supplement. It may support alcohol metabolism in the liver, but it’s still in early-stage clinical testing. A Phase 1 trial is currently evaluating its safety and dosing in healthy volunteers, with no published results yet. It’s not proven, and the supplements sold online aren’t regulated for quality or dosing consistency.
A Practical Hangover Plan
Hangovers involve several overlapping problems: dehydration, inflammation, stomach irritation, and poor sleep. No single pill addresses all of them, so the most effective approach is a combination:
- For headache: A standard dose of ibuprofen. Avoid acetaminophen.
- For nausea and heartburn: An antacid or bismuth subsalicylate.
- For dehydration: Electrolyte drinks or oral rehydration solutions, not just water.
- For overall recovery: Food, even if you don’t feel like eating. Simple carbohydrates and bland foods help stabilize blood sugar, which drops after heavy drinking.
Timing matters, too. Taking ibuprofen and drinking fluids before you go to sleep can blunt the worst of the morning symptoms, since hangover headaches and dehydration build while you sleep. If you wake up already feeling terrible, the same combination still works, just with a longer wait for relief. Most hangover symptoms peak when your blood alcohol level hits zero and resolve within 24 hours on their own. Medicine doesn’t speed up that timeline, but it makes the wait a lot more bearable.