How to treat a stomach that hurts after drinking alcohol

Causes of pain in the stomach

Alcohol begins to harm literally immediately after entering the human body. The oral cavity and stomach are the first to take the alcohol “blow.” At first:

1. In the oral cavity, alcohol begins to “poison” saliva, making it viscous and unsuitable for enveloping food.
2. Then the alcohol ends up in the stomach. There it is “met” by hydrochloric acid and pepsin - substances that are involved in the process of digesting food. Alcohol destroys them, which is why the nutritional components entering the body with food are less absorbed. This may cause stomach pain.
3. Alcohol provokes the secretion of additional gastric juice. This is why a person often develops an appetite after drinking strong drinks. However, if you drink a lot of alcohol, food is digested more slowly, appetite is dulled, and an unpleasant feeling of heaviness appears in the stomach and lower abdomen.
4. Alcohol is not immediately absorbed into the blood. Therefore, he has time to “mischief.” How does alcohol affect the stomach? It's not just about banal painful sensations. It is alcohol that often causes inflammatory processes in the gastric mucosa, giving rise to gastritis, ulcers and even neoplasms.
5. After entering the blood, alcohol toxins are distributed to all organs. The liver is especially affected. Often after breastfeeding, pain appears in this vital hematopoietic organ.
6. The most dangerous toxin is acetaldehyde, which is created after the breakdown of alcohol. It especially affects the stomach, where small ulcers and wounds appear. Quite quickly they become full-fledged ulcers.

Alcohol causes stomach and esophageal ulcers

Also in the stomach from alcohol:

• epithelial cells are destroyed. This is fraught with atrophy of the mucous membrane;
• The digestion process is inhibited - food remains in the stomach longer, which leads to diarrhea and intestinal poisoning.

If a person drinks and does not eat, hydrochloric acid will slightly damage the walls of the stomach. This will cause pain. If you drink constantly without a snack, or take alcohol on an empty stomach, an ulcer will form in the walls of the stomach.

Can gastritis develop due to alcohol?

In the case when a drinker’s stomach does not work after each consumption of alcohol and unpleasant symptoms appear, then most likely he has developed an alcoholic form of gastritis.

Modern medicine classifies this type of pathology as follows:

• Acute alcoholic gastritis.
• Chronic alcoholic gastritis.

Acute form of pathology

If, due to the abuse of alcohol-containing drinks, a person has developed an acute form of gastritis, then he may exhibit the following symptoms:

• bitter taste in the mouth;
• pain syndrome localized to the stomach;
• pressure surges (blood pressure);
• gag reflex (very often bile is present in the vomit, and blood clots can also be detected);
• the tongue swells and becomes inflamed, and a coating characteristic of alcoholics appears on it;
• appearance changes;
• the skin becomes very pale;
• the face becomes puffy;
• swelling appears;
• rapid pulse;
• disruption of defecation processes, etc.

It is necessary to treat this form of pathology with a complete abstinence from alcohol-containing drinks. Patients should contact a medical facility for consultation. Gastroenterologists will carry out a number of diagnostic procedures that will determine the extent of damage to the gastrointestinal tract.

After this, the patient will be prescribed a course of drug therapy aimed at stopping the attack. The patient must adhere to a diet during treatment, which will significantly speed up the recovery process.

If he follows the recommendations of specialists exactly, he will be able to completely get rid of the disease and return to a normal lifestyle.

In the case when the patient only relieves the pain syndrome that developed after another drinking session with medications, the pathology will enter the chronic stage.

Later, after drinking a decent dose of alcohol, he will have a relapse.

Chronic form of pathology

If a person regularly drinks alcohol-containing drinks and also practices binge drinking, then he will very quickly develop a chronic form of gastritis.

This pathology may be accompanied by characteristic symptoms:

• nausea (which does not go away even after vomiting);
• severe heartburn;
• pain syndrome, localized in the epigastric zone;
• heaviness in the stomach;
• disruption of defecation processes;
• gag reflex (painful);
• loss of appetite (complete or partial);
• strong feeling of thirst, etc.

To get rid of the chronic form of alcoholic gastritis, patients must first completely abandon their addiction. After this, they will have to undergo a long course of drug therapy, which includes a strict diet, taking medications, undergoing physical procedures and using traditional recipes.

Burning in the stomach after drinking alcohol

Drinking large amounts of alcohol can cause a painful burning sensation in the abdomen. These unpleasant sensations are usually caused by a burn to the walls of the stomach or esophagus. This usually happens if you drink a large dose of low-quality “fusel” alcohol in a short time. It will take more than one day to restore the stomach and its burned walls. If you drink regularly, healing will not occur at all. Pathological processes will begin at the site of the burn, gastritis or an ulcer will appear.

A burning sensation in the stomach may also appear after drinking a large amount of strong drinks on an empty stomach. Such a sudden intake of alcohol will greatly increase the production of gastric juice, which will begin to irritate the intestinal mucosa and cause pain. Alcohol drunk on an empty stomach destroys the epithelial cell layer in the stomach and reduces the production of protective mucus. It also causes severe, excruciating pain—the burning is almost unbearable.

The burning sensation is usually caused by a burn to the walls of the stomach or esophagus

How to improve bowel function

enema laxative

Intestinal disorders are a common problem with a hangover, because alcohol negatively affects its microflora. In addition, drinking is often accompanied by a rich snack, which additionally loads the entire digestive system and makes it difficult to quickly recover from a hangover.

It will no longer be possible to undo the damage caused: alcohol inevitably affects the intestinal mucosa, penetrating from there into the circulatory system. Otherwise there would be no effect of intoxication and there would be no point in drinking. What can be done with a hangover is to resume the normal functioning of the intestines, freeing it from the remnants of yesterday's drinking. During a hangover, alcohol still continues to be absorbed from the intestines into the blood and thus poisons the entire body, and the accumulated food prevents the intestines from quickly getting rid of alcohol and harmful products of its breakdown.

The best and fastest way to cleanse the intestines is a siphon enema (5-7 times in a row, until the wash water is clear). If you don’t know how or are disdainful to give yourself an enema, you can replace it with a non-toxic laxative: senna or sorbitol. Colon cleansing quickly and effectively helps bring the entire body back to normal, even with a severe hangover.

What stomach diseases does alcohol cause?

Most often, alcohol can trigger the following stomach diseases:

1. Stomach ulcer. After drinking alcohol, pain appears in the upper abdomen. The person may begin to vomit blood. In this case, you should definitely consult a doctor.
2. Chronic forms of gastritis. They do not appear immediately, but in the morning, with a hangover. A person begins to suffer from nagging pain in the stomach, heartburn and thirst the day after drinking. He develops severe diarrhea and nausea. Drinking large amounts of alcohol can provoke acute symptoms of the disease.
3. Acute gastritis. Regular consumption of large quantities of strong alcoholic drinks leads to the development of the disease. Among the symptoms of the disease, it is worth highlighting severe repeated vomiting, replete with blood and mucus, chronic constipation, belching, painful heartburn and constant pain in the abdominal area. The patient's mouth begins to taste bitter, his tongue swells slightly, making it difficult to swallow food. If you have such symptoms, you should not think about what to do, but immediately consult a doctor.
4. Dysphagia. The disease causes food eaten from the stomach to move back into the esophagus. This causes heartburn, belching and painful sensations in the chest and neck area. The esophagus hurts a lot after drinking alcohol.
5. Problems with the swallowing reflex due to weakened motility in the esophagus area.

Abdominal pain is also typical for liver diseases (cholecystitis, hepatitis, cirrhosis). With cholecystitis, the pain is especially severe in the lower hypochondrium of the abdomen. Also, painful sensations in the abdomen are a common symptom of pancreatitis. With this disease, the insides in the subcostal region around the entire circumference of the abdomen unbearably hurt, and the stomach does not work.

The effect of alcohol on the body

Ethyl alcohol is a weak poison, the negative effect of which appears gradually. Its main danger is that it has a strong toxic effect. As a result of alcohol abuse, the nervous, cardiovascular, endocrine, genitourinary and digestive systems suffer.

After drinking alcohol, brain cells die, the liver is destroyed, personality degradation occurs, and kidney failure develops.

The list goes on for a long time. By recognizing the problem, a person takes the first step towards recovery. At the first stage it will be more difficult for him than during other periods of treatment. This is due to the presence of withdrawal syndrome. It occurs already in the second stage of alcoholism.

Its symptoms include:

1. Heart rhythm disturbances.
2. Severe headaches.
3. Convulsive syndrome.
4. Trembling of limbs.
5. Hallucinations.
6. Excessive sweating.
7. Sudden change of mood.
8. Problems with the gastrointestinal tract.
9. Weakness throughout the body.
10. Insomnia.
11. Arterial hypertension.

To restore the body after alcohol, you will need to muster all your willpower. During this period of time, the body rebels against the therapy, since acetaldehyde and other breakdown products of ethanol have not yet been eliminated.

How to “stop” “alcoholic” stomach pain?

First of all you need:

• Rinse the stomach thoroughly. It is best to use ordinary lukewarm water for this. You just need to drink a liter or a half of this liquid. This will inevitably cause vomiting. If there is a lot of blood in the vomit, you should immediately consult a doctor;
• drink activated carbon. The amount of medication should depend on body weight. For 10 kg you need to take at least one tablet of the drug.

People who suffer from pancreatitis, gastric ulcers or hepatitis should urgently call an ambulance after the appearance of “alcoholic” pain in the abdominal area.

How to restore kidneys

If you are concerned about the condition of your kidneys, then after drinking, doctors recommend going on a therapeutic diet number 7a or 7b - depending on how much damage you have had to your kidneys.

Read also: Period of alcohol withdrawal from the body

Treatment table 7b is usually prescribed for a variety of inflammatory kidney diseases, and treatment table 7a is prescribed for the most serious renal failure (chronic or severe acute). You can find a detailed menu of therapeutic diets on specialized websites.

Relieving “alcoholic” stomach pain without drugs

If there are no medications nearby, and the “alcoholic” pain urgently needs to be removed, you can use ordinary products:

• just eat a few ripe plums. This will relieve stomach cramps;
• eat a couple of black peppercorns. They need to be chewed and washed down with plenty of lukewarm water (at least 400 ml), and the discomfort in the abdominal cavity will disappear. The lower abdomen will also stop hurting;
• chamomile or mint tea will relieve pain and soothe the intestines;
• brine from cabbage or cucumbers will solve the problem by neutralizing the acid that corrodes the stomach walls;
• flax or sea buckthorn will relieve pain.

We treat the liver

giving up alcohol healthy lifestyle
Subscribe to our YouTube channel!
The liver, of course, takes the brunt of drinking. It processes 90% of the alcohol that enters the body. Fortunately, this organ has an amazing ability to regenerate. And in order for it to begin to recover, you just need to stop drinking (unless, of course, you have chronic liver disease).

You may have heard about hepatoprotectors, designed to protect and heal the liver. Unfortunately, carefully conducted studies do not confirm their effectiveness. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to take alcohol pills and be healthy.

The surest way to help your liver is to stop harming it, that is, to give up bad habits.
In addition, a healthy lifestyle contributes to liver health: proper nutrition, regular exercise, and controlling your weight. The best way to improve your liver health has not yet been found. Subscribe to our YouTube channel!
How to protect the liver from damaging factors. Infographics.

Ways to restore normal stomach function after libations

It is important to be able to provide first aid and know how to restore the stomach after alcohol.

In order to achieve normal functioning of the gastrointestinal tract as soon as possible after heavy libations, you should take:

• antispasmodic painkillers such as No-Shpa. They will remove spasms, soothe pain and help the body quickly get rid of the harmful effects of alcohol toxins. The effect of alcohol on the stomach will be temporarily extinguished;
• if drinking causes severe diarrhea, taking the antidiarrheal drug Loperamide is indicated. Diarrhea can also be stopped with a regular oak decoction;
• to neutralize painful belching, bloating and heartburn, drugs such as Gaviscon, Gastal, Espumizam and Rennie are indicated;
• If you have belching with the smell of rotten eggs, heaviness in the stomach and constipation, you should take the Festal enzyme. If constipation and pain are especially severe, it is better to give preference to Motilium. The drug enhances peristalsis and removes inhibition of intestinal activity caused by alcohol;
• to remove the painful feeling of heaviness in the stomach area, you need to drink the enzymes “Panzinorm” and “Mezim Forte”;
• to remove toxins and eliminate the consequences of intoxication, you should take Polyphepan, Enterosgel, Smecta and other enterosorbents;

But you should not take aspirin. This drug is not friendly with alcohol. It is especially undesirable for people suffering from ulcers to drink them together. This is fraught with bleeding and severe abdominal pain.

Polyphepan and Enterosgel will help remove toxins and eliminate the consequences of intoxication

You should also follow a special diet. Temporarily exclude fried, spicy and smoked foods from your diet. Do not drink carbonated drinks. Do not drink coffee, milk, or eat chocolate.

If you cannot get rid of the negative consequences of drinking alcohol even after two days, you should definitely consult a doctor.

What to do to restore the body after alcohol

To restore normal functioning of the body, it is first necessary to get rid of the remnants of alcohol and toxins that remain after processing alcohol - that is, to detoxify the body. We have a detailed article on general detoxification measures, and here we will address issues of restoring the functionality of specific organs and systems of the body during a hangover. You'll also learn how you can reduce the damage that drinking has done to these organs, if at all possible.

How to prevent the occurrence of alcoholic gastritis?

Alcoholic gastritis is an unpleasant, dangerous disease caused by constant alcohol abuse. Its main symptoms are:

• nausea, painful heartburn and belching;
• severe pain caused by stomach cramps;
• burning sensation in the left hypochondrium;
• fever, which is accompanied by a low temperature (up to +37.6);
• general weakness and chronic loss of strength.

To avoid alcoholic gastritis or to prevent the disease from causing relapses, you should:

• Never drink alcohol on an empty stomach (even low-alcohol drinks). First you should eat some fatty food, and only then start drinking. It is also necessary to have a good snack while taking strong drinks;
• quit smoking;
• do not overeat, eat “fractionally”, that is, many times a day, but in small portions;
• try to be in harmony with yourself, avoid stress.

Alcoholic gastritis leads to the development of gastric ulcers, causing severe pain. If this complication occurs, there is no way to do without antiulcer drugs such as Famotidine, Ranitidine and Omeprazole. The dosage of these drugs should be selected by a doctor.

Only a doctor can accurately answer the question of why your stomach hurts after drinking alcohol, after conducting the necessary tests and examinations.

Principles of treatment of acute poisoning

Treatment of alcoholic gastritis will take quite a long time, since the disease tends to periodic exacerbations. In order for the treatment to be successful, some rules must be followed:

• completely stop drinking alcohol;
• stop smoking;
• follow a diet (fractional meals in small portions with the exclusion of unwanted foods);
• strict adherence to doctor's recommendations for taking medications;
• Avoid stressful situations whenever possible.

Read also: Alcohol in Parkinson's disease

The disease, if all recommendations are followed, has a favorable prognosis. Recovery usually occurs within two to three weeks.

If your stomach hurts due to poisoning for a longer period of time and treatment does not bring the desired effect, what should you do in this case? Why is treatment not effective? In this situation, the attending physician must prescribe an additional examination and decide on changing the tactics of treating the disease.

Perhaps gastritis has become complicated by ulcerative lesions of the gastric mucosa and the prescription of antiulcer drugs is required. Such drugs include Omeprazole, Ranitidine, Famotidine, which are used in individual dosages in combination with other drugs.

If help is provided on time, the disease ends in complete recovery. If time has been lost, the process can become chronic and continue for many years with periodic exacerbations and remissions.

Cardiovascular system after drinking

potassium chloride magnesium

Rapid heartbeat and high blood pressure are common autonomic disorders after drinking. However, it is possible and necessary to restore normal functioning of the cardiovascular system during a hangover. If you have a rapid heartbeat (more than 90 beats per minute) after drinking alcohol, then take potassium chloride and magnesium (magnesium sulfate) one hour apart. You need to dilute the contents of the ampoule in half a glass of water and take it orally in the morning and evening for 3-4 days.

Magnesia will also help with high blood pressure. If your blood pressure has increased by more than 20% of the original value, or if this is the first time your blood pressure has increased, call an ambulance. You also need to urgently call a doctor if other symptoms are added to tachycardia or high blood pressure: “interruptions” in the heart, pain behind the sternum, “spots” before the eyes, nausea, dizziness.