Waking up with a really bad hangover and figuring out which painkiller to take can make the headache worse. While the safest best, Tylenol (Acetaminophen) can lead to liver damage, its also not safe to consume alcohol while taking ibuprofen.
Advil or Ibuprofen drugs belong to the anti-inflammatory drug family known as NSAIDs (Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs) which can tear off the stomach lining if taken on an empty stomach. Consume alcohol over it, and the risk of stomach irritation and bleeding increases several folds. The condition worsens in people prone to ulcers.
While ibuprofen with alcohol is a big No, taking Tylenol or aspirin when hung-over isn’t safe either.
Acetaminophen when consumed in large doses for more than a couple of days can cause liver damage. Heavy drinkers (consuming more than three drinks) when consume acetaminophen without proper diet can cause serious injury to their livers (Source- FDA).
According to researchers at Harvard Medical School:
If you drink a lot of alcohol-say, on a Saturday night-and take a normal dose of acetaminophen to deal with the hangover in the morning, you probably are not going to have liver problems . . . The trouble starts when regular heavy drinkers take a lot of acetaminophen over a period of time – several days, at least, and maybe longer. (In this context, heavy drinkers are defined as people who regularly have three or more drinks a day.) A drinking habit and a poor diet often go hand in hand. Multiple high doses of acetaminophen are more dangerous for drinkers partly because their glutathione levels tend to be low because they don’t eat well.
Consuming aspirin or Tylenols after a party might not hurt however the long term risks associated with the same are still unknown. According to the FDA working group, the median daily dose associated with the liver injuries recorded in the agency’s adverse event database and in a large liver failure study was 5,000 mg to 7,500 mg. That’s uncomfortably close to 4,000 mg, the current daily limit for safe intake, so the working group recommended lowering it to 3,250 mg, which works out to 10 regular-strength pills a day. Ongoing research with liver cells like hepatocytes could bring more insight into the impact of alcohol and medication on the liver’s abilities, which could prove helpful in drug discovery with minimal damage to the functioning of the organ.
While you are still figuring out a remedy for your headache, it’s best to have some hangover lemon juice or black coffee instead of popping any pills.
Very useful info, Manini.
Very Informative Manini.