AWS involves several symptoms, which can begin when someone who has drunk heavily significantly reduces or cuts alcohol use. The signs and symptoms range from mild anxiety to severe medical complications like seizures and delirium tremens. Among these symptoms, alcohol withdrawal hallucinations are especially troubling due to their impact on cognition and emotional health.

For example, a tension headache may cause pain in the neck or shoulders. Aside from contributing to the flavor of migraines after drinking alcohol the alcohol, congeners increase the severity and frequency of hangover symptoms, including headaches. Congeners tend to aggravate brain tissue and blood vessels, which contributes to headaches. Clear liquors, like white rum, vodka, and gin, have significantly fewer congeners and may cause fewer headache symptoms. Although, as we’ll discuss below, there are other factors that can lead to headaches no matter what form of alcohol you consume. And many people are surprised to find out that it doesn’t take much alcohol to trigger them.

Alcohol is responsible for creating a relaxing effect on the blood vessels. In turn, this leads to more blood being able to flow into the brain, which can trigger a migraine. One of the main problems facing those who struggle with alcohol is the alcohol-induced headache. This common problem may affect one of the 10.8 million adults in the UK who are drinking at a worrying level. People who cannot stop drinking should talk with a doctor about treatment for alcohol use disorder, which is a serious but treatable condition.

Prevention

If they find this too challenging, they may have alcohol use disorder, which warrants treatment. Most studies point to red wine as a common headache culprit, particularly in people with migraine. These individuals commonly cite wine, especially red wine, as a migraine trigger. Migraine causes a specific type of headache that involves neurological symptoms such as light sensitivity and aura. Other types of headaches, including severe headaches, can occur as a result of alcohol consumption. Many of the same tips for preventing a headache after drinking also work for treating one.

Devi et al. identified a plausible mechanism to explain the headache and hangover symptoms commonly experienced by red wine drinkers. Unfortunately, these mitigation strategies don’t apply universally. Further, if quercetin contributes to headaches with red wine, it may not be the only factor that does so. If you experience migraine headaches after drinking alcohol, it may be best to avoid alcohol or that certain type of alcohol.

• In addition to plain water, electrolyte-rich beverages (like sports drinks, Pedialyte, and coconut water) help replenish your body with the nutrients it needs to stay hydrated.
• People who rely on nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to manage migraine pain should also be careful with alcohol.
• “Also, for Wernicke-Korsakoff syndrome, people need to say they have a poor diet.” So people must answer honestly…but that may be difficult if their memory is impaired.
• A cohort study published in 2022 found that among those with episodic migraines who identified as light drinkers, there was no increased probability of a migraine attack within 24 hours of alcohol consumption.

In addition to red wine, other alcoholic beverages, including beer, white wine, and liqueur, have also been reported as headache triggers. A cocktail headache is a headache that occurs within the same evening of drinking alcohol. Unlike a hangover headache, cocktail headaches can be caused by even small amounts of alcohol. If you develop a cocktail headache, take care to rest and nourish your body with water, electrolytes, and a healthy fruit or vegetable snack if possible. Be sure to talk with your healthcare provider about your “cocktail headache” plan. For example, if you experience migraines and notice that alcohol triggers your migraine headache, then taking one of your migraine therapies (for example, a triptan) at the start of your headache may be best.

Remember, your health care providers want to work with you to make your symptoms as manageable as possible. The best way to find out what triggers your migraine is to keep a journal. Track what you eat and drink, how much sleep you get, and other potential triggers (such as stress).

Tension headache

The number of drinks you have, what you’re drinking, and what’s going on in your life may be the primary culprits rather than alcohol itself. Lastly, in some cases, medication such as naltrexone and acamprosate may be used to treat alcohol use disorder by reducing alcohol cravings and withdrawal symptoms. While it’s possible that having a drink the next day may temporarily help some of your symptoms, like numbing pain or boosting your mood, it won’t be helpful in the long term.

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However, if this is something that you find difficult then there are things you can do to reduce the chances of experiencing an unpleasant headache. In other words, you will go to the toilet more frequently, but the lost liquid will not be as evenly replaced. This contributes greatly to dehydration, which is the cause of your alcohol-induced headache. There have been several proposed explanations for how alcohol causes headaches. Headaches, including migraine, are treatable with the right combination of medication and lifestyle adjustments. Find out why, and what you can do to avoid alcohol-related migraines.

Hydration and electrolyte replacement is one of the best things you can do to help recover from an alcohol-induced headache. Make sure to avoid hydrating drinks that are heavy in sugar, as either low blood sugar or high blood sugar can make a hangover headache worse. As mentioned above, B vitamins such as B6 and B12 can also be helpful after drinking, and pain medication should be used sparingly and with caution. Histamine has been known to cause headaches for almost 100 years.² When it enters the bloodstream it dilates blood vessels, which leads to headaches. While all alcohol contains high levels of histamines, red wines have a significantly higher amount than other beverages, and therefore may lead to more severe headaches.

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Anytime a person with migraine starts a new medication, it’s important you ask a doctor, neurologist, or pharmacist how the medication might interact with alcohol. If you aren’t sure whether your medication is compatible with alcohol, it’s best — always — to avoid drinking until you have more information. Keep a diary of exactly what brand you drink, how much alcohol you drink, how you’re drinking it, and if there are any other migraine triggers present — like hormonal swings, weather changes, or certain foods. For example, drinking even a small amount of alcohol decreases sleep quality. Sleep deprivation can cause negative effects such as increased blood pressure or gastrointestinal discomfort.

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I also find hard liquor gives me more of hangover than when I was younger but doesn’t give as much of a headache. Alcohol may temporarily offer sedation but isn’t proven to be effective at soothing or preventing migraine. Alcohol is considered a potential migraine trigger, though research isn’t clear on why. Read on for answers to common questions about alcohol and migraine. Beer and hard liquor don’t seem to bother me as long as I am plenty hydrated before I have a drink. Migraine is more common, affecting around 12% of people in the United States.

• Even if you aren’t super tired, it’s probably a good idea to take it easy.
• She is a co-founder of digital content agency Lemonseed Creative and is a graduate of Syracuse University.
• While some people try to prevent headaches by taking over-the-counter pain medications before drinking, this can be dangerous.
• However, a 2019 study found higher rates of vodka consumption among drinkers with frequent migraine attacks.

The most severe migraine attacks may last up to 3 days or longer and make it impossible to do anything. People who have frequent migraine attacks may wish to consider migraine prevention medications such as topiramate (Topamax), divalproex (Depakote), propranolol (Inderal), or CGRP inhibitors. A tendency toward migraine may also play a role in hangovers, especially hangovers that cause migraine-like headaches. A 2014 survey of 692 students, 95 of whom had migraine, found that those with migraine were more likely to experience migraine-like symptoms during a hangover. Sulphites are often blamed for causing headaches too (though not migraines specifically),9 and white wine usually contains higher levels of sulphites than red wine. While some people try to prevent headaches by taking over-the-counter pain medications before drinking, this can be dangerous.

You might also consider combining carbs with protein and healthy fats to stabilize blood sugar levels. While individual water intake varies from person to person, experts generally recommend most healthy adults consume about 15.5 cups of fluids per day for men and about 11.5 cups daily for women. Given the findings of their in vitro tests, they then estimated that this amount of Q3G would impair ALDH2 activity by ~37%. Gaining a greater understanding of these headaches can be key in battling them.

If you’ve been diagnosed with migraine and you have questions about drinking alcohol or anything else related to the condition, it can help to talk to others who understand. People with migraine might confuse later-occurring headaches for regular hangover headaches, which are different from the migraine kind. Hangover headaches typically occur when blood alcohol levels go down or reach zero. Red wine’s propensity for causing headaches is usually attributed to the sulfates and sulfites it contains. But experts do not link migraine headaches to sulfates and sulfites alone. Other potential contributors in red wines include tannins, flavonoid phenols, histamines, and more.

Dr. Michael Yang is a board-certified neurologist and headache specialist at the Gundersen Health System in Wisconsin. He is an active member of the American Headache Society and the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Yang is currently actively involved in several research projects on migraine. If a headache persists or worsens, visit a doctor for an examination and treatment recommendations. However, the research suggests that alcohol may not be the only trigger and may also depend on other factors. Other criteria for a person to have a migraine diagnosis include nausea or vomiting and sensitivity to light or noise.

When combined with counseling, this approach is proven highly effective. Keep reading to learn more about the connection between migraine and alcohol. Additionally, NSAIDs like Aleve and Ibuprofen often cause stomach irritation, and because alcohol already inflames the lining of the stomach, special care must be taken when mixing the two. If not, it can lead to gastritis, stomach ulcers, and GI bleeding. Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Get our printable guide for your next healthcare provider’s appointment to help you ask the right questions.