Alcohol & Health
Treatment
Helping Alcoholics
Medically Reviewed by Dr P. E. Pancoast, MD
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Pedialyte has been around for over 50 years and is the top doctor-recommended brand of rehydration drinks. It contains key electrolytes that replenish your body. These include:10
Pedialyte carries twice the electrolytes as other leading sports drinks. It also has two times less sugar. Sugar has been known to worsen dehydration symptoms.10
Pedialyte is available in:
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Yes, Pedialyte can help with hangovers. However, Pedialyte cannot completely cure your hangover.
Most people with healthy kidneys don’t need extra electrolytes unless they’ve had significant electrolyte loss from exercise or dehydration. Healthy kidneys and a normal diet will filter out and retain all the necessary electrolytes.
Here are some facts about Pedialyte and hangovers:
Plain water does not have significant amounts of electrolytes. Drinking fluids high in electrolytes, like Pedialyte, can help you rehydrate faster.11 This is why you might rehydrate more efficiently with Pedialyte after strenuous exercise.
People of all ages can drink Pedialyte. This includes babies and sick children. However, Pedialyte is not a substitute for water. Pedialyte is not designed for everyday use or regular hydration needs.
Pedialyte can be used for hydration purposes. It may also be used to prevent and treat some metabolic problems caused by kidney disease.9
Here are some myths about Pedialyte and hangovers:
Pedialyte may make you feel better in some ways. But it also has potential side effects of its own.
Pedialyte may cause:9
Pedialyte can help replenish your body with electrolytes to treat dehydration symptoms and make you feel better faster. But it cannot cure hangovers. The only cure for a hangover is time.
Hangover symptoms can happen if you drink too much alcohol. It typically happens when alcohol metabolism is complete. However, the main problem with a hangover is dehydration.
Alcohol causes dehydration by making you sweat, urinate, and even vomit.11 This causes your body to get rid of key electrolytes such as:
These minerals are essential in moving fluids in your body that are necessary for maintaining balance. A hangover can affect your physical and mental health. It can also affect your performance at school or work.
Dehydration from alcohol can make you feel lightheaded. Moreover, alcohol triggers an immune system inflammatory response and causes your blood sugar to fall. This can make you feel weak.
Alcohol can irritate your stomach lining due to the increased production of stomach acid. You may also feel groggy while hungover because you get poor sleep while drunk.5
Other symptoms of hangovers include, but are not limited to:5
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Drink Pedialyte as soon as you feel dehydrated or wake up after a night of drinking alcohol. You can also drink Pedialyte before and while drinking to prevent a hangover. Drink as much as your body needs to feel better.
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Pedialyte, Gatorade, and coconut water are all great ways to hydrate during a hangover. Like Pedialyte, Hatorade also contains key electrolytes you lose when you sweat and urinate.3
But, Gatorade usually contains sugar, which is not typically good for metabolism. On the other hand, coconut water is a natural option without all the salt and high fructose corn syrup in some sports drinks.8 It’s low in sugar and calories, making it a healthy option for rehydrating.
All coconut water contains electrolytes like potassium, sodium, manganese, and phosphorus, but some may vary by brand.2 Coconut water also has more potassium than a banana and 15 times more than sports drinks.8
The most effective remedy for a hangover is time. You need to give your body time to process and get rid of the alcohol from your system.
Hangovers peak when your body’s blood alcohol concentration (BAC) returns to about zero.6 Most hangovers will go away within 24 hours.4 If you have an especially bad hangover, it can take a little longer before you feel better.
Fortunately, there are other ways to treat hangovers. These include:1,4
Taking painkillers like Asprin or ibuprofen can help manage hangovers. Other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can also help.1
There are always ways to prevent hangovers from occurring or bring severe. These include:
Lessening your alcohol intake means drinking no more than one standard drink a day for women and no more than two drinks a day for men. One standard drink refers to 12 fluid ounces of beer with about 5% alcohol, 5 fluid ounces of wine with about 12% alcohol, or 1.5 fluid ounces of 80-proof liquor.4
There are plenty of ways to manage a hangover, and drinking Pedialyte is one of them. However, if you want to avoid hangovers, consider quitting alcohol entirely.
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