Heading off an inevitable stomachache
December 11, 2010 10:21 PM   Subscribe

How do you head off inevitable stomach upset after a night of wine and spicy food?

I started the day with a bit of a upset stomach already, but I ignored the symptoms and drank a lot of red wine and vodka tonight, and ate a lot of greasy, spicy food. I'm not sick yet, but this combination never works well for me. By morning after a liquor + spicy food night, my stomach rebels. To compound this, our plumbing's getting worked on tomorrow, so our water will be shut off for half the day.

Is there anything I can do/consume tonight to avoid tomorrow's inevitable stomach upset? I know ginger is usually the stomach cure, but I don't have any on hand. (I'm snowed in, so going out is out of the question for now.)

Thanks!
posted by Laura Macbeth to Health & Fitness (14 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
Red wine and vodka?! No wonder your stomach gets upset. Mixing liquor with red wine is a sure path to at the very least a terrible hang-over (come to think of it, the only time I ever puked from drinking was on precisely this "cocktail"). You need to drink a ton of water--if your water is going to be shut off, I'd fill some bottles. At least one glass for every serving of alcohol.
posted by PhoBWanKenobi at 10:27 PM on December 11, 2010 [1 favorite]


Milk thistle and digestive enzimes. But it only works once in a while.
posted by outlandishmarxist at 10:30 PM on December 11, 2010


peppermint tea****. shidditzloads of apple cider vinegar before you go to bed. nopal cactus capsules, if you got 'em. water water and maybe some water, no lemon. lavender oil, a few drops in some warm water. psyllium powder, fiber caps. ginger ale or cola. a couple of ibuprofren caps.
posted by lakersfan1222 at 10:32 PM on December 11, 2010 [1 favorite]


And if you just take the water and ibuprofen you'll get essentially the same result.
posted by Justinian at 10:39 PM on December 11, 2010 [4 favorites]


Eat some saltine crackers or dry toast.
posted by amyms at 10:43 PM on December 11, 2010 [1 favorite]


A few Zantac always helps calm/blocks me up for few days, plus relieves the acid problems. And yes, water, water, water.
posted by dual_action at 10:53 PM on December 11, 2010


Water. And some more water.
posted by scribbler at 11:31 PM on December 11, 2010 [2 favorites]


Stand over your toilet, stick your fingers down your throat and vomit up as much as you can. Brush your teeth, drink a small glass of water, and try and sober up before going to bed.

Wait until tomorrow to take painkillers, if you need them. They won't do you any good now, and ibuprofen is known to cause stomach irritation anyway.

The rest of these folk remedies people are recommending are for an upset stomach, not the roiling Venusian atmosphere of wine, liquor and tons of spicy food you created in your guts tonight. Be realistic. Ginger or milk thistle is pissing in the wind at this stage of the game.

Sounds like a fun night though.
posted by lefty lucky cat at 12:37 AM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Plop, plop, fizz, fizz. :)

Or if you think your stomach won't handle the aspirin in Alkaseltzer very well, dissolve a teaspoon of baking soda in a little cold water and drink it down. It will neutralize some of the acidity in your stomach.
posted by Serene Empress Dork at 12:55 AM on December 12, 2010 [1 favorite]


Best answer: Yeah the baking soda is a good way to go. The instructions are on the box.
posted by hermitosis at 9:04 AM on December 12, 2010


Response by poster: Thanks, guys. I went with the baking soda, and that seemed to do the drink!
posted by Laura Macbeth at 9:53 AM on December 12, 2010


Response by poster: Er, the trick. Ha.
posted by Laura Macbeth at 9:54 AM on December 12, 2010


Pepto bismol
posted by radioamy at 10:46 AM on December 12, 2010


Gaviscon + water before bed seems to be the thing that guarantees a sound sleep and waking up refreshed. This is on par with some of the ideas above.
posted by crapmatic at 12:05 PM on December 12, 2010


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