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B12 for Hangover: The Best Way To Take Vitamin B12
November 08, 2022
A night out at the bar or the club is a great way to spend a Saturday night. But if you go a little too hard, you might regret that night of fun come Sunday morning.
Hangovers are a common side effect of drinking too much alcohol. And while there are plenty of remedies to try to soothe the symptoms, there are very few that work as effectively as vitamin B12. Learn about how this essential vitamin can squash that headache, as well as how you can enhance its benefits by taking it through an at-home IV.
What Is a Hangover?
A hangover is a combination of symptoms that you feel as a result of drinking too much alcohol. Symptoms can present themselves the night after drinking, but most of the time, you’ll start to notice them the morning after a night of too many tequila shots.
Symptoms of a hangover can include:
- Headaches
- Fatigue
- Excessive thirst
- Poor or decreased sleep
- Sensitivity to light and sound
- Dizziness
- Shakiness
- Changes in mood
- Decreased ability to concentrate
- Stomach pain
Many symptoms of a hangover are symptoms of dehydration. Alcohol can cause you to urinate more frequently, which naturally causes you to require more fluids. Headaches, excessive thirst, and dizziness are all likely related to the alcohol dehydrating you.
The good news is that most hangovers do go away on their own within 24 hours. The bad news is that they might last for the entire day, which can ruin productivity and make it feel like you’ve wasted your weekend. But don’t worry – there are some remedies that can help you start feeling better in no time.
How Does Vitamin B12 Help With Hangovers?
Vitamin B12 is an essential mineral in the body that plays a role in several physiological processes. From the formation of red blood cells to cell metabolism or nerve function to the production of DNA, this vitamin is important regardless of how much alcohol you consume.
While there is little research, anecdotal reports have found that taking vitamin B12 supplements before and after drinking alcohol can help replenish lost nutrients to recover more quickly from hangover symptoms. This is thought to be true because of vitamin B’s positive effects on your metabolism.
Additionally, your body requires vitamin B to eliminate alcohol from your system. This is why taking it before a night of drinking is just as helpful as taking it after the fact.
How Can You Take Vitamin B12?
There are a few different ways you can take vitamin B12, and their effectiveness varies depending on which method you use.
IV Infusion (Most Effective)
IV stands for intravenous, and it’s the most effective way to take any type of supplement. When you receive an IV, your body absorbs 100% of the substance, meaning you can start feeling its benefits more quickly and effectively.
This is due to something called bioavailability. When you consume a substance orally, a percentage of that substance is metabolized by the body before it can actually get into the bloodstream. This means that only a fraction of the substances become available for the body to actually use. Oral intake only allows you to make use of about 50-60% of a given substance.
But since an IV goes directly into the bloodstream through an injection, it means that you don’t need to worry about missing out on some of those benefits.
Vitamin B12 can be injected directly into the body to help with the growth and development of red blood cells in the most effective manner possible.
Through Supplements
You can take vitamin B12 pills or capsules to increase your B12 levels easily. Just remember that although supplements are generally effective, you’ll typically only absorb about 50-60% of the vitamin B12 itself because of bioavailability.
Through Food
You can also increase your vitamin B12 intake through your diet if you make a few small adjustments. There are plenty of foods high in this vitamin — particularly, organ meats like liver and kidneys are especially rich.
Other foods high in this vitamin include clams, sardines, red meats, tuna, salmon, trout, and eggs. You can still get B12 from dairy products, fortified cereals, and fortified non-dairy products if you're vegetarian.
Vitamin B12 deficiency isn’t common, meaning that most people consume the necessary amount to stay healthy. However, you might want to eat more vitamin B12-rich foods before and after a night of heavy drinking.
What Are At-Home B12 Infusions?
B12 injections and IV infusions have been around for a while. But in order to get these specialty treatments, you had to go to a fancy doctor’s office and pay premium prices. But The I.V. Doc is different: we make house calls and come directly to you to bring you the benefits of vitamin B12 and more.
First, you’ll book your appointment in your area. Then, you’ll meet with a licensed medical professional through telehealth to craft a personalized IV or injection treatment that will best serve you. After that, all you need to do is relax at home and wait for a medical professional to come and administer your treatment.
Rush services are available, so if that hangover is preventing you from going about your day, same-day services might be in your future.
Currently, we offer a Super Vitamin B intramuscular injection to help you combat hangovers. But you can pair this with a traditional Cleanse IV treatment loaded with electrolytes to help you rehydrate and replenish lost nutrients from your night out.
The best way for you to see the difference is to feel it. Book your appointment today to prepare for that hangover tomorrow.
What Are Other Ways To Treat a Hangover?
Vitamin B12 injections are one of the best ways to treat a hangover, but it is not the only way to get relief from that pounding headache and those dizzy spells. There are plenty of ways to get hangover relief right from your own home.
Get Electrolytes
Electrolytes are key minerals that are essential to different processes throughout the body. These include sodium, calcium, and potassium, among others. Electrolytes can also help you stimulate thirst, which is essential for helping you get over a hangover.
Since hangovers are often due to dehydration, you can add a pinch of salt to drinking water to replenish lost sodium and make you more thirsty for water. Additionally, you can take electrolyte supplements to enhance their benefit. Just remember that the only way to absorb 100% of those minerals is through an IV.
Sleep It Off
Time heals all wounds, including a nasty hangover. You really might just need to give your body some time to recover from your hangover. And since alcohol can affect your sleeping patterns, some of your symptoms might just be coming from a place of fatigue.
Eat Some Snacks
If you have a stomach ache from your hangover, it might feel challenging to eat food. But eating bland, salty snacks can help absorb alcohol and settle your stomach more easily than going without food. This can also help with acid reflux.
Plus, salty snacks can stimulate thirst and make you load up on fluids, which is one of the most important things you can do to cure a hangover. Staying hydrated has benefits for the whole body and can make you feel better in no time.
Take a Pain Reliever
Pain relief medications won't cure your hangover, but they can help you manage the symptoms. Over-the-counter pain medications can ease headaches, and other uncomfortable symptoms to at least let you restore some form of normalcy to your day.
In Conclusions
Hangovers are a bunch of unpleasant symptoms that can happen from drinking too much alcohol. And while you can manage a hangover by drinking lots of fluids, replenishing electrolytes, and getting some rest, one of the best ways to ease a hangover is with vitamin B12.
B12 is an essential vitamin for body processes, especially red blood cell formulation. But it can also boost your metabolism, which has been shown to ease the symptoms of a hangover. Taking B12 before and after a bout of heavy drinking seems to be the most beneficial.
Regardless, the most efficient method for getting B12 into your system is directly into the bloodstream. The I.V. Doc has B12 IM injections ready for you, and we’ll bring them directly to your front door. It’s affordable, easy, and convenient. Schedule an appointment today to get started.
Sources:
Hangovers - Symptoms and causes | The Mayo Clinic
Drug Bioavailability - StatPearls | NCBI Bookshelf
