How to Prevent a Hangover With Vitamin B Complex

Alcohol is a diuretic that causes an increase of urination.  B vitamins are water soluble, and many of them are lost when you drink.  By consuming a B vitamin complex or by eating foods rich in B vitamins before, during or after you drink, you can replace these lost vitamins and help quicken your recovery time.  If it progresses to a hangover, B vitamin supplementation can help, but it shouldn’t be your only remedy.

• Take a B vitamin complex before you drink.  It pays to plan.  Taking a B vitamin complex before you drink is the best preventive medicine.  You can tailor your dose to how much you plan to drink, the type of alcohol you will be drinking (liquor versus beer) and how fast you plan to drink.  The B vitamin dose you require is best gauged by experience, though you should use the recommended dose on the vitamin bottle as a guide.  Besides taking a B complex, it helps to eat solid food such as an early dinner before drinking.  Drinking milk also helps slow down the absorption of alcohol.


• Take a B vitamin complex while you drink.  It’s wise to keep some emergency B vitamin complex pills in your purse or pocket.  These are best taken with water (not alcohol). This also gives you a chance to take a break from alcohol consumption by asking for a glass of water to take your vitamin pill.


• Take a B vitamin complex after you drink.  After drinking alcohol, your body does its best to remove it because alcohol is a poison to your system. Your liver uses B vitamins and potassium to filter the alcohol out of your system.  Taking a B vitamin complex after drinking helps your body do its necessary job of cleansing your body of alcohol. Consider augmenting your B vitamin complex with foods.  Some foods rich in B vitamins include whole grains, red meat and soy foods like tofu and veggie burgers. 


• Take a high dose of vitamin B-6 if you have a hangover.  A hangover occurs when there are too many toxins in your bloodstream for your liver to process.  A 2000 review done by the Annals of Internal Medicine suggests that a high dose supplementation of vitamin B-6 (at approximately 100 times the recommended daily allowance) can help those with an alcoholic hangover.  The Office of Dietary Supplements reports that chronic administration of vitamin B-6, above 1 gram a day, has been shown to cause (reversible) progressive sensory neuropathy. However, excessive vitamin B-6 supplementation for short periods, as in the treatment of a hangover, isn't associated with negative side effects.