If you’re looking for a hangover cure for vomiting, here’s the honest starting point: there’s no quick fix, but there’s a lot you can do to feel less awful. The key is getting fluid back in without upsetting your stomach again, resting, and knowing the signs that mean it’s more than a hangover.
Being sick after a night out is common, and Krabi’s heat can make it worse, because you may already be short of fluid from sweating.
Why a hangover makes you feel sick
Alcohol irritates the lining of your stomach and makes it produce more acid. It also makes you pee more, so you lose fluid and salts. Add poor sleep and low blood sugar, and nausea is one of the most common hangover symptoms.
Vomiting then makes dehydration worse, so the first job is gentle rehydration.
Small sips: a gentle hangover cure for vomiting
The best hangover cure when throwing up starts with patience. When you’ve just been sick, a big glass of water often comes straight back up. The NHS advice for vomiting is to take small sips if you feel sick, and for dehydration to start with small sips and then gradually drink more.
In practice:
- Wait 15 to 20 minutes after vomiting to let your stomach settle.
- Take a sip or two of water or oral rehydration solution every few minutes.
- If it stays down for half an hour, slowly increase how much you drink.
- If you’re sick again, go back to step one.
Oral rehydration salts (ORS) are worth buying. They’re powders you mix with water to replace salts as well as fluid, and every Thai pharmacy sells them in sachets. Mix them exactly as the packet says.
Rest, cool air and bland food
Lie down somewhere cool, ideally with air conditioning or a fan. Heat makes nausea worse, so this isn’t the morning for sunbathing or a boat trip.
Don’t force food. Once you’ve kept fluids down for a while, try something plain: crackers, toast, a banana or a few spoonfuls of rice soup. The NHS suggests it may help to avoid fatty or spicy food at first. Our guide to Thai hangover breakfasts in Ao Nang has gentle local options. Fresh ginger tea is easy to find in Ao Nang, and many people find it soothing.
What not to do for a hangover upset stomach
Some common habits make nausea worse:
- Don’t drink more alcohol. “Hair of the dog” just delays the hangover and irritates your stomach further.
- Go easy on painkillers on an empty, upset stomach. The US National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism notes that aspirin and ibuprofen can increase acid release and irritate the lining of the stomach. Ask a pharmacist before taking anything.
- Skip coffee, energy drinks and fizzy drinks until your stomach settles. The NHS advises avoiding caffeine and alcohol when you’re dehydrated.
- Don’t make yourself sick to “get it out”. It only loses you more fluid.
- Don’t take sleeping tablets or sedatives to sleep it off.
Dehydration red flags
The NHS lists dehydration symptoms such as dark, strong-smelling pee, peeing less often, a dry mouth, feeling dizzy or lightheaded and feeling tired.
Get help sooner rather than later if you:
- Can’t keep any fluids down for several hours
- Haven’t peed for most of the day, or your pee is very dark
- Feel dizzy or faint when you stand up
- Have a fast heartbeat or fast breathing
- Have pale, blotchy or cold skin, or feel confused or very sleepy (go to hospital)
Signs of alcohol poisoning
Sometimes vomiting isn’t a hangover at all: it’s alcohol poisoning, which can be life-threatening. The NHS lists signs of alcohol poisoning including:
- Confusion, slurred speech or being unable to speak
- Being unable to coordinate movement
- Being sick
- Pale or blue-tinged skin
- Slow or irregular breathing
- A seizure or fit
- Loss of consciousness
If you see these, call 1669. Stay with the person, as they could choke on their vomit. Sit them up if they’re awake, or put them on their side in the recovery position if they’ve passed out. Keep them warm. The NHS also advises: don’t give them more alcohol, food or coffee, don’t put them in a cold shower and don’t try to make them sick.
A drip is never the right care for alcohol poisoning. That needs a hospital.
IV drip for sickness: when fluids by drip help
If you’re simply too sick to drink, an IV drip can make sense. It puts fluid straight into your bloodstream, so it doesn’t depend on your stomach. That’s the main real advantage of a drip over oral rehydration, as our honest guide on whether hangover IV drips work explains.
Our Hangover Rescue drip contains a litre of saline with electrolytes, B-complex and vitamin C. If the nurse assesses that it’s suitable for you, it can also include anti-nausea medicine and pain relief. It helps with dehydration, nausea and headache, though it won’t make the hangover end sooner.
Before any drip, a registered nurse asks about what you drank and when, your health, and your medicines. If you’re still drunk or show signs of alcohol poisoning or another illness, the nurse won’t start a drip and will advise you to go to hospital. You can come to the clinic or book a drip at your hotel.
When to go to hospital instead
Call 1669 for an ambulance, or go to hospital straight away, if you or a friend:
- Has any of the alcohol poisoning signs above
- Vomits blood, or vomit that looks like ground coffee
- Keeps being sick and can’t keep fluids down
- Has severe stomach pain, chest pain or a very high temperature
- Has a head injury, or may have had a spiked drink
The nearest hospitals are Wattanapat Hospital Ao Nang, Bangkok Hospital Krabi and Krabi Hospital (government).
Frequently asked questions
How long does hangover vomiting last?
For most people it settles within a few hours as alcohol leaves the body. If you’re still being sick and can’t keep fluids down after several hours, get medical help.
What should I drink after vomiting from a hangover?
Small sips of water or oral rehydration solution, every few minutes, increasing slowly as it stays down. Avoid alcohol, coffee and fizzy drinks for now.
Can I take anti-sickness tablets for a hangover?
Ask a pharmacist first and tell them how much you drank. Some medicines aren’t suitable with alcohol or with certain health conditions. In a drip, anti-nausea medicine is only given if the nurse assesses it’s safe for you.
Ready to feel better?
A registered nurse can come to your hotel or villa in Ao Nang and nearby beaches, or visit our clinic.