Even small doses of alcoholic beverages are poison for the body. Few people think about it, because drinking alcohol is firmly entrenched in modern culture. Meanwhile, intoxication does not just happen. This is a paralysis of the nervous system, as a result of which neurons die in the amount of tens of thousands. And after a certain milestone, the number goes to hundreds of thousands. In the Soviet years, alcohol was equated in its effect to narcotic substances. If after alcohol the right side hurts, dizziness, orientation in space is lost, you should think about completely giving up the bad habit.
The effect of alcohol on the body
It is difficult to overestimate the negative impact that ethyl alcohol has on all systems of the human body. There is not a single organ left that has not been affected by poison. Metabolites, which are formed after the breakdown of ethyl alcohol, no less negatively affectorganism. It takes about three weeks for the body and brain to more or less "recover" after the fact of abuse.
- The right side hurts under the ribs after alcohol - this is the liver signaling its trouble. After the hangover syndrome is removed, you should definitely contact a gastroenterologist or hepatologist and undergo an examination of the organ. Not only the liver, but also the gallbladder, stomach, intestines and even the esophagus - all organs of the gastrointestinal tract must be examined. After the diagnosis is made, the necessary treatment should be carried out. In some cases, you will have to take medication for many months.
- The stomach hurts in the epigastric region or below, under the navel, due to the aggressive effect of alcohol on the walls of the mucous membrane of the stomach and esophagus. If the patient has previously been diagnosed with peptic ulcer or gastritis, alcohol abuse is almost guaranteed to cause an exacerbation of the disease.
- Headache is a direct symptom of a hangover or withdrawal syndrome. If it is possible to take an analgesic, this should be done. The morning after abuse, 95% of people have a headache, this is a completely normal condition.
- Psychic discomfort - anxiety, hallucinations, unmotivated aggression - is typical mainly for men in the second and third stages of alcoholism. To get rid of this unpleasant condition, you should drink a course of tranquilizers or sedatives. A prescription for such drugs can be issued by a psychiatrist or narcologist.
Three stages of alcoholism
In narcology, there are three stages in the development of alcoholism:
- At the first stage, the patient himself does not yet believe that he is sick. Meanwhile, only at this stage the treatment is most effective. To convey to the patient the idea that he has problems with alcohol, in some cases, you need to consult an experienced narcologist. At this stage, the side still does not hurt after alcohol, but problems with the psyche and nervous system are already beginning. Ordinary people may not notice this, but drug treatment clinic professionals competently notice all the "oddities" of patients with alcoholism in the first stage.
- At the second stage, the disease more and more tenaciously takes a person into its "embrace". He starts getting drunk in the morning. The hangover is coming. Drinking starts. The person himself already understands that he is sick. But at the second stage, it will no longer be possible to get rid of the addiction on your own. The physical manifestations of the disease begin - the side hurts after alcohol, the stomach, blood and bile are released with vomiting, after drinking, the digestion process is always disturbed.
- In the third stage, the patient suffers from chronic diseases of the internal organs, the cause of which was the constant heavy drinking. A person no longer tries to choose drinks according to taste or cost - he is happy even with moonshine, even with cheap alcohol tinctures. At this stage, as a rule, a fatal outcome occurs either due to chronic diseases of the internal organs, or due to accidents that occur in a state of acute alcohol intoxication.
What is withdrawal symptoms
This is a state that is familiar to every alcoholic in the second stage. Characteristic symptoms:
- tremor of the limbs or trembling of the whole body;
- severe headache;
- inability to focus on anything;
- loss of standard and familiar skills - writing, driving, performing one's professional duties;
- after alcohol hurts the right side from behind;
- the gag reflex either goes away or comes back stronger than before and in the vomit the patient notices ichor, bile;
- unmotivated aggression;
- visual and auditory hallucinations.
Liver and alcohol: an unequal struggle
When the right side hurts at the beginning of the second stage after drinking alcohol, the patient attempts to stop his condition. If a person works, he worries about his he alth, reads articles about death from cirrhosis and buys bundles of the most modern hepatoprotectors.
But this is an unequal battle: if you continue to drink alcohol, then the pills will not help. Yes, they can delay the onset of cirrhosis for several years. But this will not change the situation fundamentally. Why does my right side hurt after alcohol? Because the liver has already begun fatty degeneration, the cells change - the body is no longer able to cope with its duties. Most likely, the outflow of bile is also impaired. The patient can only be helped by a complete, irrevocable refusal to drink alcohol, a therapeutic diet, and after these conditions - takingmedicines.
Drugs for the treatment of the liver
A class of drugs called hepatoprotectors has been specifically designed to keep liver cells he althy. There are several classes of drugs for the liver. Not all of them are hepatoprotectors, but most of them help if the right side hurts after alcohol.
Drugs of various pharmacological groups can be prescribed to protect the liver, including:
- Vitamin-mineral and amino acid complexes that increase the detoxification capabilities of the liver. The same group includes adsorbing drugs - one of the most popular drugs of this class is "Enterosgel".
- Cholagogue drugs will help stabilize the outflow of bile - this will bring great benefits, including the liver. For example, "Ursosan" promotes the outflow of bile, but it is considered a hepatoprotective drug, as it also has a positive effect on hepatocytes.
- Immunomodulators are necessary in the complex therapy of hepatitis C. If the body's defenses are in decline, then the liver is weakened. There is a high risk of being diagnosed with cirrhosis very quickly.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs can help relieve cramps and relieve pain during withdrawal symptoms. They do not have a direct therapeutic effect, but if the right side hurts after drinking alcohol, they will help stop the pain syndrome.
- Antioxidants are dietary supplements. If there is a problem with finances and there is a choice thatbuy, it is better to give preference to specialized medicines for the liver.
- Hepatoprotectors are directly medicines that can restore liver cells. They differ in composition and principle of action. One thing unites them - the ability to restore liver cells.
After alcohol, the right side hurts: how to treat
Which drug to choose? If it hurts in the right side after alcohol, then the organ is in poor condition. The liver begins to hurt and increase in size only when there is a diagnosis. In chronic alcoholism, this is most likely either toxic hepatitis or fatty degeneration of the organ. An accurate diagnosis can only be established by a doctor.
Complex approach to liver treatment is the right decision. You should choose one or two hepatoprotectors and take them in long courses for at least one month. It can be a plant-based medicine - silymarin is very good in this regard - "Karsil", artichoke - "Hofitol", or products with essential phospholipids - "Essentiale".
List of effective hepatoprotectors
If your right side hurts after drinking alcohol, you should opt for one of the following drugs:
- Herbal preparations - "Gepabene", "Karsil". Hepatologists do not prescribe them very often - these drugs are more good for preventing the development of serious liver diseases than for treatingexisting problems.
- Homeopathic medicines rich in plant extracts, which include "Hofitol", "Liv-52". Doctors consider such drugs to be ineffective, in fact, herbal medicines can be a real help and improve the liver.
- Hepatoprotectors of animal origin, in particular "Sirepar" or "Ursosan". Their action is clearly expressed - in particular, the choleretic effect is very good. Cases have been recorded when a long course of Ursosan helped a patient get rid of gallstones in a year without surgery.
- Products containing essential phospholipids. These are substances that are able to have a healing effect on liver cells.
- Amino acid hepatoprotectors are relatively new on the pharmaceutical market. For example, "Heptral" is a remedy that restores liver cells, while it also has an antidepressant effect. This dual action makes the drug very effective during withdrawal symptoms in chronic alcoholism.
Healing diet for a diseased liver
Often, patients downplay the importance of proper nutrition. But even taking the most expensive pills will be useless if you continue to eat haphazardly and abuse alcoholic beverages. If the right side hurts after drinking alcohol, this is a signal that it is time to take up your mind and adjust your diet.
He althy Nutrition Principles for Liver He alth:
- Rejection of fatty meat - pork, lamb, and red salmon fish. In order not to overload the liver, you should reduce the presence of fat in the diet. Increase protein.
- Eat no more than one egg yolk per day. At the same time, proteins can be eaten in unlimited quantities and added to various dishes - cabbage soup, green borscht, omelettes, and so on.
- Refuse completely from fatty sweet foods. These are cakes, pastries, ice cream, marshmallows and so on. Simple carbohydrates will certainly be deposited on the waist in the form of a "lifeline" - this will not benefit he alth.
- Drink as much plain clean water as possible. Refuse coffee, tea, any alcoholic beverages. Even non-alcoholic beer and kvass are undesirable.
- Eat as many raw or steamed vegetables as possible. Fruits are useful, but it should be noted that citrus fruits can worsen the patient's condition in diseases of the gastrointestinal tract due to too concentrated juice.
Which doctor should I contact?
If after alcohol the right side hurts below, you should definitely consult a doctor, you can’t leave your condition unattended. If you start the disease, over time, toxic hepatitis develops, followed by cirrhosis. And this is a fatal and incurable disease.
Should make an appointment with a gastroenterologist and pass the necessary examinations. These are ultrasound, FGDS, biochemical blood test. Most likely, the indicators of ALT, AST and total bilirubin will go off scale. This indicates that the liver is not well - it cannot cope with the load and cannot,as before, cleanse the blood of toxins and poisons. This very often happens in people with chronic alcohol addiction - the organs slowly fail, lose the functions that were laid down in them by nature. To stop this process, you need to change your lifestyle.
A doctor who treats the liver directly is called a hepatologist. You can contact him immediately, bypassing examinations by a general practitioner and a gastroenterologist. In every major city there are private diagnostic centers - there you can get an appointment, bypassing the queues and the registry. If the patient wants to get a consultation for free, you will have to contact a budgetary medical institution. If you have an insurance policy, you can get advice from a gastroenterologist and a hepatologist there.
Symptoms that should immediately call an ambulance
Don't hesitate - if you have the following symptoms during the withdrawal period, you should contact an ambulance:
- blood is released from the rectum, while after alcohol the right side hurts;
- sharp cramping pains in the right side and abdomen;
- presence of blood in vomit;
- nausea and profuse vomiting of bile and ichor;
- loss of consciousness, fainting, severe nausea and pale skin;
- inadequate behavior and severe pain in the epigastric and abdominal region;
- blood in saliva.
All these symptoms may indicate the onset of internal bleeding - this condition is very dangerous and inin most cases leads to death. Most often, such a patient needs urgent surgical intervention, and time is counted not by hours, but by minutes.