How long before I can DRINK? (in Off-topic)

OK, so I get severe headaches on a pretty frequent basis, and have for years. My general rule for myself has been that any day I take a headache pill, I don't drink at all, period.

I'd like to know though - and if anyone could help me find this (through the magic of google, medical knowledge, etc) then that would be awesome. How long do you have to wait after taking a headache pill before you're good to drink without causing any problem?

I'm thinking specifically of:

Naproxen sodium
Acetaminophen

:D

You cure severe headaches with Naproxen and Tylenol? Interesting.

not "cure." I use these medicines in an attempt to blunt the headache, but I'm one of those people who is not a big fan of using pills and so I just take tylenol/naproxen when my headache is severe.

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Can_you_drink_alcohol_while_taking_naproxen

When taking Ibuprofen avoid drinking alcohol.

Ibuprofen typically has a 4-6 hours effect, naproxen is about 12 hours IIRC.

Yeah, usually go off the time you think you can take a new pill. That's when the medicine begins flushing from your system.

I take medication on a daily basis to prevent migraine. Not, oh I've got a sore head migraine, but real migraine. The type that makes me slur my speech and lose my vision type migraine.

I'm partial to an odd drink of the alcoholic variety and medication never gets in the way.

Man up OB.
Go get yourself drunk and don't worry about such things as "headache pills".

Disclaimer: I'm a 40+ drunken Scotsman and all advice should most likely be disregarded...

Lol, I had one of those headaches. I got diagnosed with migraines awhile back. Those are awful...

Ditto Titan

Though mine don't generally make me lose my vision o_o

I don't mess around with mixing alcohol and drugs with specific warnings about alcohol. In the case of acetaminophen, I usually won't drink any alcohol until at least twenty-four hours have passed since the medication has worn off. I don't have a scientific basis for that, it's just how I roll.

Well here's the interesting part, IA: there's no warning on this pill bottle about taking with alcohol. None. I looked the thing over twice.


I still think there's probably issues between the two? But I'm uncertain.

Well, mixing acetaminophen and alcohol is definitely a bad idea, unless you have a line on a cheap replacement liver.

Everybody's liver/GI is different. The one common thread is those drugs put a strain on them. NSAIDs mainly GI ulceration/upset (+liver/kidney), Acetaminophen mainly liver.

I go by at least 1/2 a day myself for anything. Most important thing is to eat good (if you can), and water + electrolytes. You might want to try caffeine strips as well. My uncle takes them for his migraines and they help. It's also one of the big 3 AI in Excedrin, which is what I swear by. 2 of them puppies, and if I lay down and close my eyes, I'm usually good to go in 1/2hour.

(Just never ever ever give acetaminophen to a cat, you'll kill it. Cats can't metabolize it.)

I used to have headaches almost like Beee describes... to the point where my brain just wants to shut down and I get sleepy. Avoiding food coloring, preservatives, and air fresheners has me headache free for a good long while. Even when I do get exposed and get one, it's milder by far.

^ so true. They are finding out more and more some headaches people endure are linked to certain stimuli, +/- directly correlating to allergies and their respective reactions and equilibrium. I'm sensitive to incense, can't handle it. I also can't read in a car, motion sickness headaches kill me.
(Another great OTC drug if you have sinus headaches is Sudafed)

I usually get some headaches when drinking a lot, and if I am heading to a bar and already have the headaches I just take Acetaminophen and the pain goes away, never noticed any side effects to mixing it with alcohol...

But as some already stated, if you are prone to having effects when mixing drugs and alcohol, I would drink after the number of hours you have to wait to take another pill.

If your worried about liver damage perhaps get into the habit of a slice of lemon in your water. It's supposed to be like a tonic as well as have other positive effects on your stomach area and the organs that are involved with it.

Myself I usually wake up to hungover and take all kinds of pain killers.

I just think moderation is the important part. Chronic liver damage occurs over years and years of drinking. Add said pain killers into the mix and it will only hasten the effect. Avoid these bad habits regularly and you should be okay.

See a doctor. I lost a relative because he had migranes and refused to see a doctor. He actually had a brain tumor. Either way, a doctor can give you the peace of mind that you aren't in danger of losing your life, and even though you don't like pills, can give you a prescription that can make them pretty much go away.

(obligatory, I'm sorry)
"eyyt's nawt a tumah"
*bows*

I will try that slice of lemon in your water idea, AK. Thanks.

Rave - I've been to see a doctor (not up here, but a couple years back) and he didn't know. Prescribed me some medication that cured the migraines but made me feel nauseous. I ran out of the medicine and health insurance so for now I'm just doing OTC meds :)


On an unrelated note: I waited until about 5 hours after having taken the medication before I drank any last night, and I felt fine. The link Ranger gave basically said it was safe to do so unless I have stomach ulcers/bleeding, so I went for it. :P