It is generally accepted that Corvalol is a fairly safe drug. It can be bought without a prescription in any pharmacy for a ridiculous price of 50-100 rubles. In our country, the practice of taking the drug after heavy alcohol libations is widespread.
There is an opinion that Corvalol helps to get out of hard drinking and prevents delirium. Is it really? From this article you will find out if Corvalol can be taken after alcohol.
The composition of the drug "Corvalol"
This drug was widely used in the Soviet years. Available in the form of tablets or alcohol tinctures. The principle of action is the same in both cases, but it is worth considering the toxic effect of ethanol when taking Corvalol in liquid form.
The composition of the drug:
- Alcohol.
- Peppermint oil.
- Ethyl ether.
- Phenobarbital.
- Valeric acid.
If the preparation is tabletted, then other auxiliary components are used instead of alcohol: starch, microcrystalline cellulose, lactose.
The principle of the drug
"Corvalol" has a pronounced sedative (sedative) effect, effectively euthanizes even with insomnia caused by physical causes. It is used to relieve anxiety, eliminate tremor of the extremities, during blood pressure spikes, digestive problems and constipation.
"Corvalol" refers to the drugs of the old generation, one of the main active ingredients in its composition is phenobarbital, which is a powerful and extremely toxic tranquilizer. This is due to such a low cost of the drug.
Modern tranquilizers provide the same effects as Corvalol, but due to the improved composition and low toxicity, they do not have such a detrimental effect on the body and are not addictive.
Phenobarbital harm
Why is this substance so dangerous? Phenobarbital is a synthetic barbiturate widely used in the middle of the last century. It has a pronounced anticonvulsant and sedative effect, which is achieved due to:
- suppression of the functioning of certain areas of the brain;
- amplification and simulation of GABA inhibition on synoptic transmission;
- lowering the functional work of the brain.
The substance is addictive. Medicine knows cases where elderly lonely people often took Corvalol and its analogues for sound sleep, from anxiety and, as they put it, "so that the heart does not hurt." After three months of daily intake, a persistent drug dependence developed. It can be described as drug addiction. It is impossible to get rid of it on their own, such patients are treated in narcology together with people with chronic alcohol dependence. It is phenobarbital in Corvalol that provides such a strong habituation effect.
Often people drink Corvalol after alcohol. Can phenobarbital be combined with another drug, ethanol? More about this below.
Recommended dosage
Instructions for use with Corvalol do not recommend exceeding the daily dose of 5-15 drops of the drug. If it is tabletted, then no more than two tablets per day, however, patients often neglect the advice of the instructions and increase the dose to fall asleep faster or feel better.
Doctors (neurologists, endocrinologists, psychiatrists, therapists) no longer prescribe Corvalol, considering it a hopelessly outdated and dangerous drug. This forces patients to prescribe dosages for themselves, which leads to addiction and poisoning.
Side effects of Corvalol
Do not think that this drug has only a pleasant effect. A healthy person with the use of one tablespoon of Corvalol develops the following side effects:
- severe drowsiness, possible loss of consciousness;
- dizziness;
- headache;
- a condition similar to alcohol intoxication;
- jumps in blood pressure;
- cerebrovascular accident.
When drinking Corvalol after alcohol, you can experience even more side effects:
- jumps in blood sugar (especially dangerous for diabetics);
- alcoholic coma;
- loss of consciousness and fainting;
- organic changes in brain tissue.
The dose of Corvalol, which can cause serious consequences
The main source of health hazards at Corvalol is phenobarbital. It is necessary to take the drug as carefully as possible so that an overdose does not occur. The consequences are very serious, even fatal.
Toxic single doses start at 0.5-0.75 g.
Thus, three Corvalol vials are sufficient for extensive intoxication, which could theoretically lead to death. Much depends on the weight, height, age and general health of the patient. Fragile women poison faster, large men slower. If Corvalol was taken after alcohol, then the toxic effect on the body will be even more powerful. It is better to choose other medicines for the treatment of a hangover syndrome.
Why do people take Corvalol after alcohol?
Each country in the world has its own unique traditions of drinking alcoholic beverages. In the life of many people (both men and women) there comes a moment when they begin to "sort out" drinks, getting drunk and feeling very bad in the morning. And chronic alcoholism develops. Our society reacts with a grin to such cases: went through, with whom doesn’t it happen? Few people understand the seriousness of ethanol poisoning: over time, they will be repeated more often, palimpsests will begin (memory lapses the morning after the party).
To ease their health in the morning, people take Corvalol after alcohol. Is it possible to do this - rarely anyone thinks.
Stages of alcoholism
In total there are three stages of alcoholism:
- the first is characterized by rare abuses, this stage can be diagnosed instantly, because the patient loses control over the amount of drunk and you always want to use as many different drinks as possible;
- at the second stage, the patient begins to hang over in the morning, memory lapses become familiar to him;
- not everyone survives to the third stage - many patients develop serious pathologies of the internal organs, as a result of which a fatal outcome occurs. If a sick person is in good health, he survives to the third stage and goes through a complete degradation of his personality, loses his family, work, friends and love of relatives. After which, again, he dies. It is almost impossible to recover in the third stage, since ethanol has already been integrated into the metabolism and has become a necessary condition for life.
Starting from the first stage, the patient experiences hangover in the morning. Then, within about a week, the decay products of ethanol leave the body - the patient experiences the so-called "withdrawal syndrome." Alcoholics often drink Corvalol after alcohol right in the morning, but some of them prefer to stretch a few vials of the drug for a week to cope with withdrawal symptoms.
Reception after heavy drinking
Of particular note is this method of administration. It is typical for patients in the second stage of alcoholism. When the patient goes into binges (continuous alcohol consumption for several days and nights), the exit becomes problematic - ethanol is built into the metabolism, becomes nutrition for the brain (instead of glucose), poisons all organs. Is there any need to explain that a way out of this state is practically impossible without qualified medical assistance?
And then the question comes to the mind of a sick person: is it possible to drink Corvalol after alcohol? After all, sleep does not occur, hands tremble, headache and dizziness ... And drops with phenobarbital relieve all these symptoms.
Most people with alcohol addiction regularly get out of binges with tablets or Corvalol drops. After alcohol, you can drink many medicines - this is Regidron, vitamin complexes, even Phenibut. And Corvalol, due to phenobarbital in the composition, causes an irreparable toxic blow to the liver and kidneys.
Can Corvalol help with a hangover?
This drug can really provide temporary relief. It will relieve headaches, soothe shaky nerves, provide several hours of sound sleep.
But do not abuse it. It should be taken no more than once a month, otherwise you can get a drug dependence on phenobarbital, which is part of Corvalol. At one time, you can take no more than two tablets or 5-15 drops of tincture. If these dosages are exceeded, the possibility of side effects increases and the toxic load on the liver increases.
Can Corvalol delay alcohol delirium?
People without a medical education are convinced that delirium (in the people this condition is affectionately called "squirrel") comes only in a binge, and in order to stop it, it is necessary to provide a sick person with a psychiatric hospital. This opinion is erroneous.
Delirium occurs on the second or third day after the end of binge. In this condition, persistent insomnia develops, the patient’s brain in the literal sense of the word “fails” from toxic load and lack of sleep. In this state, hallucinations begin (auditory and visual). The patient becomes aggressive and insane. Many try to avoid this condition with the help of Corvalol after alcohol, because if a person falls asleep, delirium can be avoided. This is partly true.
Firstly, there is no certainty that if you drink Corvalol after alcohol, the patient will certainly fall asleep. It is likely that phenobarbital will exacerbate the toxic effects on the brain and delirium will begin stronger and faster. Secondly, it is worth remembering about the liver - it should not be overloaded too.
Consequences of taking Corvalol after alcohol
When combining barbiturates (and this is Corvalol due to phenobarbital in the composition) with ethanol, precedents for double inhibition of the central nervous system are possible.
The following options for such a combination are possible:
- In patients with chronic alcoholism or people who often take alcohol, luminal (the breakdown product of phenobarbital with a toxic effect) is processed faster in the body.
- If a person rarely drinks, then a parallel intake of Corvalol and an alcoholic drink will cause a decrease in the absorption of the drug.
How much after alcohol can I drink Corvalol? If it is not possible to replace the drug with a more modern one, then administration is possible no earlier than 24 hours after the hangover.
What drugs are appropriate to take with a hangover?
First of all, the following medicines should be taken:
- "Regidron" will restore the water-salt balance of the body.
- Phenibut will help you fall asleep.
- “Novopassit” will remove tremor and anxiety.
- Milgamma and Neuromultivit will restore the central nervous system.
- Magne B6 and Asparkam will support the cardiovascular system.
- "Aminalon" will restore blood circulation in the brain.
- "Heptral", "Carsil", "Heptor" - will help the liver and bile ducts recover.
What drugs are appropriate for withdrawal symptoms?
If the patient is no longer going to drink, you can take Corvalol after alcohol. It is necessary to dose it carefully so that there is no drug dependence.
In parallel, it is necessary to drink a course of a high-quality vitamin-mineral complex. “Combilipen”, “Milgamma” and “Neuromultivit” will go perfectly - these are complexes of B vitamins for intramuscular administration. The drugs quickly and effectively help restore the central nervous system.
If insomnia suffers, you should contact a neurologist or psychiatrist to get a prescription for a quality sedative.
Medical tips for relieving a hangover
Here are simple tips, following which you won’t have to drink Corvalol after alcohol:
- before the feast, take a serving of Enterosgel;
- eat more meat and vegetables to reduce intoxication;
- you can resort to the help of an old proven remedy - activated charcoal - drink two or three tablets before a feast;
- try to control the amount of alcohol consumed and prevent the occurrence of a hangover syndrome;
- Do not drink drinks with a low degree of strength after previously consumed with a higher one.