Hangover & Dehydration in Ibiza: Treatment Options

The fastest evidence-based way to recover from a hangover in Ibiza is aggressive oral rehydration with electrolyte salts (better than sports drinks or "hangover pills"), 1g of paracetamol for the headache (not ibuprofen on a queasy stomach), light salty food once you can keep it down, and sleep. Most hangovers clear in 6–24 hours. Severe dehydration or persistent vomiting needs medical attention — and a home-visit doctor in Ibiza can assess you, treat what can be treated in your room, and arrange urgent hospital transfer if your dehydration needs intravenous fluids. Chest pain, confusion, or symptoms after unknown substances mean you call 112.

What is a hangover, physiologically?

A hangover is the convergence of several physiological insults from the night before: dehydration (alcohol is a diuretic, dancing in the heat compounds it), electrolyte imbalance, an inflammatory response to alcohol metabolites, glycogen depletion, suppressed sleep, and direct stomach irritation. Recovery means addressing each of those in roughly that order.

A hangover is the convergence of several physiological insults from the night before:

• Dehydration — alcohol is a diuretic, MDMA is a sweat-inducer, dancing for hours in 28°C heat compounds it
• Electrolyte imbalance — sodium, potassium, magnesium all depleted
• Inflammatory response — alcohol metabolites trigger systemic inflammation
• Glycogen depletion — you didn't eat enough; blood sugar is low
• Sleep deprivation — even if you "slept", REM sleep was suppressed
• Direct stomach irritation — gastric mucosa is inflamed, hence the nausea

Recovery means addressing each of those, in roughly that order of priority.

What is the best hangover recovery protocol?

The evidence-based protocol works hour by hour: at hour 0, rehydrate with electrolyte salts and take 1g of paracetamol; through hours 1–3, keep rehydrating and eat light salty food; by hours 3–6, add a real meal, gentle fresh air, and coffee if you tolerate it. Skip "hair of the dog" and hangover pills.

Hour 0 — what should I do the moment I can stand?

• 500–750 ml water with oral rehydration salts (Sueroral, Hidranova — any pharmacy, €4–8 a packet). This beats plain water, sports drinks, and the trendy electrolyte gels. Sips, not gulps.
• 1 g paracetamol for the headache. Don't take ibuprofen yet — gastric irritation on an alcohol-irritated stomach is asking for trouble.
• Cool, dim room. Phone face-down. No caffeine yet — coffee is a diuretic and worsens dehydration.

Hour 1–3 — how do I support recovery?

• More slow rehydration. Aim for 2 L of fluid in the first 4 hours.
• Light salty food when stomach allows: toast, salted crackers, broth, banana. The sodium replacement matters.
• Sleep if you can. The body repairs efficiently when at rest.

Hour 3–6 — how do I get back to functioning?

• More water + electrolytes
• Real meal — eggs, rice, soup
• Gentle walking outside (not exercise — fresh air and slow movement)
• Coffee is OK now if you tolerate it; pair with water

What doesn't work for a hangover (or is overhyped)?

• "Hair of the dog" — extends the hangover, doesn't shorten it
• B12 vitamins, "hangover pills" — placebo effect at best, no quality evidence
• Greasy fried food — slows alcohol absorption if eaten BEFORE drinking, makes you feel worse the morning after
• Sugar drinks (Coke, Aquarius) — electrolyte profile is less effective than ORS

When should you call a doctor for a hangover?

Call a doctor when a hangover crosses into something more: persistent vomiting beyond 6 hours, severe dehydration signs (no urination for 8+ hours, dizziness on standing), a headache far worse than usual, fever above 38°C, confusion, chest pain or palpitations after stimulants, or symptoms not improving in 24 hours.

Most hangovers resolve in 6–24 hours with the protocol above. Signs that this has crossed into something needing medical attention:

• Persistent vomiting for more than 6 hours, can't keep any fluid down
• Severe dehydration signs: no urination for 8+ hours, dizziness on standing, sunken eyes, persistent dry mouth
• Headache much worse than your usual hangover — especially with stiff neck, fever, sensitivity to light (rare but rule out)
• Fever above 38°C — points to something other than just hangover
• Confusion or unusual sleepiness — could be persisting intoxication or something more
• Chest pain or palpitations — particularly post-stimulant use (MDMA, cocaine, amphetamines)
• Symptoms not improving in 24 hours

For any of those, a home-visit doctor or private clinic is the right call. In Ibiza, services like OnCall Clinic send a doctor to your room to assess you, do basic vitals, treat what can be treated at home, and arrange urgent hospital transfer if your dehydration is severe enough to need intravenous fluids.

Does a "hangover IV" actually help?

OnCall does not offer IV or vitamin-drip therapy — we send a doctor to assess and treat you. Here's the honest medical view on the drips you'll see advertised:

IV fluids genuinely help when you're significantly dehydrated and can't keep oral fluids down, have persistent vomiting, or have orthostatic dizziness — they restore you in 30–45 minutes. They're mostly placebo when you feel rough but can drink water; in that case €5 of oral rehydration salts work just as well.

In-room IV rehydration is heavily marketed in Ibiza ("hangover IV", "wellness drips"). Here's the honest medical view:

IV fluids genuinely help when:

• You're significantly dehydrated and can't keep oral fluids down
• You have persistent vomiting and need to break the cycle
• You have orthostatic dizziness (head spins when you stand) and need rapid restoration

In those cases, 500ml–1L of saline (sometimes with added electrolytes, sometimes with anti-emetic medication for nausea) over 30–45 minutes restores you remarkably quickly. Third-party drip clinics in Ibiza tend to be expensive and heavily marketed.

IV fluids are mostly placebo when:

• You feel rough but can drink water
• You're tired but not dehydrated
• You want a "wellness boost"

In those cases, oral rehydration salts cost €5 and work just as well. The IV is a luxury experience, not a medical necessity.

Look for: a service that uses a licensed doctor or nurse (not "wellness practitioners"), proper sterile single-use cannulas, and provides documentation of what was administered. If a basic IV costs far more than a home doctor visit would, you're mostly paying for the marketing.

When are drug-related symptoms a concern after a night out?

Most Ibiza "hangovers" are alcohol-only, but when other substances are involved a lower threshold for medical attention applies. The dangerous patterns are persistent vomiting and high temperature after stimulants, chest pain or irregular heartbeat, deep sedation and slow breathing, and any unknown or mixed substances — be honest with the doctor.

MDMA / ecstasy — what are the worry signs?

The morning after: fatigue, jaw tension, low mood, headache. These resolve over 24–48 hours. Worry signs: persistent vomiting, very high temperature, confusion, irregular heartbeat, severe muscle pain (rhabdomyolysis risk) — see a doctor or 112 if severe.

Cocaine — what are the worry signs?

Hangover symptoms include anxiety, fatigue, congestion, irritability. Worry signs: chest pain, irregular heartbeat, severe headache, persistent agitation — see a doctor.

GHB / GBL — what are the worry signs?

"Hangovers" from GHB can include amnesia and lingering sedation. Severe over-dose presents as deep sleep, slow breathing, and unresponsiveness — that's a 112 emergency.

Ketamine — what are the worry signs?

Recovery typically rapid; lingering effects mild. Worry signs: bladder pain, blood in urine, persistent confusion — see a doctor.

Mixed substances — why are they especially risky?

The risky combinations — and the source of most Ibiza ER visits — are alcohol + sedatives, multiple stimulants, or unknown substances. If you or a friend feels really off and you don't know exactly what you took: medical attention is the right call. Be honest with the doctor; they're not going to call the police, they need to know what to treat.

What does severe dehydration look like, and why does it matter?

Severe dehydration shows as no urination for 8+ hours or very dark urine, dizziness on standing, sunken eyes, dry cracked lips, a resting heart rate over 100 bpm, confusion or lethargy, and skin that "tents" when pinched. It responds quickly to IV fluids but can cause kidney injury if prolonged — don't ride it out.

Ibiza's combination of alcohol + heat + dancing + hours of sweating produces dehydration that can outpace what people realise. Severe dehydration signs:

• No urination for 8+ hours, or very dark urine
• Dizziness when standing
• Sunken eyes
• Dry, cracked lips and tongue
• Heart racing (over 100 bpm at rest in an otherwise healthy adult)
• Confusion, irritability, or lethargy
• Skin that "tents" briefly when pinched

Severe dehydration responds quickly to IV fluids. It can also cause kidney injury if prolonged. Don't try to ride this out — see a doctor, get rehydrated.

How can you prevent a bad hangover?

If you're going to drink, the most effective prevention is to hydrate before going out (500ml of water with electrolytes), alternate water with alcoholic drinks roughly 1:1, eat a proper meal beforehand, be honest about total volume, avoid mixing depressants, and keep water on the dance floor in hot venues.

The most effective protocol, if you're going to drink:

• Hydrate before: 500ml of water with electrolytes before going out
• Alternate: water between alcoholic drinks, ideally 1:1
• Eat: a proper meal before drinking matters more than after
• Limit total volume: be honest about how much you've drunk
• Avoid mixing depressants (alcohol + sedatives + GHB)
• Bring water on the dance floor, especially in hot venues

What's the bottom line on Ibiza hangovers?

Most Ibiza hangovers respond to oral rehydration salts, paracetamol, light food, and sleep — done within 6–24 hours. Severe dehydration or persistent symptoms benefit from medical attention, and IV fluids genuinely help when you're truly dehydrated, though they're marketing when you're just tired.

For anything chest-related, persistent vomiting, confusion, or symptoms after unknown substances: don't tough it out. A home-visit doctor in Ibiza reaches you in 30–60 minutes most nights. Better to overreact and be reassured than to miss something serious.

Be kind to yourselves the morning after. The island will still be there tomorrow.