Can you drink alcohol with a concussion?

Written by Li Jin Quan
General Surgery
Updated on September 20, 2024
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Patients with concussions typically experience transient disturbances of consciousness after injury, such as coma, along with recent memory loss. Some also suffer from various degrees of headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, insomnia, and other clinical symptoms. The diet for concussion patients should be light and easy to digest, avoiding spicy foods and other strong irritants, as well as avoiding alcohol, since alcohol can aggravate symptoms like headaches, dizziness, and insomnia. Therefore, patients with concussions should not drink alcohol.

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Written by Li Jin Quan
General Surgery
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How to alleviate a mild concussion

Mild concussion usually leads to retrograde amnesia and transient consciousness disturbances in patients after the injury. Patients may also experience headaches, dizziness, loss of appetite, decline in memory, and lack of concentration. To alleviate mild concussion, it is important to first ensure that the patient gets adequate rest, avoids staying up late, and maintains a quiet environment. Secondly, it is essential to pay attention to the patient's nutritional needs, adopting a light and easily digestible diet. Thirdly, symptomatic medical treatment should be considered, especially if the patient suffers severely from headaches, nausea, loss of appetite, or insomnia. In such cases, analgesic and hypnotic medications can be used to relieve symptoms.

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Written by Li Jin Quan
General Surgery
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How long does vomiting last with a mild concussion?

Patients with mild concussion typically exhibit brief disturbances in consciousness lasting from several seconds to several minutes after the injury, usually not exceeding half an hour, along with retrograde amnesia. Some patients may also experience varying degrees of headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and other clinical symptoms. The vast majority of mild concussion patients can recover within five to seven days with rest and conditioning, meaning that mild concussion symptoms, including vomiting, can resolve within 5-7 days.

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Written by Chen Yu Fei
Neurosurgery
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Mild concussion symptoms

For patients with mild concussion, they often experience temporary loss of consciousness after suffering from violent blows, car accidents, falls from heights, and other accidental injuries, generally lasting no longer than 30 minutes. When patients regain consciousness, they may feel headaches, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, and have difficulty accurately recalling the incident, often referred to as retrograde amnesia. For such patients, cranial CT or MRI scans often show no significant positive signs, and it is suggested that no special treatment is necessary. Instead, patients should focus on rest, avoid overworking and exhaustion, and reduce excessive mental stimulation. The symptoms of most patients will gradually alleviate or even disappear within about two weeks.

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Written by Li Jin Quan
General Surgery
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How to identify a concussion

The first patient has a history of head trauma. The second patient's CT scan did not reveal any substantive changes in brain tissue. The third patient may exhibit some clinical symptoms, such as transient consciousness disorders, typically lasting no more than half an hour. There is also recent memory loss; the patient cannot recall the incident. Additionally, the patient experiences self-reported symptoms of dizziness, headache, nausea, loss of appetite, insomnia, memory decline, and lack of concentration. With these medical histories, some CT scans, and symptoms, a concussion can be diagnosed.

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Written by Jiang Fang Shuai
Neurosurgery
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How long does it take to recover from a concussion?

In clinical practice, we often see mild cases of concussion. After suffering from trauma, patients only show mild symptoms such as headache and dizziness, or may experience nausea. Some patients may not have any symptoms at all, and their recovery tends to be quick, often within two to three days, or even up to about 2 to 3 weeks to fully return to normal. However, for severe cases of concussion, symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting are more pronounced, and some patients may exhibit certain mental, psychological, and behavioral disorders. In these cases, hospitalization is usually required, and the recovery period can be quite lengthy, lasting for over a month, or even up to three months.