The tongue in the throat swells after alcohol: what to do

Excessive passion for strong drinks will never be beneficial for a person. And no matter what supporters of the “harmlessness and benefit” of alcohol claim, even drinks that contain ethyl alcohol taken in minimal quantities are potentially dangerous. There is no need to list all the diseases caused by ethanol - there are too many of them. Alcohol can also provoke unusual pathologies, which do not become safer because of it.

We are talking about a phenomenon in which the tongue in the throat swells after drinking alcohol; lovers of strong alcohol especially often encounter this syndrome. Such an unusual reaction of the body causes well-founded fear, because sudden swelling and inflammation indicate the development of some pathology, which, if timely and competent measures are not taken, can lead the drinker to death. In this article we will look at what to do if such situations arise.

Inflammation of the uvula often occurs due to alcohol

Functions of the uvula

This is a small cone-shaped process. The tongue is located in the oral cavity on the edge of the palatine part (slightly above the root of the tongue). The organ consists of a muscular and connective structure covered with a mucous membrane. The uvula separates the laryngeal and pharyngeal regions and has several important functions:

Protects the nasopharynx area from accidental ingress of liquid or food (during swallowing).
Does not allow you to choke while eating (when you touch hard particles of the tongue, it spasms, stopping the entrance to the respiratory tract).
Controls the process of food entering the digestive system, stopping the involuntary desire to regurgitate food/liquid back.

There are people who do not have a palatal tongue at all (due to operations, any pathologies or congenital anomalies).

The absence of this part of the oral cavity does not affect the standard of living, but increases the chances of choking and suffocation when eating . After all, the safety of swallowing movements is ensured by the simultaneous movement of this structure and the palatal part. When healthy, the tongue is pale pink in color and small in size. But what to do when it grows, swells and hurts? Can alcohol become a provocateur of its inflammation and how can the condition of the organ be brought into order?

The uvula belongs to the organs of the oral cavity

Literature:

Alcoholism / Donald W. Goodwin; [Transl. from English B. Pinsker]. - M.: Olimp-business, 2002. - XII, 224 p.;
Endogenous intoxication syndrome (manual) / S. G. Musselius. — Ed. 2nd, revised and additional - Moscow: Author's book, 2019. - 356 p.
Chronic alcohol intoxication / A. Ya. Grinenko et al. - St. Petersburg: R. Aslanov Publishing House: Legal Center Press, 2007. - 537 p.
Mental illnesses: clinic, treatment, prevention: [Ref. a manual for neurologists, psychotherapists and doctors of other specialties] / Tyuvina N. A. - M.: Publishing house. house "KRON-press", 1997. - 250 p.

Main symptoms

If the uvula has enlarged due to inflammatory processes, as the pathology develops, the patient will experience a number of other symptoms. In particular:

gagging;
difficulty breathing;
pain and itching when swallowing;
rash on the skin;
fever, fever;
painful belching and heartburn;
problems with speech functions;
soreness in muscles and joints;
the appearance of white formations on the tongue;
increased salivation and lacrimation;
feeling of a lump in the throat (or a foreign object);
persistent dry cough with inability to clear throat.

The swelling of the uvula sometimes reaches such a degree that the nasopharyngeal lumens are blocked. This situation leads to serious breathing situations and possible asphyxia (suffocation) . Therefore, the main thing that needs to be done in such a situation is to relieve swelling, preventing the inflamed organ from blocking the respiratory tract and bringing the patient to a critical situation.

If the uvula is swollen and inflamed, it is not recommended to cough heavily; the patient will not be able to clear his throat, and excessive tension will only aggravate the situation.

Stomach

If you abuse alcohol, gastric pathologies will occur. They are characterized by:

nausea;
heartburn;
rapid weight loss;
frequent belching;
constipation alternating with diarrhea;
pain in the epigastric region;
repeated vomiting.

Dangerous complications of prolonged binge drinking are pancreatitis, inflammation of the pancreas. Such problems have specific symptoms:

pain under the ribs;
inability to reduce discomfort by changing body position;
vomiting immediately after eating food or taking medications.

The pancreas needs to be treated urgently. Otherwise, its necrosis may develop, which will lead to death.

The main causes of the pathological situation

Swelling of the uvula can develop under the influence of a fairly wide variety of factors. It is precisely the accurate identification of the cause of the inflammatory process that is the main thing in establishing the correct diagnosis and subsequent therapy. Swelling of this structure is formed both due to certain diseases and for reasons not related to illnesses.

The uvula ensures safety when consuming food and drinks

Diseases that cause swelling

Doctors identify the following, the most common culprits of this pathology:

Diseases of an infectious nature of the oral cavity and nasopharynx.
Some chronic diseases of the nasopharynx (tonsillitis, asthma, pharyngitis, otitis media).
Paramygdaloid abscess. This is an acute purulent disease of the peri-almond tissue.
Long-term dental problems (untreated caries, inflammatory processes, purulent infections).
Injury to this area. Inflammation and subsequent swelling can result from an alcohol burn to the throat as a result of consuming too strong alcoholic beverages.
Allergic manifestations. Increased sensitivity of the immune system and allergies arising against this background lead to swelling of sensitive mucous membranes. The delicate tissue of the uvula may also be damaged.

Situations not related to diseases

The development of uvulitis does not occur in all cases due to existing pathologies. If the uvula begins to swell, but there are no pathological reasons for this development of events, it is worth looking for the reason among other provocateurs. Experts advise analyzing the possible presence of factors such as:

passion for smoking (uvulitis is a frequent companion of an avid cigarette addict);
injury to the uvula mucosa from too hot/cold food or drink;
chronic snoring (usually in this case, swelling forms in the morning, and by the evening everything returns to normal);
the need for long-term use of certain aggressive medications that irritate the delicate mucosal tissue;
Sometimes the throat hurts after drinking alcohol (especially if there is damage to the mucous membrane and when drinking too strong alcohol), such soreness is often accompanied by swelling.

The most dangerous culprit of swelling is the development of an oncological process . It can be suspected if, apart from the swollen tongue, the patient does not have all irritating factors or any diseases.

Alcohol often acts as a strong irritant to the oral mucosa, which leads to swelling and inflammation of the uvula

Liver

Many symptoms after heavy drinking are associated specifically with liver damage. Alcohol has a toxic effect on the organ, as a result of which individual tissues begin to die. In advanced cases, cirrhosis and hepatitis develop.

that the liver is not in order :

pain in the right hypochondrium;
bitter taste in the mouth (more often appears in the morning on an empty stomach);
the appearance of a jaundiced skin tone;
bloating;
nausea (worsens after eating fatty foods).

If, along with the standard symptoms of a hangover after binge drinking, signs of liver pathology appear, you should consult a doctor as soon as possible. Delay is fraught with dangerous complications.

How to help in this situation

Treatment methods for a swollen uvula depend on the culprit of this pathological situation. Of course, if you have a lump in your throat after drinking alcohol, which is accompanied by pain and swelling, you should immediately stop drinking alcohol. Further treatment will consist of the presence of accompanying signs indicating the presence or absence of diseases.

Drug therapy

Methods for treating swelling of the uvula directly depend on the pathology that the victim had to face. In particular, the following medications can be used:

In case of allergic reactions . If the main culprit of uvulitis is an allergy, it is necessary to immediately exclude contact with the irritant allergen. By the way, sometimes the palate hurts after drinking alcohol precisely because of intolerance to a certain alcoholic drink. To stabilize the condition, medications such as:

Zyrtec;
Cetrin;
Aleron;
Diazolin.

If you have allergic reactions that manifest themselves in this way, you should definitely take care of your health and treat this situation extremely responsibly. Indeed, with uvulitis of allergic origin, there is a high chance of anaphylactic shock or Quincke's edema . These situations already pose a direct threat to human life. Such manifestations are relieved by injection of Prednisolone or Epinephrine.

Anaphylactic shock is one of the dangerous complications of swelling of the uvula

Diseases . When a certain viral or bacterial pathology is diagnosed with swelling of the palatal tongue, the patient will have to take a course of prescribed medications:

in case of viral origin of the disease, Arbidol is more often prescribed;
To combat a bacterial infection, Amoxiclav or Azithromycin is prescribed.

When pustular formations form in the area of the uvula, doctors resort to surgical removal. Fortunately, almost always the resulting growths are benign in nature. These are mainly cysts or polyps. Despite their safety, experts strongly recommend getting rid of them. Their complete removal helps relieve swelling, eliminates unpleasant symptoms and reduces the risk of various complications.

In the presence of polyps and cysts that formed as a result of swelling of the uvula, there is a chance of their degeneration into malignant formations. The risks of developing cancer are increased by alcohol consumption and smoking.

In case of severe pain syndromes, patients are also prescribed analgesics. How the therapy will proceed depends on the established diagnosis. The therapeutic course is developed individually, and medications are selected taking into account the clinical picture. Self-medication in this case is unacceptable. If time is lost and uvulitis already has a complicated form, the patient undergoes a tracheotomy. This is a procedure in which the trachea is opened and a special tube is subsequently installed to make breathing easier.

Help from traditional medicine

In the case when the swelling of the uvula does not have any serious pathological nature, then, along with the prescribed therapy, the use of healers’ recipes can also help. Swelling and inflammatory manifestations are relieved by regular gargling . To do this, it is recommended to use the following recipes:

Viburnum decoction. Steam dried viburnum berries (50 g) in a liter of boiling water, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 30–40 minutes. Strain the finished medicine. Use warm.
Infusion of sage and thyme. Take dry plants in equal proportions and steam the mass with hot water (200 ml). Bring to a boil and leave to steep for half an hour.
Chamomile and calendula decoction. To make a healing rinse, you need to use the flowers of the crops. Mix equal amounts of calendula and chamomile. Pour boiling water (600 ml) over dry raw materials (25 g). Steam over low heat for about 15–20 minutes, cool and use for treatment (after straining).

In addition to these plants, a healing rinse can also be made based on other crops that have anti-inflammatory properties. It can be:

marigold;
yarrow;
wormwood;
Echinacea purpurea;
large plantain;
common sage;
medicinal lavender.

But, before testing the medicinal properties of these crops on yourself, you need to consult a specialist. After all, some of the herbs and plants have a number of contraindications and cannot be used in all cases. It is worth remembering that many plant crops can provoke allergies, which will only aggravate the condition and provoke unnecessary complications.

You can also use ready-made pharmaceutical herbal preparations for mouth rinsing.

If alcohol is the main culprit for the swelling of the uvula, you should immediately stop drinking alcohol and completely detoxify the body. During the recovery period, it is recommended to increase your drinking ration. And in the future, it is necessary to take a responsible approach to the choice of alcohol and consume it exclusively in small quantities, carefully listening to your well-being .

Content:

Liver
Stomach
Heart
The immune system
Nervous system
Alcoholic delirium is a dangerous symptom complex after binge drinking

After taking a large dose of alcohol, the condition always worsens.
The next day the person feels exhausted, lethargic, suffers from severe headaches and muscle weakness. But in the absence of alcohol dependence (subject to one-time use of alcohol), negative symptoms usually go away quite quickly - within 24 hours. Symptoms after a long binge are always more painful. It's difficult to get rid of them. This is because severe ethanol intoxication develops. To eliminate it, it is necessary to conduct complex detoxification therapy in an inpatient drug treatment clinic.

When talking about the symptoms that plague addicts after binge drinking, narcologists always focus on changes in the functioning of internal organs. Particular attention is paid to malfunctions:

liver;
stomach;
immune system;
central nervous system.

Let's summarize

Uvulitis, or swelling of the uvula, is a potentially dangerous phenomenon. It is worth remembering that with growing swelling there may be a threat to normal breathing and the possibility of suffocation. Therefore, you should act immediately in such a situation, especially considering that swelling can develop rapidly. Doctors consider uvulitis to be an unpredictable disease, but, fortunately, this pathology can be easily and quickly cured, of course, with the complete exclusion of provoking factors, some of which include smoking and consumption of alcoholic beverages.

Nervous system

The central nervous system is depleted under the influence of high doses of alcohol. Then an alcohol addict trying to break his binge is faced with:

insomnia, too light sleep;
mood swings;
uncontrolled aggression;
inability to adequately perceive what is happening around;
apathy;
depression;
visual, auditory and tactile hallucinations;
memory loss;
epileptic seizures;
delusional;
panic attacks.

Often, binge alcoholics behave in ways that pose a threat to others. They see their relatives as monsters who need to be killed, and they make attempts to do so. It is important not to treat mental disorders at home - this is impossible. The first thing to do is call a drug treatment ambulance, which will take the patient to the hospital.