Hydrelief focuses our treatments on three specific areas. Energy, overall wellness and hangovers. Our mobile service exists to provide the ultimate convenience for those seeking our energy and wellness infusions and it provides safety for our clients seeking our hangover cures.

We strongly believe that those who are hungover (or still even a little drunk) should not have to drive to a clinic or doctors office to get this type of treatment. Hydrelief is the only IV Hydration service in Austin that believes this so strongly that we put it into action. It takes a little extra planning and effort on our side, but to us, it's worth it.

If you find yourself in a situation where you had a bit too much fun the night before, do the right thing and the safe thing. Call Hydrelief and let us come to you!

So you’ve experienced a hangover (In case you're lucky enough to not know what a hangover is, here is some insight from our friends at Wikipedia)..  You know all of the symptoms and how miserable you can feel but why do you feel that way?  What can affect the severity of your hangover?  Why are headaches worse with one type of alcohol while nausea is worse with others?
 
Hangovers are a very multifactorial phenomenon. There are so many variables that they are simply not predictable.  Below are a few  pieces of the hangover causes puzzle to help you better understand the enemy.
 
Dehydration / Anti-Diuretic Hormone:  Alcohol directly inhibits the portion of your pituitary gland responsible for secreting anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). ADH plays a role in your overall hydration status by preventing your kidneys from producing too much urine (as a direct result of water loss). Many of you have probably noticed that when you drink for consecutive hours, you will start to urinate much more frequently than you normally would throughout the day. Part of this is due to increased volume intake, but the net effect is still overall volume loss due to less ADH being secreted into your circulation. This inhibition of ADH secretion by alcohol is a direct cause of dehydration and is one of the biggest reasons you feel so thirsty and fatigued the day after.

Acetaldehyde: Acetaldehyde is a byproduct of the metabolism of the alcohol we drink (ethanol). When consumed, ethanol circulates through the body and produces fun effects all over. Your brain likes ethanol, that is why we (well most people anyways) drink. Your liver, as many of you know, takes the biggest beating. When ethanol reaches the liver, it is immediately broken down. Your liver is not capable of breaking down alcohol and its byproducts rapidly and essentially all of the breakdown pathways become saturated at very low blood alcohol levels. Because of this backup in the breakdown process, some byproducts hang around in the body for longer than we would like  and cause additional stress to the drinker. Acetaldehyde deserves a large chunk of this blame. After ethanol reaches the liver, it is broken down by alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) into acetaldehyde. Acetaldehyde is then further metabolized by aldehyde dehydrogenase (ALDH2) into acetate/acetic acid. Acetate is then circulated through the body and excreted. The metabolism of alcohol to acetate causes the formation of reactive oxygen species also known as free radicals. These free radicals cause direct oxidative stress to tissue and oragans throughout the body. Also, as stated above, because humans can only process alcohol at a set speed and because the processing pathways are quickly overrun, some of these metabolites hang around for longer than we would like. Acetaldehyde becomes a particular issue in this case. Our body is naturally equipped with measures to counteract free radicals. Anti-oxidants such as ascorbic acid (vitamin C), thiamine (vitamin B1) and glutathione all counteract this oxidative stress. Our bodies, however, only have a limited supply of these anti-oxidants and once they are used up, free radicals generated by a buildup of acetaldehyde can cause significantly more strain on the body.     

Congeners: Congeners, in reference to alcohol, are merely molecules that are produced during fermentation and distillation that are not the intended product (ie ethanol). Examples are methanol, acetone, tannins and esters just to name a few. Basically, congeners are all of the things that make moonshine intolerable and potentially dangerous. Because these congeners are not completely removed during distillation (and they shouldn’t be, they yield flavor and character to the spirits, wines and other products they are in) they are subsequently consumed by you, the consumer. Because congeners are a blanket term and don’t describe a specific molecule, they have too many effects in the body to detail here. They are, however, directly related to certain hangover symptoms that we all experience. Moreover, specific types of spirits/wines/beers contain different types and amounts of these congeners. Aged spirits and red wines tend to have the highest concentrations which is why they are classically associated with more severe hangover symptoms. Bourbon, for example, contains 37 times more congeners than vodka. A study performed by Brown University researchers showed that given equal amounts of ethanol (normalized for the patient's weight), those who consumed bourbon felt significantly worse the following day than the subjects who consumed vodka. Is this why alcoholics tend to gravitate towards clear spirits?

Vitamin Deficiencies / Oxidative Stress: This was covered in some depth in the acetaldehyde section, but a night out on the town can yield quite a bit of oxidative stress on the body. As stated before, we have an inborn defense mechanism for combating the free radicals that are generated during bouts of heavy drinking, but the system has its limits. There is direct toxicity caused by alcohol metabolism by itself, but when our antioxidants and other vitamins are used up to combat the oxidative stress associated with breaking down alcohol, we lose out on vitamin stores in other parts of the body that are required for other non-alcohol related function. Our body is capable of storing some vitamins (A, D, E and K) but the remainder are water soluble and are not stored in high quantities in the body. After a heavy night of drinking, your cells are literally starving for some of these vitamins to perform their normal functions.   

Glutamine Rebound: Glutamine is an amino acid that our bodies use for numerous functions including protein synthesis, cellular energy creation and maintaining proper acid-base balance in the bloodstream. When a person consumes alcohol, glutamine synthesis is temporarily scaled back. This is part of the reason alcohol causes a general “depressant” condition in the body. When a person stops drinking (usually to go to sleep) glutamine levels spike to offset the previous bout of suppression. When these levels spike, your brain is hindered from reaching the deepest phase of sleep, REM. This lack of restorative sleep directly affects how we feel the next day. In addition, the glutamine surge is thought to be partially responsible for the anxiety and shakiness felt the morning after usually associated with severe hangovers.
 
So, there are five of the underlying reasons we end up hungover. There are certainly other, albeit smaller, components that contribute to hangover symptoms, but these are the major ones.

Hydrelief’s hangover packages are specifically tailored to treat the scientific reasons behind the miserable symptoms we experience after we've had too much to drink. We don’t just throw different medications at clients without a purpose. We are committed to delivering the best possible solutions for your hangover. If you have any questions, thoughts or general comments about this information, comment below and we'll respond as quickly as we can! 

Check back for more information about hangovers, prevention tips, treatment plans and client testimonies in the future.
 
Cheers

Dr. Elsbecker   

The term hangover gets thrown out quite often. How many times has a friend (or have you) said "dude, I'm so hungover"? Hangovers not only cause you to feel lousy, but they actually impose quite a bit of financial distress as well. Missed days at work, poor work performance and accidents on the job are just a few ways that hangovers affect society as a whole. But are you hungover? Are you sure?

Alcohol hangovers follow a night of drinking, period. You cannot have this specific type of hangover without the necessary precursor. To be more specific, hangovers typically occur when or just before, a person's blood alcohol content returns to zero. 

So, you spent the night before drinking a bit too much. What symptoms comprise a hangover? Here are a majority, but not all, of the symptoms you may be experiencing:
- Headache
- Nausea
- Anxiety
- Dizziness
- Difficulty concentrating
- Drowsiness
- Fatigue
- Dry mouth
- Muscle aches
- Sensitivity to light or sound
- Shakiness
- Rapid heart rate 
- Heartburn

The cause of all of these symptoms is most definitely multi-factorial. Dehydration has been linked to hangovers and does play a role in the severity of symptoms. Newer research also points to various inflammatory mediators such as cytokines, interleukins and tumor necrosis factor alpha playing a large role in the symptoms of a hangover. Hydrelief has medications that focus on the treatment of all of the underlying causes of a hangover, not just dehydration. 

So, do you have a hangover?

​Schedule an appointment with Hydrelief to see how much better you can feel in minutes. 

How does Hydrelief mobile IV fluid service work? 
We use IV (intravenous) therapy to provide fluids and medication for headache, nausea and heartburn as well as essential vitamins to help reduce hangover symptoms.

How long does Hydrelief mobile IV fluid hangover treatment take?
An entire Hydrelief treatment takes roughly 45 minutes including IV placement and administering all fluids and medications. 

Do you take same day appointments?
Absolutely!  If we have available appointment times we will gladly provide services for you on the same day.

Are you licensed to provide IV fluid service treatments?
All Hydrelief customers are seen and treated by a medical professional including a Physician, Nurse or a Paramedic.  All medical staff providing treatment are certified by both their certifying board and Licensed by the State of Texas.

Where is Hydrelief located?
We are currently servicing the Austin, Texas market.

Where can I get treatment for my hangover or dehydration?
All IV fluid service treatments are provided directly to the customer on-site at their residence or establishment.

Do you take debit and credit cards?
Yes.  We accept debit and/or credit cards. No cash. 

Can you come to my hotel room?
Yes, we can send a Hydrelief team member to your hotel room for no additional charge.

Do you provide discounts? 
We currently offer special group pricing for parties of 6 or more.  Please contact us directly at (512) 640-3888.

When should I use Hydrelief IV fluid service treatments?
There are many reasons to use IV treatments which include hangovers and dehydration that come from a variety of activities:

• Bachelor Parties
• Bachelorette Parties
• Fraternity Party
• Sorority Party
• Business Professionals
• Professional Conferences
• Austin City Limits
• SXSW
• Formula 1 Enthusiasts
• Marathons
• Anyone who had TOO much fun in Austin last night!

When should I schedule my IV fluid treatment?
We recommend pre-booking your appointment to ensure we can provide service as appointments are limited and fill up quickly every morning.  Click here to schedule an appointment!