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After

Relax with friends – this way you can look after each other.

Try not to delay the inevitable and head out to another chillout – it will just make the comedown harder.

Drugs (particularly mephedrone), missing sleep and biting your cheeks or tongue can all lead to painful mouth ulcers. Gargling regularly with a weak solution of warm salt water can help speed the healing process and reduce the pain.

Get some sleep

Always try to ensure you have a full night’s sleep before work. Even then you may still feel tired, down and unfocused, but you will feel a lot better than going straight through.

Try to finish in the early evening at the latest. This will give you time to have some food, let some of the drugs wear off and get to sleep at a normal time.

Be careful about using sleeping tablets as you can become addicted or dependent on them, especially the stronger varieties. If you want to use any on the night when you finish, try the over-the-counter varieties from a pharmacist.

If you stop early in the evening and have a good meal, your tiredness should naturally kick in, especially if you’ve missed a night’s sleep. Try to avoid sleeping tablets on the following nights as it’s an easy way to get dependent on them.

Get some nutrients

Drink plenty of non-alcoholic drinks to flush toxins from your body (especially your liver). Eat a healthy snack or meal before going to bed.

These high protein foods have nutrients that help recovery:

  • meat
  • fish
  • soya beans
  • lentils
  • bananas
  • sunflower seeds
  • peanuts and almonds.

The following are rich in vitamins:

  • oranges
  • kiwi fruit
  • avocado
  • carrots
  • broccoli
  • spinach
  • salmon and tuna.

If you take HIV pills, set an alarm so you don’t miss a dose while you catch up on sleep.

After partying avoid ‘detox’ regimes that involve starving yourself or eating in an unbalanced way.

Know where or how to get more support if needed. Sometimes things happen during a night out that can seem fine at the time but on reflection may make you feel bad or depressed.

The comedown

Feeling ‘down’ a couple of days after partying happens because the drugs have made your brain release most of its feel-good chemicals at the same time.

Until your brain has replaced them, feeling depressed is the unavoidable pay-off – but this wears off within a few days.

Some people swear by 5-htp (5-hydroxyyryptophan), an amino-acid supplement that relieves symptoms of serotonin depletion. But any potential benefits of taking 5-htp are likely to cease if you use it as an excuse to take drugs more often. Seek advice from your doctor if you are taking an antidepressant, as there is evidence to suggest 5-htp can be a factor in the development of Serotonin Syndrome.

Don’t be tempted to take more drugs to avoid the comedown – they’ll just make the comedown worse when you finally stop partying.

Eating healthy food when you’re coming down helps you to sleep and regenerate.

If your comedowns are getting longer or worse maybe you need to cut back on your partying or talk to a doctor. Visit our LifeCheck to see where you’re at with drugs in your life.

Explore different types of drugs ››

HIV medication and recreational drugs – interactions ››

‹‹ Previous: Prepare and repair – During

Published: 30/08/2018
Next review: 30/08/2021