The hangover dilemma has tormented the human race for centuries.Until now, there was no way to prevent the uncomfortable symptomsthat arise the morning after a long night of boozing. Chaser, a newdietary supplement, is now available and claims to stop hangoversymptoms before they start by taking the pills prior to and duringalcohol consumption.
James Blum, CEO of the research firm Marshall-Blum, which hasstudied the hangover remedy, said Chaser is a dietary supplementcomposed of calcium carbonate and activated charcoal.
“The activated charcoal is used in emergency medicine tosoak up or absorb toxins,” Blum said. “We believe thatit works in the drinking environment by absorbing metabolicbyproducts from beer and spirits, and this is why it preventshangovers.”
Blum said the pills do not effect the alcohol content in theblood.
Blum conducted a two-week clinical trial on the hangoverremedy.
“We enrolled people into a study where they met on fridaynights,” Blum said. “They drank to excess in aspecified protocol of an ounce of liquor every 45 minutes. Theywere given specific amounts of food based on body weight at aspecified time and were given water so they werehydrated.”
Blum said the people drank enough alcohol based on their bodyweight to presumably give them a hangover. The test was repeatedthe second week but instead the people were given a placebo.
Blum said they were tested at midnight and the following morningfor the traditional hangover effects including fatigue, headaches,dry mouth, red eyes, bloating and vomiting.
“For the most part, they were all statistically improvedwhen they took the real product over the placebo,” Blumsaid.
Natalie McKenzie, the manager of GNC in Cortana Mall, said theChaser pills are supposed to be taken before consuming alcohol.
“You take two capsules with the first drink, McKenziesaid. “For best results, take one capsule every two to threehours.”
GNC carries several types of Chaser including the originalChaser, wine Chaser and energy Chaser, which claim to boost energylevels the following morning.
McKenzie said Chaser has been extremely popular recently.
Chaser also can be found at Walgreen’s Drug Store.
Michael Nelson, a marketing senior, takes Chaser on nights whenhe has to work the following morning.
“There were a couple of weeks when I was showing up hungover, and my boss was getting mad,” Nelson said. “OnceI started taking these, he couldn’t notice that I was hungover — I looked normal.”
Nelson said the pills only work when taken properly.
“You can’t expect to drink for hours upon hours andexpect for them to work,” Nelson said. “On a normalnight of three to four hours, you can expect them towork.”
Nelson said he did not feel a traditional hangover, but did feelsomewhat tired, probably due to his lack of sleep.
Nelson said this method was far more effective than taking painrelievers the next morning.
Shaun Pierce, a secondary education senior, tried Chasers andfelt sick after taking them.
Pierce said it was like taking a caffeine pill or diet pill.
“It stirred me up so much, like an energy pilldoes,” Pierce said. “I felt like I had to throwup.”
Pierce did not have a hangover the next morning, but not becauseof the Chaser.
“I didn’t have a hangover the next morning,”Pierce said. “I wasn’t able to drink because I felt sobad.”
Steven Dentali, the vice president of scientific and technicalaffairs of American Herbal Products Association, does not think itis a good idea to count on something to counteract bad choices madethe night before.
“This doesn’t take care of the stress on yourliver,” Dentali said. “You still need to eat well,drink lots of water and exercise caution.”
The Chasers may have a placebo effect on those taking them bythinking they are not hung over when they actually are.
“If you believe it’s working, you are more likely toget some effect,” Dentali said.
Dentali thinks that this pill does have positives since manypeople take Tylenol the next morning instead of Chasers theprevious night and do not realize the health risks.
“100 people a year die of accidental overdose ofTylenol,” Dentali said. “Tylenol, your liver andalcohol are a very bad combination.”
Dentali feels that by eliminating hangovers, people may forgetthe damage drinking does to the body.
“Maybe the bad effects of drinking are something youshould get,” Dentali said. “[People should askthemselves] why are they drinking so much that they need to takehangover remedy.”