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Hangover pills take the test
 Media Credit: Adam Masloski Mitch Patterson passed out on his couch, hung-over, after a hard night of drinking Colt 45s. Patterson didn´t take any of the hangover pills and is now paying for his night of debauchery.
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 Media Credit: Adam Masloski Pills like Chasers are supposedly taken to eliminate hangovers after nights of drinking.
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Vitamins. Pickles. Excedrin Migraine. Water. Burnt toast. Tylenol. Soda crackers. Bananas. Coffee.
These things have all been used to cure the dreaded hangover. But now there are a number of pills or mixes on the market that claim to do just that.
To test the waters of this new treatment, a few SCSU students tried two different kinds of hangover cure pills, both available at General Nutrition Center (GNC) in Crossroads Mall.
Chasers
You may have seen advertisements for these pills on TV. "You should have taken Chasers," a perky woman says to her downtrodden counterpart.
A trial pack (four pills) costs $2.99 at GNC.
Chasers claim to "prevent hangovers before they start." The active ingredients are calcium carbonate and vegetable carbon. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in most calcium supplements and antacids. Vegetable carbon (activated charcoal) is used to absorb toxins.
Chasers supposedly absorb the elements in beer, wine and spirits that cause hangovers, keeping them in the digestive tract where they are harmless.
Chasers can be purchased in bottles or one-use sample packs. Two pills need to be taken with the first drink followed by two more for every three hours or six drinks consumed.
The manufacturers recommend drinking plenty of water and contacting a physician if you are on any other drugs.
The trial
Heather Picquet, 21, tried Chasers last weekend at the Red Carpet.
"It was kind of embarrassing taking them at the bar," she said. "The bartender looked at me kind of weird. Plus, the pills were really hard to swallow."
After three mixed drinks, three shots and four or five beers, Picquet said she was really drunk. The next day she had a horrible hangover, just like she normally would.
"They didn't work at all," Picquet said.
Eric Warmka, 21, on the other hand, had a more positive experience with Chasers.
"It's like having a second liver," he said.
Warmka had to wake up and go to work at 6 a.m. the next day. After 13 beers and just four hours of sleep, he woke up perky and ready to start the day.
"I felt great," he said. "I woke up and really felt refreshed. It was weird. There's no reason that I should have felt that good."
While Chasers are not supposed to affect intoxication or absorb alcohol, Warmka noticed a difference throughout the night.
"Usually I'd get pretty drunk after that many, but at the end of the night I still felt in control," he said. "It almost felt like the pills suppressed the buzz."
Hanna Wolf, 21, had a somewhat similar experience. She drank mixed drinks and shots throughout the night and became intoxicated, with a steady buzz going all night.
"It seemed like I drank a lot but I never got sick to my stomach or slurred or tripped," Wolf said. "It felt like being drunk wore off."
Usually she would expect to feel a bit nauseous the next day after drinking the same amount of alcohol. Though Wolf ate a good meal before going out, she still passed out when she got home.
Wolf wasn't hungover at all the next day, but she did sleep in unusually late, even for a night of drinking.
"I usually get up at 9 a.m., but I didn't even wake up until 12:30 p.m.," she said, "but I slept really well."
RU-21
The RU-21 pills claim to prevent alcohol-related damage to vital organs of the body by regulating alcohol metabolism.
The pills were invented by Russian scientists during WWII, according to ABC news. They hoped to make a pill that prevented their spies from getting drunk so they could go to a party with enemy agents and still maintain control despite consuming large amounts of alcohol. They still got drunk, but years later the hangover prevention aspect surfaced.
According to the RU-21's Web site, when alcohol is consumed it is broken down into acetaldehyde, a toxic compound that may be responsible for alcohol-related diseases and alcohol addiction. The body converts acetaldehyde into non-toxic acetic acid, then into carbon dioxide and water.
But, the body can only metabolize a certain amount of acetaldehyde in a given amount of time. So, the excess acetaldehyde enters the bloodstream, causing damage to the body.
The active ingredients in RU-21, - dextrose, succinic acid, fumaric acid, L-glutamine and absorbic acid - are supposed to counter and slow the metabolism of acetaldehyde.
The pills come in a pack of 20 tablets for $5.99 at GNC. Two of the round, white pills must be taken with the first drink and again with every two drinks.
One try
"The pills tasted gross," Picquet said.
Picquet tried RU-21 hangover pills during an evening of wine drinking (about half a bottle). Although she woke up without a hangover, she did wake up with a headache and heartburn. Picquet said she doesn't usually experience heartburn after drinking wine.
Another challenge with the RU-21 pills was remembering to take them after every two drinks.
"I would not use these again, Picquet said.
Most of the pill testers said that the pills were a hassle.
"It was a little difficult to remember how many (beers) I'd had," Warmka said.
Picquet added that keeping a count made her more aware of how much she was drinking.
"I paid more attention to it because I had to keep track," she said.
Not a cure-all
The ingredients in the pills tested were all over-the-counter vitamins, herbs and elements. There are many hangover pills on the market, including at least a dozen that are available online, but that doesn't mean they can fix typical hangover woes.
"My concern is that people will drink more because they think they won't get a hangover," said coordinator of SCSU's Alcohol Drug Awareness and Prevention Team (ADAPT) Lynette Sickler.
People may not feel the effects of the alcohol they drank and may be at a higher risk for alcohol poisoning. Alcohol poisoning is identified by slow or irregular breathing, seizures, vomiting, mental confusion and low body temperature. One should call 911 if these symptoms are prevalent.
Another concern is that some of the brands recommend consulting a physician before using.
"Whenever they say consult a physician, that kind of worries me because that means there's something in there that can harm you," Sickler said.
So what is the best hangover cure?
"Just decrease the amount of alcohol you drink," Sickler said. "Plus, drink water so you don't get dehydrated."
Sickler said that the biggest mistake people make while trying to numb their throbbing headaches is taking Tylenol or Ibuprofen.
"Mixing Tylenol with alcohol can really hurt your liver," Sickler said.
Acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, has been linked to liver toxicity. That, on top of a night's worth of alcohol is a lot of stress on your liver.
Ibuprofen or aspirin is highly acidic and can cause stomach irritation.
Worth it
Some of the testers said they would try Chasers or another hangover pill again.
Wolf would try Chasers again to see if they really work (she wasn't sure if she drank enough to get a hangover the first time).
Warmka would use Chasers again, but only in certain situations.
"I don't feel that they're needed unless you have to get up early the next day," he said. "but I would definitely recommend them."
Picquet, on the other hand, said she wouldn't try hangover pills again.
"It'd be nice if there was just one pill you could take," she added.
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