Alcademics

I advocate and try to practice drinking in moderation as the best way to avoid a hangover. That's why I nearly never write about hangover prevention/cures. 

Recently though I had two hangover prevention products arrive in the mail. Normally they'd just sit there but I was going on a bar-hopping vacation to New Orleans where I knew these might actually come in handy. So I brought them along for the test. 

First I tried Rebootizer, which is a "detox shaker" with tons of anti-oxidant ingredients. It is a water pouch with a separate compartment for a powder. You squeeze the pouch to release the powder into the water, and shake it so it mixes. Then you drink it- no glass needed.

"In addition to long-term effects, temporary oxidative stress generated by junk food, alcohol, caffeine and smoking also has harmful short-term effects. The morning after price of this imbalance can include a pounding headache, fatigue, cotton mouth, queasy stomach and a weakened immune system. By drinking at bedtime, Rebootizer’s powerful antioxidants and digestive properties can support your body to fight oxidative stress by helping to clean toxins accumulated through excesses, before they become harmful. "

The ingredients it contains are dandelion, licorice, angelica, artichoke, lemon balm, lemon, acerola, sucrose, maltodextrin, and water. 

This product is designed for more than just hangovers, but if that's what you're trying to prevent you drink it at night before bed after consuming. So that's what I did.

The next day, I felt a bit hungover anyway, perhaps with less of a headache than might otherwise be the case. 

 The next night I tried Bytox, which is a patch like a smoking patch, loaded with a bunch of vitamins. 

 

"The specially-formulated Bytox hangover remedy patch effectively replenishes the vital levels of vitamins and nutrients your body loses when you consume alcohol. By enhancing and restoring these levels, Bytox reduces the physical side effects of alcohol consumption. Use the patch before during or after your night out for maximum relief from hangovers. The patch is 100% safe and really works!* Bytox has zero calories and won’t irritate your stomach, so you can party in style."

 

Amount Per Serving	 % Daily Value
Acai Berry – 20 mg.	 †
Vitamin A – 1    mg	 100%
Vitamin B12 – 1000 mcg.	4160%
Vitamin B2 - 1.7 mg	 130%
Vitamin B3 – 19mg	 119%
Pantothenic Acid - 5 mg	 100%
Vitamin B6 – 2 mg	 150%
Folic Acid – 4000 mcg	 100%
Vitamin D – 5 mcg	 100%
Vitamin E - 10 mg	 100%
Vitamin K - 80 mcg	 100%
Thiamin B1 - 150 mg.	 10000%
† Daily Value Not Established 

 You put on the patch while drinking and keep it on for eight hours afterward. So that's what I did. The next day I woke up completely stinking of vitamins, like the smell of your pee after you take some jumbo multivitamin. It was disgusting. 

As far as the hangover that I had probably earned: I still felt drained and slow, but didn't have much of a headache and that "If I open my eyes the pain will start" feeling, or any stomach sickness (that I don't usually get anyway). So perhaps it helped.

 Conclusions

In my experience it's hard to predict exactly the level of hangover you're going to have, so it's even more difficult to say how effective a prevention method is. Both of these products may have helped a bit. That's about as much as I can say.