Dr Zac says the only miracle cure to prevent a hangover is to stop drinking. Photo / Getty Images
Welcome to Ask Doctor Zac, a weekly column from news.com.au. This week, Dr Zac Turner talks about so-called "hangover cure pills".
QUESTION: Hi Dr Zac, my brother's just been overseas in Europe, and has come back with a suitcase full of 'hangover pills'. Apparently they are all the rage in London, and only cost $4!
He says they have bacteria in them, which breaks down the alcohol you drink before it causes a hangover. Is this even possible? He says everyone over there calls them "miracle pills" – can there ever be a miracle to save us from a hangover? – Myles, 23, Perth
ANSWER: I'm not sure how many times I have to say this, Myles, but the only miracle to stopping a hangover is to stop drinking! These types of "miracle" pills pop up in our pharmacies every few years, and slowly disappear off the shelves when punters realise they are more placebo than anything useful.
Often these pills are marketed as "pre-drinking solutions" to lessen the effects of a hangover – and suggest you take them before a drinking session. I wish the TGA would have stricter guidelines against this type of marketing as people will often drink too much because they think these pills will save them. I'm sorry to burst your bubble, but these pills are not miracles.
Before we break down this "gut bacteria breaking down alcohol" theory, let's quickly recap what a hangover is, and how it's caused.
A hangover is the onset of uncomfortable symptoms due in part to the dehydrating effects of alcohol. The most common of these being a headache, nausea, sore eyes, dry-mouth and anxiety.
Let's not forget that alcohol is a poison. When we drink, our liver does all the hard work in breaking down the alcohol we consume. As the saying goes "pick your poison" and if you combine alcohol with energy drinks and then tonnes of sugar, well you get the drift.
During the process of metabolising the alcohol, it produces acetaldehyde. This nasty sounding by-product is the reason for all the nasty side-effects of a hangover and is in fact the poison that our body needs to rid itself of. This metabolising process can be enhanced in some people who drink regularly.
Our livers attempt to protect itself by making more acetaldehyde dehydrogenase (the chemical that breaks it down). This is why some people and ethnicities can stimulate an increase in the amount of acetaldehyde dehydrogenase and essentially breakdown the "poison" acetaldehyde faster i.e. being "p*ss-fit".
This, I must stress, doesn't make alcohol safer or less poisonous, it simply delays the hangover effects to later. You also have to consider some people get the effects immediately, becoming flushed, nauseous, and tipsy after even one glass.
The idea behind these hangover pills is that the introduced bacteria will break down the alcohol in the stomach into water and carbon dioxide before it reaches the liver, thereby limiting the acetaldehyde that needs to be broken down.
There are two factors to consider.
One: The gut bacteria in our stomach can be affected by a whole range of lifestyle choices and so it's difficult to rely on them.
Two: Alcohol absorption varies drastically according to weight, sex, physical activity and food consumption.
These two factors reduce the effect of these miracle pills.
You should always be careful in taking gut-bacteria supplements, as probiotics given to people with illnesses can upset the natural balance of healthy gut bacteria causing infection or gut symptoms.
The studies behind these pills are few and far between, and I'm not convinced they work at all. And I don't believe that people should be wasting their money on these "miracles", when there are easier options to lessening your hangover.
Firstly, you should always set out in your head how much you will drink. You should know your limits and respect them.
A great trick is to always make every second drink a glass of water. If that gets old, try soda water with lime. Regularly hydrating your body will reduce the effects of a hangover the next morning.
If you're at the pub, sneak into the pokies room and eat a handful of nuts. Eating these nuts will replenish B vitamins that quickly become depleted when you drink. Pro tip: Avoid putting money in the pokies! They are designed so you will eventually lose your money.
Before you even have a drink, rather than popping a pill, chow down on avocado on toast with smoked salmon. This will slow down your gastric motility throughout the night, meaning your body takes more time to break down the alcohol.
Myles, I recommend you flush your brother's miracle pills down the toilet, and tell him to wisen up and stop drinking as much if his hangovers are getting to him.