Hangover cures

Emergenc-C Vitamin Bomb €5.25

When we went into our local health food shop asking for help we were told – with admirable frankness that the only cure for a really bad hangover was McDonalds. When pressed further, however, the shop assistant found us some rehydrating coconut water and 1,000mg of effervescence loaded with B vitamins and some C too. We knocked it back and while it did not make us feel 100 per cent, we did feel marginally better. At more than a fiver a cure, however, the health-food option is not cheap and we would have wanted it to do more for our headache.

Verdict:The wholesome option

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A greasy fry €7.95

You can make this yourself but it’s a hassle and will end up costing more than a trip to your local cafe. Then there is all the cooking and cleaning to contend with too. The salt, grease and stodgy carbs you will find in a top notch fry-up will be impossible to stomach if you are really struggling, but if you are only mildly hungover it will definitely make you feel better. At least in the short term. Then the grease will start to pour from your pores and you’ll probably feel that little bit worse.

Verdict: The unwholesome option

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Bytox patch Five for €15

This innovative hangover cure promises to restore vitamins and minerals which a bout of heavy drinking leaches from the body. It works through a patch attached to the body at least 45 minutes before you go out. The makers also suggest that you drink lots of water during your night out. This did seem to offset the worst of the Pricewatch research-induced hangover and when we woke up – much earlier than normal – we did not have a headache and our mouth did not feel like a small bird had nested in it. But we can’t say if that was the patch or the water we drank. Also, the patch is not yet widely available.

Verdict: Debatable.

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Lifeline Hangover Defence €2.99

This product containing “activated charcoal” is widely available from chemists, shops and vending machines in pubs.

It is a simple product and once you pop the two small capsules, within an hour of your first drink you are good to go, so to speak.

Did it offset the worst affects of the alcohol? No. It did not. If you’re sensible enough to take this, you’re probably not stupid enough to go completely overboard on your New Year’s Eve night out.

Verdict:We're dubious

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