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Hangover Remedies

By Nicole Brewer

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- It's been a big sports weekend, with the home start of Phillies baseball down at the stadium and the big Final Four NCAA basketball on CBS3. And with all those sporting events, some people may have partied too much.

Since there's been alcohol, there have been hangovers. And everybody has a cure for those uncomfortable symptoms.

Some people say drink a lot of Gatorade, call off from work and sleep all day, or wake up and start drinking again.

But experts say those suggested remedies really don't work.

Now, there's a new generation of hangover products that promise to prevent or at least relieve hangover symptoms.

Dr. Scott Drab, a pharmacologist at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Pharmacy, evaluated four of them.

A product called Mercy is a lightly carbonated beverage that you're supposed to drink after your last alcoholic beverage of the night.

It's a blend of amino acids, antioxidants and vitamins, including B vitamins.

"B vitamins may speed up the metabolism to some degree," said Dr. Drab.

Alcohol is metabolized by the liver where enzymes break it down. In general, the liver can metabolize one ounce of alcohol per hour.

So can Mercy really help you feel better the next day?

"There's no evidence that it doesn't work and yet no evidence that it does work," according to Dr. Drab.

The company says its product does work, citing, "eight years of extensive scientific research and development."

Then there's a product called called Blowfish, with effervescent tablets you add to water and drink the morning after partying.

This product is actually FDA approved.

Blowfish contains aspirin and caffeine, which Dr. Drab gives a thumbs up.

"I could certainly feel comfortable in recommending this product," he said.

Next, Dr. Drab looked at Bytox. It's a patch you put on your skin 45 minutes prior to drinking.

"I did not find any specific data that their active ingredients are more quickly absorbed because it's in a patch" says Dr. Drab.

Once again, he said there's no evidence that it does or doesn't work.

Our calls to Bytox were not returned.

Finally, he looked at THC, Texas Hangover Cure. It's a powder you put in water and drink after a night out.

Drab says it's not a cure he can recommend.

"There's no evidence that this product actually does do what it says it's going to do."

We did find a disclaimer on the website stating that, "no medical claims are made nor intended."

If you don't want to try one of the products, what does the doctor recommend?

He suggests Gatorade to rehydrate and aspirin for a headache.

Also, caffeine will get rid of that sluggish feeling.

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