Hangover Cure Remains Elusive

Revelers are preparing to ring in the New Year with parties and celebrations, and those whose heads are still ringing will spend their first waking hours of 2015 searching for hangover relief.

Although there are drinks, tablets and home-made remedies, a cure for the throbbing headache, nausea, fatigue and thirst that can follow a night of drinking has remained elusive.

“There are no hangover cures," said Dr. George Koob, director of the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, part of the National Institutes of Health.

Koob said there is evidence that low to moderate drinking can have beneficial health effects, but hangovers are a symptom of a bigger problem: excessive drinking.

"There are no medications that you can take for a hangover," he added in an interview, "and we’re not putting any money into it.”

Along with increased thirst and dizziness, excessive drinking can irritate the stomach, cause blood vessels to dilate and lead to a drop in blood sugar causing general weakness and tiredness.

There is no cure for excessive drinking but there are products ranging from tablets and drinks to IV infusions to relieve hangover symptoms.

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