By Sabrina Singhapattanapong
Daily Bruin Contributor
Drinkers Champion, a new herbal pill that claims to prevent
hangovers, is a dream come true for some students, but certain
health experts question its effectiveness.
The combination of the energy-boosting ginseng and other herbs
causes frequent bathroom trips, resulting in little or no hangover
symptoms, said Drinkers Champion founder Lisa Middleton.
But it doesn’t make sense that Drinkers Champion would
completely prevent hangover symptoms, said Dr. Susan Stangl,
associate professor of family medicine.
Students are better off having a glass of orange juice or
Gatorade to help rehydrate their bodies, Stangl said.
“Before you go to bed, drink as much water as you possibly
can,” Stangl said. “There’s no way around
(hangovers).”
Drinkers Champion, like many other herbal remedies, is
considered a food ““ not a drug ““ so it does not require
approval by the Food and Drug Administration.
In February 2000, the FDA issued a public health advisory,
warning health care professionals about the dangers of using the
dietary supplement St. John’s wort with AIDS medications,
claiming that the chemical interaction would decrease the
effectiveness of the medication on patients.
FDA officials, who refused to comment on whether herbal drugs
like Drinkers Champion will require FDA approval, only said that
such matters are in the hands of Congress.
Ann Brooks, nurse practitioner at the Arthur Ashe Health &
Wellness Center, said she would be “really suspicious”
of any product claiming to prevent hangovers.
“One of the problems with herbal supplements is that there
aren’t any well-documented studies of its effects,”
Brooks said.
Though taking the pill “will make you feel better
afterwards,” Middleton said differences in body weight and
alcohol consumption ultimately will influence the effectiveness of
the pill.
Since caffeine is one of the pill’s ingredients, the only
known side effects of Drinkers Champion is sleeplessness or a
“jittery feeling,” Middleton said.
But many students remain skeptical about the pill.
“I wouldn’t take the risk of taking (the pills) …
because they’re new to the market and you might not know what
the side effects are,” said second-year pre-medical student
Andrui Nazarian.
Fourth-year biology student Armen Mardirosian thinks the pill
will encourage adverse behaviors.
“I could see how it would encourage drinking, since
drinking is already at alarming rates at our colleges,”
Mardirosian said. “It might even encourage me to drink
more.”
Meanwhile, first-year French student Meenadchi Gunanayagam said
drinkers should be more careful about their actions.
“If you’re going to go out drinking, the
consequences are yours,” Gunanayagam said. “Part of the
responsibility of drinking is dealing with the consequences and not
relying on some drug to get you through it.”