I heard that one of the best ways to avoid a hangover is to take medications known as 'Proton Pump Inhibitors' (PPIs) before starting that drinking episode. Common PPIs include: Losec, Prevacid, Nexium, Protonix, Aciphex. Taking one of these pills before your first drink saves you from a 'headache' the next day. I am curious to know if this is really true. And if it is true, what is the medical basis of an antacid helping to prevent a hangover!!

Yes I heard that too Amo. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in most calcium supplements and antacids and has been used for centuries to absorb toxins, stop heart burn and acid stomach and is still used in hospitals today.

In respect to a hangover, Calcium Carbonate absorbs the properties in alcohol that cause pain or inflammation (a Hangover). These elements, called congeners, are the byproducts of the fermentation process that gives alcoholic beverages flavor, aroma and color. Once you consume alcohol and these congeners are in your bloodstream, you are susceptible to many hangover symptoms. One particular product that has been developed on the back of this is Goodbye Hangovers works by attracting and absorbing congeners, keeping them in the digestive tract where they do not give rise to any symptoms. It has been proven that Caffeine and Alcohol do stimulate the production of stomach acid. In this particular product activated Calcium Carbonate not only absorbs the toxins from alcohol, but buffers the accumulated acid in the stomach. This helps reduce or eliminate the burn that is felt in the esophagus.

There are no known negative interactions between alcohol and Calcium Carbonate, therefore it can only benefit and aid in preventing or fighting any signs of a hangover. I thought it would not be long before this scientific process was put to good use!

Rob - great post. Now i know why my grandfather told me to take a glass of milk before starting a drinking session at university. He always told me that the glass of milk would give the stomach a good lining - your theory may have something to do with it!! This still doesn't explain how the PPIs work in preventing the hangover because they do not have the Calcium carbonate component?

This is a bit of a poser, I have been looking into this and the best I can come up with on PPI's is that. Acid blockers like PPIs (Prilosec etc) and H2RA (Histamine-2 receptor blockers) are used for heartburn or GERD because there are no effective treatments to prevent reflux of gastric contents. Not exactly curing a hangover but perhaps one unpleasant element of it?