[imagesource: ExpressMD Urgent Care]

Greasy food, Bloody Marys, raw eggs, a shot of Panado, sleep, and water – we’ve tried our hand at one or all of these options to stave off a mean hangover.

But the more moneyed folks out there do things a little differently.

Where there is money to be spent, there is help to be bought, and a devilish hangover is no different.

For that, there is a raging industry of “hangover helpers” as the Financial Times puts it.

From patches and tablets to tonics and intravenous drips, the rich sure do know how to take the edge off the morning after.

First up, there’s Nomo’s night-out recovery system, which comes with six activated carbon capsules (two or three of which should be taken in the night) and six vitamin capsules (two of which should be taken in the morning) at £14,99 a pop (just over R300).

Yeah, I can only afford to sleep that one off, thanks.

 

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According to Nomo, the compound is designed to absorb toxins, reduce tiredness, and boost energy levels:

Charcoal is regularly used to treat poisonings – it binds to toxins in the gut and prevents absorption – though studies suggest that alcohol is absorbed too quickly by the body for it to have much effect.

Recently, after a few too many sugary cocktails (my kryptonite) I sampled the Nomo system and felt surprisingly fresh the next day. Perhaps it was simply a bullet dodged, but it was a relief nonetheless.

Second, there are clever little vitamin patches saturating the hangover market right now:

Lifebio’s After Party Patch offers a cocktail of efficacious ingredients such as B vitamins, milk thistle and other antioxidants to aid post-party recovery – delivered transdermally via an adhesive patch stuck to the hip, wrist or the top of the foot. (Think of it as a reverse nicotine patch.)

Delivering the goods this way means that they are absorbed in small amounts consistently over a 10-hour period, first by the skin, bypassing the digestive system and heading straight to the bloodstream.

Those go for £15,99 (almost R340) for six patches, which the company boasts is less than a few pounds a party:

 

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Now things get a little bit more pricey as we enter the world of on-demand intravenous drips.

The UK is well-stocked with boutique IV clinics that punt various detox drips to walk-in clients complaining of horrible hangovers:

Image: IV Boost UK

There’s also an option via various wellness apps to get a medical professional to come and administer the drip in the comfort of your own home.

One can even try out a drip shop called Get a Drip, although you’ll have to be partying it up in west London for that.

The drips are perhaps the most effective remedies out there, as they can siphon a large amount of fluid into the body rather quickly, dealing with the main cause of discomfort: dehydration.

But there’s a caveat:

Drips are not risk-free: if they are not administered correctly, they can be a source of infection or have other serious consequences. The experience “should be medically led,” [Dr Joshua Berkowitz, medical director of IV Boost UK,] says.

Perhaps best to have a professional come around, then.

All in all, that’s what I call luxury hangover management.

[source:financialtimes]