The 5 Best Hangover Pills [2021 update]

With so many hangover pills on the market right now, it can be hard to know which ones actually work the best.

Hangover pills are popular natural remedies that claim to support your body’s ability to deal with alcohol and support recovery. With that, they promise to reduce the intensity of hangovers so that you can get more done with your day.

But do hangover pills really work? and if so, which product is the right fit for you?

In this review, we’re going to take a closer look at some of the best-known hangover pills on the market right now.

How do hangover pills work?

Before we get into our list of best hangover pills, it’s important to understand how hangover pills are supposed to work.

The science of hangovers is complicated, to say the least. In fact, scientists are still not sure exactly why we get hangovers. But generally speaking, it’s agreed that a combination of factors including dehydration, inflammation, sleep disturbance, hormonal imbalance, and the direct toxin effect of alcohol are all involved.

That’s why drinking a few glasses of water doesn’t really help that much because hangovers aren’t just caused by dehydration.

Hangover pills are packed with ingredients like vitamins, electrolytes, and amino acids that support your body’s recovery after drinking alcohol. And although research into these products is limited, there is some science to back up their claims.

An important point to realize is that hangover pills do not cure hangovers and do not prevent the damaging effects of drinking too much alcohol. They should be seen as an additional aid to your hangover recovery routine.

With that said, let’s get straight into our top picks.

The 5 best hangover pills of 2021

1. AfterDrink
2. NoDaysWasted 
3. Cheers
4. Flyby
5. Purple Tree

1. AfterDrink (Our top pick)

AfterDrink is our top choice in our list of best hangover pills. This company has been in the hangover prevention game for years and is well established as one of the top products on the market.

Key features:

• Science-backed ingredients
• 100% natural ingredients and vegan friendly
• High doses of key ingredients (DHM, Milk thistle, Prickly pear, B vitamins, and more) 
• Manufactured in the US, in a FDA approved facility. 
• Multi-pack offers with big discounts 
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Directions:

You have to take 3 capsules with a meal before drinking alcohol and 3 more after you finish drinking

Cost per hangover:

$4.38 if you buy a single $35 bottle. Discounts available with multi-pack offers.

Click here to buy AfterDrink from the official website.

2. DHM Detox by NoDaysWasted

As the name suggests, NoDaysWasted is a hangover pill that promises to reduce hangover severity and retain some productivity instead of being in bed all day.

It comes in a convenient recyclable packet that you can carry with you on your night out. It’s especially useful if you’re planning on staying over at a friend’s and not keen on taking a whole bottle out with you.

Key features:

• Only 2 capsules per night out
• Convenient packaging
• Good value for money 
• Good selection of ingredients

Directions:

Take 2 capsules before, during, or after your night out

Cost per hangover:

One box contains 10 packets. That means each night out will cost you $2.99

Click here to buy DHM Detox from the official website.

3. Cheers

Arguably one of the most well-known hangover pills on the market, Cheers takes the lead in terms of its brand and reputation. They used to be called Thrive+ but recently re-branded.

They have solid ingredients and a well-rounded product. On top of this, they also offer a range of other liver support supplements and rehydration mixes which you can purchase in bundles.

Key features:

• One of the most popular hangover pills
• Thousands of reviews
• Offer a money-back guarantee if you don’t feel at least 50% less hungover
• Discounts available with bundles

Directions:

Take 2 to 4 capsules after your last drink or before bed.

Cost per hangover:

One standard size tub costs $34.99 and contains 36 capsules. That means if you take the higher dose, each hangover will cost you $3.89.

Click here to buy Cheers from the official website.

4. Flyby

Flyby is another popular hangover pill that has helped thousands of people recover from their hangovers. The founder got the idea after a trip to South Korea where he tested a few hangover remedies on himself. After being shocked by how well they worked, he decided to make his own hangover pill for the US market.

Flyby has since expanded its product range into hangover prevention drinks, rehydration electrolytes, and liver health supplements.

Key features:

• Good value for money
• Natural ingredients
• Well-known brand
• Sell lots of other complementary products

Directions:

Take 3 capsules before drinking, and another 3 straight after your last drink (similar to AfterDrink)

Cost per hangover:

A single large bottle contains 90 capsules at $34.99. Each hangover will cost $2.33.

Click here to buy Flyby from the official website.

5. Purple Tree

Purple tree is a relative newcomer in the hangover pill category. What sets it apart is how much it costs because it’s one of the cheapest on the market. With that, it doesn’t have as much of a comprehensive ingredients list as the other hangover pills on the market. Nevertheless, it’s a great entry point product if you’re on a tight budget.

Key features:

• Cheapest hangover pill
• Contains most anti-hangover ingredients
• Available in different sizes

Directions:

Take 2-3 pills during or straight after drinking alcohol.

Cost per hangover:

A single large bottle contains 60 pills at $19.95. Each hangover will only cost $1.

Click here to buy Purple Tree from the official website.

Who should use hangover pills?

We all know that hangovers get worse with age. For most of us, hangovers become particularly bad in our 30’s. If you’re nodding along while reading this, you know exactly what I mean.

If the time has come in your life when hangovers start to become more trouble than it’s worth, it may be time to consider adding a hangover pill to your supplement cupboard.

But that’s not to say hangover pills will completely prevent you from getting a hangover. As we’ve mentioned before, they aren’t “hangover cures”.

With that said, they could make a tangible difference to your recovery if you adhere to all the must-do hangover prevention steps. These include keeping well hydrated, eating before drinking alcohol, and most importantly, drinking within your limits.

Things to consider before buying a hangover pill

Ingredients

The ingredients are, by far, the most important factor when it comes to choosing which hangover pill to buy. Does it contain science-backed ingredients, and if so, is the dosage sufficient?

You may come across hangover pills that contain loads of ingredients and find that the doses are very small. And If the doses are tiny, the supplement might be ineffective.

Price

Price is an important consideration for all of us. Going for the most expensive product doesn’t mean it’ll give you the best results. As always, going back and comparing the ingredients formula of different products is key to seeing whether you are getting the most value for your money.

Safety

Knowing where your choice of supplement is made can be reassuring. Is it manufactured in a country with high regulatory standards like the US or UK? Does the manufacturing facility adhere to good manufacturing practices guidelines (GMP)?

How do you take hangover pills?

The products mentioned in this review require you to take anywhere between two to six capsules each time you drink and you may be wondering why so many?

Most hangover pills require you to take a few (more than two) capsules each time you drink. This is usually because the small size of the capsules means that the supplements require multiple capsules to deliver the ingredients in the full doses listed on the label.

That’s why it’s really important to follow the directions, otherwise, you’ll be taking doses that may be to small to have any real effect.

On that note, we’re going to take a closer look at the key ingredients to look out for in hangover pills next.

Some ingredients to look out for

If you take a closer look at the ingredients in hangover pills, you’ll notice that most of them are made up of several different herbal extracts, amino acids, vitamins, and electrolytes.

Hangover pills utilize natural ingredients to support your liver’s detoxifying capacity, as well as boost antioxidant levels.

We mentioned before that there isn’t much research into natural hangover remedies, so the benefits reported are mostly anecdotal.

• Milk thistle – Natural liver health support. Silymarin is the active ingredient.
• Prickly pear – Packed with antioxidant-rich polyphenols
• Dihydromyricetin – Also known as DHM is a popular hangover pill ingredient and features in all of the products mentioned in this review.
• Ginger – Natural anti-nausea remedy
• Ginseng – Packed with antioxidant-rich ginsenosides
• Black pepper extract – Increases absorption of certain nutrients from the gut.
• N-acetyl-cysteine – Precursor to glutathione which is a potent antioxidant
• Alpha-lipoic acid – Natural antioxidant
• Vitamin C and E – Antioxidant vitamins
• B vitamins – Support normal metabolism
• Trace elements (Zinc, Magnesium, Chromium) – Essential cofactors in metabolic processes

Ingredients to avoid

• Caffeine – It’s a stimulant that may rumble your stomach if already feeling nauseous. Caffeine is also a diuretic which means it can exacerbate dehydration and its stimulant action can leave you jittery and distrust sleep.
• Artificial fillers/coloring – Pretty self-explanatory point. The best hangover pills don’t cut corners and only pack what’s necessary in the capsules.

How much do hangover pills actually help?

The thing everyone wants to know above all else is; do hangover pills actually work? and how much do they work?

If you check out the reviews of the hangover pills mentioned in this article, you’ll notice that there are thousands of people who feel better after taking them. Amongst them, there are also many people who don’t see much benefit at all.

As with all supplements (and even medicines), they affect us all differently. The only thing that’s certain is that hangover pills do not cure hangovers or protect your body from the damaging effects of drinking too much alcohol.

But if you want to try anything in order to feel better after drinking, hangover pills are a small investment that may drastically reduce the severity of your hangovers.

Are they safe?

We’ve only included hangover pills that are made from natural ingredients and have good reputations in this review. Therefore, they are usually well-tolerated with low side effect profiles.

But they all contain a combination of herbal extracts that you may have not been exposed to before, there is always a chance that one or more ingredients may not sit well with you.

Naturally, there is a greater risk of side effects if you are already taking other medications that may interact. That’s why you should always speak to your physician before trying a new supplement.

If you do experience side effects, don’t take them anymore and speak to your doctor.

Places to buy hangover pills

Most of the supplements featured on this list are available to buy from the official product manufacturer websites, and some are also available at other online retailers such as GNC, CVS, and Walgreens.

One of the advantages of buying a supplement from an official website is that you can be sure that you’ll be getting a genuine and authentic product. On top of this, you’re more likely to get the best deals and fastest delivery.

Amazon is also another good option as their prime delivery service is unrivaled.

Hangover pills vs drinks, patches, and IV drips

You’ve probably seen all different types of so-called “hangover cures” around. From health centers that’ll hook you up to a fluorescent IV drip, vitamin patches, and drinks.

All options have various positives and negatives, but for us, hangover pills are the most convenient, deliver the highest doses, are the most cost-effective, and ultimately work the best.

At the end of the day, it mainly comes down to personal choice and you may want to try a few different products to see what works best for you.

Whether you chose to go for a supplement pill, drink, or patch, it’s always important to look at the ingredients formula to check if it contains ingredients that work.

How to get the most benefit from hangover pills

We’ve said throughout that hangover pills are not miracle cures. To get the most out of them, you still need to drink within your limits and do everything else you can to prevent waking up with a hangover. These include:

1. Drink enough water – Everyone knows dehydration is one of the causes of a hangover. That’s because alcohol is a diuretic which means it makes your kidneys push out more water. Therefore, taking regular water breaks is essential.
2. Avoid drinking darker colored spirits – Red wine and whiskey hangovers are notoriously bad. And there’s a good reason for it. They contain higher amounts of congeners which have been shown in studies to make hangovers worse. Congeners are formed when alcohol is aged in barrels and also during fermentation which is why they taste as they do. But unfortunately, they are bad news for hangovers so consider switching to lighter drinks.
3. Eat before drinking alcohol – We all have that one friend who comes out without having had dinner and is the first to leave the party. Alcohol is absorbed much faster from your gut if it’s empty which will make you drunk much faster. As they say, slow and steady wins the race and eating before drinking is key to this.

Following these rules in combination with taking your hangover pill will give you the best chance of waking up feeling human.

Wrapping things up

That concludes our review of the best hangover pills on the market right now. We’ve walked you through all the most important features to look out for and how they work.

Always remember that hangover pills are not a substitute for sensible drinking habits. That means, making sure you don’t mix your drinks, avoid doing shots and drinking on an empty stomach as well as keeping well hydrated.

If hangovers are becoming unbearable and you’re looking for a natural remedy to give you that extra helping hand, hangover pills could be the answer.

With that said, you can’t go wrong with any of the products we’ve selected in this best hangover pill review.

The reviews and statements published here are those of the sponsor and do not necessarily reflect the official policy, position or views of Observer.