Hangovers have long been my worst enemy.
Some people argue that hangovers get worse with age, but ever since I first started drinking, my hangovers have been abysmal.
For years, I've been dreading the following day and cleared my calendar whenever possible in anticipation for the day I'd be spending rotting in bed while nursing a gnarly headache and extreme fatigue.
Other symptoms people commonly experience as part of a hangover include dry mouth, nausea and vomiting, dizziness, shakiness, and a fast heartbeat, according to Mayo Clinic. Despite all these unpleasant feelings, people (i.e me) still go out and have a few too many alcoholic beverages.
There's long been rumors of supposed hangover 'cures', one being 'hair of the dog'. But this doesn't actually help the hangover — it simply delays the inevitable, says Dr Donald Grant, GP and Senior Clinical Advisor at The Independent Pharmacy.
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He explained: "While it may momentarily mask symptoms by increasing blood alcohol levels, it quickly wears off, often resulting in a second wave of symptoms that can be more severe than the original hangover. While it’s an incredibly well-known phrase, there’s simply no evidence to back this claim."
So, if hair of the dog doesn't work then what does? I, like many, have long asked this question so thought I've give the viral anti-hangover pill Myrkl a try.
Myrkl has been mentioned hundreds of times on TikTok and reviews have hailed the supplements as an 'absolute game-changer'.
As to what it actually is, Myrkl describes itself as a 'socializing supplement' and it works by using a combination of prebiotics, probiotics, L Cysteine, and Vitamin B12 to help improve metabolic function to support liver health.
Basically, the formula 'increases the number of alcohol-targeting probiotics in your gut, breaking it down quicker so less work is needed to be done by your liver', says Myrkl. Vitamin B12 in particular is said to be good for things like fatigue and supporting the body’s immune response to alcohol.
In light of the hype (and my aversions of hangovers) I tried Myrkl for myself.
A perfect time to try Myrkl was my Christmas work party. A couple of hours prior to the festivities, I had a couple of the supplements with a glass of water and a few slices of pizza (since it's advised you have the tablets with a meal).
Off I went to the party and several glasses of Prosecco and a few Disaronno and cokes, I was well on my way to merriness.
I had zero plans for the next day, since I expected I'd be hiding in my bedroom with a god awful hangover... but no such hangover came.
I opened my eyes waiting for the headache to come and the nausea to begin, tentatively rising from my bed to my screaming cat demanding food. However I soon found out that I felt pretty decent in the grand scheme of things.
Was I ready to run a marathon? No. Did I still have a snooze on my sofa that afternoon? Yes.
While I wasn't quite feeling 100 percent, I felt substantially better that I usually would. With this in mind, I'll most certainly be using Myrkl again.
Myrkl products are available to purchase via Amazon here.
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Niamh Shackleton