I Got Hammered to Try These Hangover-Prevention Vitamins, So You Don't Have To

POPSUGAR Photography | Nicole Yi
POPSUGAR Photography | Nicole Yi

"Hangovers are awesome," said no one, ever. While there are plenty of next-day hangover cures from smoothies to kombucha that help detoxify and restore your body, there aren't many ways to prevent a hellish morning. Aside from textbook tips like stay hydrated and watch your drink count, I didn't know of any effective solutions that allowed me to both party hard and wake up hangover-free — until I tried Flyby.

Meet your new drinking buddy: a nutritional supplement that's gluten-free, non-GMO, and 100 percent life changing. To test out whether or not Flyby actually works, I took one for the team and for lack of better words, got pretty wasted. You know, for science. And after trying it out on three separate weekends, I am happy to report that it totally works!

You see, your liver can only break down about one drink per hour, and when you don't pace yourself, toxins are building up and adding even more stress to your body. Similarly to about half of the Japanese, Korean, and Northeastern Chinese population, I lack the enzyme that helps me properly break down alcohol, which doesn't make hangovers any more fun. Immediately after a drink, I get an Alcohol Flush Reaction, aka "Asian glow," resulting in a visibly red neck and face. I get headaches more quickly, and my hangovers are more frequent and intense than what normal drinkers experience. (And yet, I still drink.) What Flyby aids in is eliminating harmful toxins, supporting healthy liver function, and replenishing lost vitamins, minerals, and amino acids.

Key Ingredients:

  • Liver hydrolysate: Obtained from grass-fed Argentine cows, liver hydrolysate protects your liver against alcohol-induced toxicity thanks to its natural B vitamins, minerals, and 18 amino acids.
  • Dihydromyricetin (DHM): According to Flyby CEO and Founder, Eddie Huai, "a recent study by the UCLA School of Medicine proved that [DHM] can expedite the removal of alcohol from your body by boosting liver enzymes," and works in tandem with liver hydrolysate. It's extracted from the oriental raisin tree and acts as an anti-inflammatory agent.
  • Vitamin C & Alpha lipoic acid: These two ingredients recycle key antioxidants, like glutathione, which help boost your body's ability to rid toxins.
  • N-acetyl-l-cysteine (NAC): This powerful antioxidant promotes the metabolization of alcohol and replenishes glutathione, which protects you from oxidative stress.
  • Milk thistle: This plant helps kick-start the liver by combating free radicals produced while the liver breaks down alcohol. It protects it from an overload of toxins.

The idea for Flyby came to Eddie after a trip to Japan when a friend gave him a Japanese drinking supplement consisting of turmeric and vitamin C. This inspired him to explore a better solution that actually prevented hangovers. After studying finance and economics at New York University, he partnered with a PhD in biochemistry to ensure the formula was symbiotic and all-natural. From there, Eddie single-handledly developed his startup from the ground up.

"We're actually the first hangover prevention solution to use a combination of liver hydrolysate and DHM," said Eddie. "With these synergistic ingredients, Flyby takes a holistic approach at supporting the body while it breaks down alcohol — fighting free-radicals, removing alcohol-induced toxins, and boosting liver function."

In regards to safety, Flyby claims they only use "the most active and absorbable form of our ingredients rather than opting for cheaper forms." Because it's a nutritional supplement, it does not require FDA approval and can't even be approved by the FDA, according to their site. However, all products are manufactured in FDA- and cGMP-certified facilities in California — "Adherence to the cGMP regulations assures the identity, strength, quality, and purity of drug products by requiring that manufacturers of medications adequately control manufacturing operations."

Instructions:

Take at least two capsules (for a tame office happy hour) with water either before drinking or before bed. For a crazier night of heavy drinking, take three to four. (Each occasion, I took mine before sleeping.) Keep in mind that Flyby is a miracle product but not a miracle worker. You still need to drink water and get a decent amount of sleep for it take full effect.

The first night I tested these out, I drank a carafe of sake, a shot of tequila, one beer, and a glass of wine over the span of five hours. I was on a good level, but I wasn't hammered at all. I intentionally mixed various types of alcoholic drinks to increase my chance of getting a hangover and it worked. By 1 a.m., I had a pounding headache that I couldn't shake. Because it was more of the dangerous combination than the number of drinks, I took two capsules with plenty of water and woke up completely fine. On a more recent evening, I was around three shots and four beers, which had me scaling a full 10. Again, for science, guys. I was really entrusting in Flyby this time around because I was feeling like complete sh*t that night. Headache, nausea, the whole shebang. But thank God I woke up the next morning well enough to take a hot yoga class I had drunk-reserved the night before. Even my boyfriend (who was definitely expecting a hangover) was surprised at how effective it was.

Like any other product, Flyby won't have the same results for everyone since all of our bodies are different. It worked fabulously for my boyfriend and me, but I can't guarantee that it'll be the cure for you. Flyby understands this and does promise a full refund if the customer is not satisfied with the product. Needless to say Flyby is now my go-to solution for preventing hangovers, and I'm never looking back.