Communication freshman D.R. Bruhl is hung over.

He’s nauseous, has a headache and feels like he’s on “an eight-hour plane ride.” But he said he wouldn’t consider using hangover pills, even when he has to wake up for his 10 a.m. Monday class.

“I think the pills are just one of those things you see commercials for and hear about but never really think about buying at the store,” Bruhl said. “It seems inconvenient to plan to get trashed before you even start drinking.”

The over-the-counter pills, sold under brand names such as “Chaser” and “RU-21,” usually come in packages of two and cost $1 to $2.

Manufacturers claim they prevent the headaches and nausea associated with hangovers by absorbing toxin alcohol has left in the body. Users are instructed to take two pills and drink two cups of water with their first alcoholic beverage and repeat this every two or three hours.

“I have a friend who used to take the pills every two hours,” Weinberg sophomore Scott Klein said. “She said she felt great the next morning and felt no effects of the alcohol.

“I don’t have any reason not to try them, but I’m still skeptical,” Klein added. “I just don’t drink if I have class the next morning, but I would definitely try it if I wanted to drink every night without flunking out of all of my classes.”

According to Chaser’s Web site, the pills use calcium carbonate and charcoal to trap congeners, elements in alcoholic beverages that give them their flavor and coloring.

By absorbing congeners before they reach the bloodstream, Chaser prevents inflammation and subsequently, helps prevent hangovers.

But Donald Misch, director of University Health Services, said he is wary of such claims.

“I don’t think they work, and there’s no proof that they work,” Misch said.

Based on sales of the pills in local stores, students seem to agree.

“We’ve sold maybe two packages of Chaser and RU-21 (since the store opened in May),” said Lisa Palomo, shift supervisor at CVS/pharmacy at 1711 Sherman Ave.

According to White Hen’s store manager, Brian Mueller, the store has sold 10 packages of Chaser in the last three months.

There was a slight student interest in the pills when they first were introduced two years ago, but he said sales have declined since then.

“Just like with everything else, it was a trend when it first came out. A lot of students bought them, tried them and decided they didn’t work,” Mueller said. “Now they just kind of sit on the shelves.”

Carl Sperber, marketing director for Chaser, attributes the relatively low sales in Evanston to the company’s advertising techniques.

“We have a policy against marketing to college students because three-fourths of them are underage,” Sperber said. “We try to avoid it as much as we can.”

Many students also said they just don’t have a use for the pill.

“I’ve never been sick the next day, so why use an unnecessary pill?” asked Education senior Jessica Den Houter.

Reach Abha Bhattarai at [email protected].