Professor says allergy pills do not prevent hangovers

There is no scientific evidence that allergy medicine prevents or treats ordinary hangovers, a professor has told DR, after two friends described taking the pills before bed following nights out.

Michelle Andersen, 26, from Kolding said she used to wake up nauseated and sometimes vomit throughout the day. After a family member advised her to take an allergy pill with water before going to sleep, she felt the next-day vomiting stopped.

Her friend Thea Dalmose has also taken allergy medicine around nights out, after hearing the suggestion from a former colleague. Dalmose takes the medicine daily for allergies, but said she was unsure whether it made a difference to her hangovers and had not noticed a clear change when she forgot to take it.

Experts warn about mixing alcohol and sedating medicine

Janne Tolstrup, a professor of epidemiology at the University of Southern Denmark’s National Institute of Public Health, said some antihistamines can reduce nausea and certain types are used for travel sickness. But that does not mean they treat hangovers, she said, adding that there is no evidence the medicine helps.

Tolstrup also advised against combining alcohol with antihistamines that cause drowsiness. Depending on the medicine, they can affect a person’s reactions and ability to make quick decisions.

DR health correspondent Peter Qvortrup Geisling said some older antihistamines may make people sleepy but do not relieve hangover symptoms such as nausea, headaches or dehydration. He recommended drinking water, eating something if possible and resting. Eating before drinking can slow the absorption of alcohol, while drinking water during a night out may also help.

One possible source of the belief is that red wine contains histamines and antihistamines can ease flushing and a racing heartbeat for some people who drink it. However, that is not the same as treating a hangover.

Statistics Denmark figures show that the number of people who filled a prescription for antihistamines rose from about 355,000 in 2020 to about 411,000 in 2025. The figures do not show whether the medicines were used for conditions other than allergies.

Andersen said she had become more cautious after hearing that taking allergy pills without having an allergy might not be good for the body. She now takes them about once every two months, rather than several times a month, and said she was unsure whether any benefit she had felt might have been a placebo effect.

Tolstrup said hangovers vary from person to person. Her advice is to limit alcohol consumption and drink water along the way.

Danish health authorities recommend that adults aged 18 and over have no more than 10 drinks a week and four on any one day. They say no level of alcohol consumption is risk-free for health, advise people aged 18 to 25 to take particular care not to exceed the recommendations, and advise those under 18 not to drink.