Last year, FDA advisors unanimously voted that oral phenylephrine is ineffective.
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FDA proposes ditching common decongestant for being completely useless
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maybe now they'll make something that actually works, or you know just bring back pseudoephedrine given how tiny the actual risk of it being turned into meth really is
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I believe pseudoephedrine has always been available, it was just moved behind the pharmacy counter. I've never had a problem getting some.
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Ivermectin it is, then!
Here in Canada we’ve switched to only having pseudoephedrine plus a pain killer (usually acetaminophen, sometimes ibuprofen). I dislike that I need to take a drug I don’t need in order to take the one I do need, but that’s how it is; even behind the counter they say nope, those are the options.
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Was the manufacturer genuinely unaware that their product was useless? Surely they had tested it?
Anything for some money, I guess.
Anything for some money, I guess.
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I tried this stuff when Sudafed was moved to behind the prescription counter. I swear that it was less effective than a glass of water. I decided that I'd rather show my license, and wait a minute, to buy an effective decongestant that helps relieve sinus pain.
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Sample size of 1 and such but I tried the PE stuff when it was advertised as a Sudafed substitute after Sudafed was moved behind the counter. It pretty much had no effect as a sinus decongestant. Tossed most of the box in the trash and went through the paperwork to get the real Sudafed.
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Can we just get OTC pseudoephedrine back? The restrictions have done jack shit to reduce meth production and just make it a gigantic pain in the ass for people like me who use it regularly (I've been taking a 12 hour one before bed every night and it's really helped with my sleep quality). I want my Costco sized bucket of pseudoephedrine Sudafed so I don't have to go to the pharmacy multiple times a month and deal with remembering if it's been long enough since the last time I bought to be allowed to buy again. Also fucking sucks balls if you're traveling and need it and forgot to bring some and it's after pharmacy hours, plus the places like Japan and Singapore we've pushed into banning pseudoephedrine altogether.
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I worked in a pharmacy back in 2002. Everyone knew that phenylephrine was ineffective at that time when consumed orally. There was some debate on its efficacy when taken as part of a nasal spray back then, but all the Sudafed PE and related stuff was just their attempt to hold on to the market after pseudoephedrine was removed from the store shelves and placed back behind the counter. Placebo was enough to keep some people coming back, plus it has the Sudafed name, so it must be the real stuff, right?!
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Yep. It's a hassle but available. In Texas at least there's also a limit on how much you can buy monthly, which can cause problems with a big family or someone with chronic issues.
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At least you can also get Codeine up there as part of the concoction. My wife swears by the Tylenol, Caffeine, and Codeine for her cramps.
Here in the states, you have to have a friggin' prescription for it.
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It's darkly poetic that none of this is going to matter in two months and manufacturers are going to be allowed to tell us virtually anything again.
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In most countries in the EU, drugs with pseudoephedrine are OTC - most pharmacists tend to refuse selling more than 1 package to persons of young age or in dubious state and shape - not sure if this is regulated by law or just being simply a human with empathy towards people's well being.
EDIT: in certain countries in the EU: "it is ONLY available as a combination medication", "sale of medicines containing pseudoephedrine only to adults and in quantities not exceeding one package".
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Can we please get pseudo OTC/on unrestricted purchase again so it's as easy to buy as Tylenol or NyQuil or other day to day things? Christ it's annoying when I need some in a hurry (almost always on the way to the airport before dive trips because I can never remember if I packed any)
Edit: and yes, your theory is correct if you wonder if that means that my dive bag is slowly becoming a stockpile because I always put the new package in there and find out there was already plenty.
Edit: and yes, your theory is correct if you wonder if that means that my dive bag is slowly becoming a stockpile because I always put the new package in there and find out there was already plenty.
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Force bundling stuff with acetaminophen as an abuse deterrent is especially shitty given it just winds up causing liver problems for people really determined to abuse whatever's being forced bundled with the acetaminophen. Or not necessarily even people determined to abuse the other ingredient, just so easy to mess up with acetaminophen.
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The big chains (Shoppers & Rexall) do that, but I've still been able to get straight pseudoephedrine from behind the counter at my local independent pharmacy.
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Here's the thing, Methamphetamine manufactures don't need the over the counter phenylephrine any more because they are getting the precursor from Mexico or China in bulk form
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Oh, it's much worse than that. Not only did they know it was useless, it sounds like they may have faked the clinical trial so it would look like it was useful:
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"It is known" is kind of the whole story here. We've known it's useless for years, but only now, many years after we found out it's useless, is it potentially going to be taken off the market.
The pharmaceutical system in the US is very close to being completely broken.
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Gonna be really upset if they also end up removing the nose spray. That stuff works great and the alternative(oxy something) doesn't work as long and has a much worse reduced effect with multiple uses).
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That was the case right after the SC ruled that administrative rulings are no longer allowed. Companies can lie as much as they like as long as they can afford lawyers that can get them delay after delay after delay. Most companies will be able to keep any lawsuits going for a decade or two without a problem, by which time the citizen will definitely have run out of money.
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It took our family approximately one attempt to use that stuff to determine it was completely useless. The fact that it has taken almost two decades for the FDA to come to the same conclusion is appalling, if unsurprising.
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Nah, he's probably talking about ethically-sourced* stem cells (from umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, or adipose tissue)...but for quack treatments like "curing" autism or reversing aging.
*This is sarcasm.
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I've found that here in Canada you can only get 30 or 60mg tabs with either advil or Tylenol mixed in. You can typically find it on the shelves. Sadly the 12hr long lasting stuff was pulled from production.
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I've got 'ORRIBLE allergies. Just the worst. Always used to swear by the old Sinus Tylenol when it had pseudoephedrine in it. As soon as they switched to phenylephrine, it just NEVER worked... like at ALL. So I had been saying from the beginning that it was a scam.
I've been using Aleve-D from behind the counter since then. It's overpriced, but it works. I think the companies fighting to keep phenylephrine on the market just don't care at all they are selling sugar pills. They make money on them, and that is what healthcare is all about, now. It also keeps the prices of behind-the-counter drugs high. And even the off-brands aim to be just a LITTLE less than the name brands, since they want to maximize their profit as well.
One they get rid of phenylephrine, maybe we can start to have some competition again and the prices will drop a bit. It really doesn't pay to have allergies.
I've been using Aleve-D from behind the counter since then. It's overpriced, but it works. I think the companies fighting to keep phenylephrine on the market just don't care at all they are selling sugar pills. They make money on them, and that is what healthcare is all about, now. It also keeps the prices of behind-the-counter drugs high. And even the off-brands aim to be just a LITTLE less than the name brands, since they want to maximize their profit as well.
One they get rid of phenylephrine, maybe we can start to have some competition again and the prices will drop a bit. It really doesn't pay to have allergies.
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Studies have proven this is even more effective than ivermectin in curing COVID. This is just big pharma ensuring it continues to make money off the fake vaccines.
(hopefully I don't have to /s that?)
(hopefully I don't have to /s that?)
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You have to give them your ID and aren't allowed to buy more than one box, even if the larger quantity box is out of stock.
(Personally, I stock up when I buy drugstore items so I don't have to go that often (vision issues so can't drive and frequent Uber shopping trips are cost prohibitive). So, not being able to buy 2 or 3 boxes at a time is a serious inconvenience. )
But, it takes more effort and more time to get the little card thingie, go to the pharmacy window, wait, wait, wait for your turn. Wait for them to find the box. Let them scan your ID then pay. Rather than just simply picking up what you need on the shelves, paying at cashier, and go.
Like the thread re xitter changing blocking, when the discussion is how a significant portion of people will be dissuaded from something by the friction of making something even slightly more difficult. This process makes it so less people get actual effective cold medicine when they need it.
And, honestly, I'm pretty uncomfortable with the ID thing, just feels invasive.
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Was this very recent or perhaps it's province-specific? I was able to buy a bottle of pseudoephedrine (with no other active ingredients) in BC a few months ago without any issue by asking at the counter.
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Phenylephrine was political cover for the harsh new restrictions on pseudoephedrine, nothing more—but that made sure no one scrutinized its efficacy very closely.
I’m sure everyone in the industry knew it was essentially a placebo intended to head off public blowback over yanking pseudoephedrine from most stores, but I’m sure they were just following the tacit direction of their regulatory agencies.
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But that's the worst part of this. Unlike many other health scams like homeopathy, these AREN'T sugar pills. It's not like it doesn't do anything. It's just not doing the helpful thing it claims to do. There is an actual active pharmaceutical ingredient in there that's probably doing all kinds of terrible shit to your body.
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I think all these agencies might wanna start cleaning out their desks. None of this shit matters anymore.
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