Drug Companies and "Cold Medicine"

[Crazy Dazz]

The only thing my wife ever shares with me is her germs. I have a terrible cough and fever, and when I get sick I get cranky.

You'd think, after all this time, and the Billions invested, the drug companies could have come up with something to make us feel better.

For as long as I can remember, we have been encouraged to "Soldier on with Codral." I THINK I can vaguely remember when it actually contained ephedrin. Certainly, for most of the last 30 years it has contained psuedoephedrine. So I suppose for some of us, taking speed did make us feel better.

Now it has been replaced with Phenylephrine, which too is described as a "decongestant." Which sounds good, God knows I'm congested, except its nothing of the sort. "PE" is a vasoconstrictor, it constricts your blood vessels. The argument is that by constricting the small blood vessels in your lungs and sinuses, there will be less potential for fluid build up, and less water available to make mucous.
Which frankly, sounds like a crock.
I actually take a vasodilator, to counteract hypertension, and it doesn't render me full of snot when I'm not sick.

And here's the other thing. PE has been tested, and shown to have NO effect as a decongestant (ie no greater than placebo). Yet the drug companies keep flogging it to us.

I have found ibuprofen seems to help the most, with the headaches and maybe the fever.

[Yellow_Festiva]

When I'm all clogged up I rub my eyes and go to the chemist and tell them that I don't want any of that bs PE filth.

One look at me and they know why.

They have discretion on if they give you the PE crap or something that works.

You must have been right for a while, they been using that PE filth for years now...

[MITCHAY]

These days just get anything with a decent amount codeine will work wonders on top of your regular cold/flu tablet. I wonder how long until that is banned.

If I recall correctly, psuedoephedrine was restricted because it is a precursor in making illegal drugs and they really could not regulate to the extent that legit users could still get it while blocking out the illegal side of it.

[OCTANEBOSS]

A good dose Brandy or equivalent, plenty of water & hydralite, warm doona in bed and sweat it out. Will seem like the longest night you have ever spent in bed but I have found it to work better than most pharmacy drugs. Not that easy to do now because it is pretty warm but it might help.

[marty351]

In olden days, sudafed was used to manufacture illegal speed. Now it's nearly all imported stuff that makes amphetamines. Nothing to do with pharmacy meds now, not enough quantity. It's a shame all good meds for common ailments are disappearing, many over the counter drugs are nothing more than panadol in disguise.
Doctors are the best way to get the right meds for the right symptoms.
Sudafed works well if you can still get it. sigh......

[CJR09]

I took my family to the doc this winter as we all came down with a really bad virus which turned flu and left with a nasty cough which developed into a chest infection - the doctor flat out declared that basically all cough/cold/flu med's are a croc and not to bother with them - he suggested a combination of ibuprofen & paracetemol together with lemon/honey/ginger tea.



Needless to say we tried various over the counter med's - probably spent about 100 bucker - and all of them did nothing - just like he said they would - the only thing that gave slight relief were codrol lozengers for the cough - switched to the paracetemol/ibuprofen combo with the tea and what do you know life was much more bearable again...


The tea must be made fresh - not bought stuff - 1 x juice of whole lemon, half a thumb of grated ginger & 1 x teaspoon of quality natural runny honey


There is a study released not long ago by Otago university that showed a corelation between paracetemol & reduction in likelihood of infection & reduces fever - ibuprofen is an anti-inflammatry so that will likely help with congestion.

[Top_Ghia]

I was sitting in my GP's waiting room which is in a large clinic. Next to the waiting room is the meeting room. Every time I go there pharma reps are in there flogging there wares. They love showering the doctors in gifts and catered lunches. But it's also clear all they care about is sales and keeping patients on their drugs.
Last time I was there I was listening for quite some time. I must have heard "sales" 100 times. I never heard "cured". They also said that drug A combined with drug B had possible side effects X. But the solution was to add drug C to drug A and drug B. This combination has a fantastic effect and increased sales by 50%.

[marty351]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

I was sitting in my GP's waiting room which is in a large clinic. Next to the waiting room is the meeting room. Every time I go there pharma reps are in there flogging there wares. They love showering the doctors in gifts and catered lunches. But it's also clear all they care about is sales and keeping patients on their drugs.
Last time I was there I was listening for quite some time. I must have heard "sales" 100 times. I never heard "cured". They also said that drug A combined with drug B had possible side effects X. But the solution was to add drug C to drug A and drug B. This combination has a fantastic effect and increased sales by 50%.

Not a professional clinic IMO. Drug companies usually peddle their wares at confrences, sometimes in hospitals, but clinics?

[2011G6E]

The big problem with "the cold" is that it isn't just one simple thing that a "cure" could be developed for...it changes, it mutates, it can be a mixture of viruses making you feel like crap. That's why every year a new flu vaccine has to be formulated...they have to virtually guess which is the most likely strain to be dominant that coming year, and develop a vaccine for it. Sometimes they get it wrong...mostly they get it right.

The "common cold" is actually no such animal...it's hard as hell to control and will probably be with us until the human race dies out.

But yes, codeine seems to be the best. The old Codral cold and flu seem to work best for me...they might not work for everyone. They don't work for my missus when she catches the cold from me, or vice-versa. She takes other remedies. Note I didn't say "cures"...no such thing, and probably never will be.
Everybodies biology is just different enough and the way the cold virus changes slightly from person to person so that what cold remedy works for one person might very well not work for another.
We're not talking about a known quantity like whooping cough or measles where they know exactly what's doing the harm and can easily develop a vaccine against it.

[LG17]

Hot toddies - rum, lemon juice and honey. !

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by LG17

Hot toddies - rum, lemon juice and honey. !

And after enough you won't care that you have a cold...

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by marty351

Not a professional clinic IMO. Drug companies usually peddle their wares at confrences, sometimes in hospitals, but clinics?

They're there all the time.

[sneaky]

the new stuff doesn't work on me at all. I just go straight to the chemist/assistant and ask for the tablets with psuedoephedrine in the biggest box they have and get my licence out for them to record my details for the database..

sometimes the staff give me a funny look, other times they know the new stuff doesn't work on some people.

the old sudafed was great about 15yrs ago, now sudafed have a heaps of spin-offs that don't work.

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by sneaky

the new stuff doesn't work on me at all. I just go straight to the chemist/assistant and ask for the tablets with psuedoephedrine in the biggest box they have and get my licence out for them to record my details for the database..

sometimes the staff give me a funny look, other times they know the new stuff doesn't work on some people.

the old sudafed was great about 15yrs ago, now sudafed have a heaps of spin-offs that don't work.

+1
Ask for the hard stuff.

[stazza]

Anyone who thinks the pharmaceutical companies would actually sell you a drug to make the cold go away and actually work is a moron. They make money off you being sick. Look how many of you still buy that cold and flu crap despite admitting it does stuff all.

The only way to beat a cold is either natural remedies or tough it out with your immune system. That's what it's for. The drugs are a waste of money and bad for your body. It'd pay for some of you to actually do some research on the big pharmaceutical companies. They are scum bags and make money off keeping people sick.

[CoupeKing]

Funny how the Dr will prescribe something then say have vitamin C/ garlic etc. Who looks like the hero? Of course he can't say consume foods that are rich with certain minerals to avoid getting a cold/flu in the first place.

[danzvtil]

I laugh at the codral ads every winter when the dope with a cold/flu takes some and then goes to a rave or mountain climbing, all that is doing is masking the symptoms, you are still sick. Rest and time are the only way, if viral, I take paracetamol for the muscle and head ache and escape under a blankie for a few days.

[sneaky]

I just want something to stop the snot running out of my head so I can get on with the other stuff that needs to get done

[Crazy Dazz]

I'd pay for a "decongestant" if there actually was such a thing, but there isn't. PE was never developed or marketed as such, until suddenly they were scrambling to replace pseudoephedrine.

So I will stick with the ibuprofen. It seems to help, and its also really good for the accompanying headache.

[Franco Cozzo]

Hit the Grappa!

You can't hit your kids anymore but you can still hit the bottle.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by sneaky

I just want something to stop the snot running out of my head so I can get on with the other stuff that needs to get done

Don't know why, as soon as I read that I pictured a bloke with 2 tampons up his nose sporting a grin and a thumbs up.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by Big Damo

Hit the Grappa!

You can't hit your kids anymore but you can still hit the bottle.

Don't laugh. The uncle of my better half lives in Prague and he mixed my wife a concoction when she had the sniffles. 2 types of alcohol, some herbs and spices and some other stuff. Heat it up and down the hatch.

Tell ya what, it must work by scaring the tripe out of you as the taste and stench were horrid.

It did work however, no need for a second dose!

[castellan]

Originally Posted by stazza

Anyone who thinks the pharmaceutical companies would actually sell you a drug to make the cold go away and actually work is a moron. They make money off you being sick. Look how many of you still buy that cold and flu crap despite admitting it does stuff all.

The only way to beat a cold is either natural remedies or tough it out with your immune system. That's what it's for. The drugs are a waste of money and bad for your body. It'd pay for some of you to actually do some research on the big pharmaceutical companies. They are scum bags and make money off keeping people sick.

pharmaceutical companies and the governments push a lot of total B/S like the gov also push the spread of AIDS and the fact is no one could be so stupid to do such a thing, but they can get away with it because people are so bloody ignorant to the facts.
Oh would not want to offend anyone , so we go along with it all.

[Pis-ton broke]

i agree crazy dazz with your post. ive always suffered head colds and bad sinus.and this new stuff is useless. back in the late 80s sudafet was sold in 30,60 and 90mg. tabs , on the shelf. there was nothing better to stop a head cold for me.

but like sneaky said. you can legally buy it. ive been into my local chemist and asked for pseudoephedrine. they would not sell it to me and told me its not made anymore, and try this other stuff etc. its frustrating to be lied to. as soon as you say pseudoephedrine there alarm bells ring. its ridiculous. who made them chemist cops? and they want to know why this and that. get treated like a junkie, its total bs. so i went some where else.

i stopped taking dairy products when im a bit crook. and have noticed and quicker recovery. rug up and sweat it out too might help. and stick a tampon up each nostril.

[vztrt]

I normally just HTFU and get on with it. Unless you get the flu its just a cold.

Looks like lots of man flu going on.

[Sabantien]

The PE stuff is effective as a decongestant if you spray nasally. As a tablet it has the effectiveness of a placebo.

Last time I had one I went to the pharmacy and said I wanted some day/night stuff, and the girl just straight up asked for my licence so I could get the psuedoephedrine. She also said that the PE doesn't do anything.

If they won't give it to you (some don't stock it, especially if they're in a dodgy area), just get some normal pain killer to at least take care of the headache, it's all you'll be getting anyhow, and usually cheaper.

Funnily enough, I remember reading that someone had posted instructions on making psuedoephedrine out of speed based on the premise that it's easier and cheaper to get now.

[jaydee]

Why would they make a cure when they can make billions every winter all over the world from colds n flu's.

[FGX335]

Yep, the new stuff is next to useless. I go into the Chemist and ask for something stronger with the good stuff in it, because I work long hours and need an actual cure. I take these and use a combo of Soothers/Vapodrops/Strepsils to keep the nose and throat clear and under control. Works a treat for me.

We went to the US a few years ago for Christmas, and I was sick the whole time taking pills that didn't help at all. Because I wasn't a US citizen, they wouldn't let me get the good stuff, and it put a dampener on what was otherwise a brilliant trip. Stupid junkies ruin everything!

[lilmattie]

Anyone remember the little blue demazin pills that you could get over the counter? Apparently you need a prescription now, but whatever was in those worked wonders with congestion. Tended to make one a little drowsy but it's pretty much the only antihistamine that had any affect on my weekly bout of allergies/hayfever. I wonder what it's active ingredient is that makes it so 'dangerous'. I haven't tried buying it lately so I have no idea whether it still contains the good stuff or not.

[mostly_broncos]

If you are a DIY'er this will get it done

http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/...fed-from-meth/