I have a man cold and taking my usual bowl of chicken soup washed down with a Lemsip Max but now I’m thinking… if the main ingrediant of a Lemsip is paracetamol, why don’t I just have a paracetamol? It’d cost alot less.
Whats the point of a Lemsip other than the paracetamol?
Thank you.
Now that you’ve read this, you now have a cold sorry thats just how this one works.
paracetamol, caffeine, phenylephrine hydrochloride
The last one is a decongestant.
So take your paracetamol with a cup of coffee and you’re quids in.
Or, better yet, Tylenol, coffee, and Sudafed (which is a decongestant that does work).
And if you have heart issues, know that pseudoephedrine is a stimulant (as well as caffeine of course).
Or actifed, that one is OTC in my country, though expect to sleep due to the added tripolidine.
There are types of Sudafed that don’t work and types that do.
Pseudoephedrine HCl is the original recipe, it’s controlled in the US because people use it to make meth. So it’s behind the counter at US pharmacies, and you usually have to show ID to make sure you’re not buying too much.
Phenylephrine is the new stuff that’s basically useless, it’s not controlled because it basically does nothing. You can’t use it to make meth, but it also doesn’t work as a decongestant. It’s called Sudafed PE.
I’m not sure about other countries but that’s how it works in the US. If you’re not showing ID to a pharmacist, you’re not buying the good stuff.
Phenylephrine is the new stuff that’s basically useless, it’s not controlled because it basically does nothing.
No, it’s not controlled because it can’t be used to make meth. It doing nothing is just an unfortunate coincidence. There are other decongestants that aren’t controlled but do work.
Lewis: You’re not alone in preferring tablets. One of the most popular decongestant ingredients is phenylephrine. It’s found in drugs like Sudafed PE, Benadryl Allergy D Plus Sinus, and Vicks Dayquil Cold and Flu Relief.
But earlier this month, in a rare move, an FDA advisory panel declared that oral phenylephrine is completely useless at clearing up congestion.
I mean, why give advise to someone who posts an article which drugs are useless about how useful your favorite decongestant is. I know sudafed is more than one product, but c’mon, skim something before saying “better yet”.
I am aware of Sudafed PE. I guess it was clear in my mind that Sudafed means pseudoephedrine, but i can see that it didn’t come across clearly.
For those in North America
paracetamol = acetaminophen (Tylenol)
What exactly is a “man cold?”
I never understood this- if i get a cold, I deny its existence and power through. Most of the time my wife doesn’t even know I was sick.
Yes, as others have said, it’s paracetamol with some other stuff.
Something I’ve not seen mentioned yet however is to please be mindful that these do contain it and try to not take additional paracetamol (say, in tablet form) without watching your dose. Paracetamol overdose leads to some very nasty effects. Be careful not to exceed the daily dose of paracetamol, as stated in the product insert.
In my country Lemsip Max Cold and Flu Capsules contain a few other ingredients, I’m not sure if they are the same with yours. They say they contain a combination of paracetamol, phenylephrine hydrochloride, and caffeine. I think that the combo helps with congestion as well, and obviously if it has caffeine, so it’ll give you a buzz (never in a great way in my opinion) - Basic Paracetamol works for the pain and fever part. It is commonly used to alleviate symptoms such as headache, muscle aches, sore throat, and fever.
Hope you get better soon!
They say they contain a combination of paracetamol, phenylephrine hydrochloride, and caffeine.
Incidentally, the US FDA has just completed updated studies on phenylephrine, more rigorous than when it was first introduced, and determined that when taken orally it is fully metabolized before it makes it to the sinuses and is completely ineffective. It’s going to disappear from shelves soon.
~~But they also found that phenylephrine works amazingly well when used as a nasal spray, which they didn’t quite know before. ~~
Incorrect, see comment: https://lemmy.world/comment/4577725
Do you have a source for that? My understanding is that the recent review looked only at oral usage and made no determination on its efficacy as a nasal spray.
I may be wrong, but doesn’t caffeine have actual benefits when taken with medical drugs? I always thought it gave them a bit of extra power. Well, maybe not directly giving them power, but like helping them be more efficient.
