Why'd they have to mess with cold medicines?

I've been miserable with a summer cold and just wasted a few bucks on Vick's Day-Quil. What absolute, worthless rubbish. Does anyone know if pharmacists keep a stash of something that actually works that you can get if you sign for it? Damn meth addicts ruined it for the bona fide cold sufferers.

Usually the have a card in the aisle what you take to the pharmacy window.

but it has to be behind a counter or locked in a glass case, meaning you need someone to dole it out one pack at a time.

It's worked well enough to send most of the meth cookers down to Mexico, where they can still get the stuff in bulk from India.

On edit: if you medicate a cold it will be gone in a week. If you don't medicate it, it will hang on for seven days.

It isn't meth addicts that have caused the cough syrup recipes to change, it's teenager drinking the syrups to get high, not turning it into meth.

you can get the real stuff by asking at the Pharmacists window.

Such as Aleve or others.... you just have to run the gauntlet. Go to the pharmacist and specifically ask for what you want (or what you think you need for your symptoms)as these products are behind the counter. You'll have to present your driver's license and sign for it. They limit how much you can buy each month, but you can get it.

I buy the Aleve product with ephedrine for sinus headaches. It is a pain that you have to go through this and as a result, I'm sure the prices have gone up on these formerly ROUTINE OTC products, but you still can get them.

Still real cheap!

Quite different than ephedrine... but if it works for you, all the better.

over the counter and there are even cheaper generics (Centrazine, Loradazine...) check them out for some of your symptoms.

They work for me most of the time.

you have to ask the pharmacy clerk for it, show your drivers license and scribble your signature on their little computer thingy

boxes of 48 tabs per month with ID.

Actifed I can get, and the only place I've found that is at Fred Meyer.

I doubt there's much available OTC that helps these days, including cough syrup.

With a cold I've found that Cold-Eze (sp?) really really really helps shorten the duration of it and you don't need anything special besides money to get it. And, I just take Goody's for the aches (identical to Excedrin aspirin/acetaminophen) and my faux Actifed for the congestion (Sudafed probably will work, too -- OTC -- just doesn't have the antihistamine). Other than that, all you can do is just feel sorry for yourself and wait it out, which is what I do. :7

Seriously, I can't recommend Cold-Eze enough - if I even get a HINT of a cold or if people around me get one, I start taking that asap and keep it up, dosing religiously per instructions, until the danger has passed. I've said I'd rather have back surgery again than have a cold -- it is the MOST miserable condition! Hope you feel better soon! :hug:

show your driver's license or State ID and sign for it.

It works better than any thing else out there. Also, if you are congested, buy some Mucinex. It will help clear out the phlem (six times more of the effective medicine as Robitussin).

Drink loads of fluids, take some zinc, live in a hot shower for a while, and get as much rest as you can.

http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/treating-the-common-cold/

It's a good read, in total. Here's the conclusion:

"The common cold remains a difficult syndrome to treat effectively. In most cases it is best to just let the cold run its course. Limited use of NSAIDs and decongestants may be helpful. Otherwise, if there is an intervention that is risk free and makes you feel better, do it. We all need to feel comforted when we’re sick. But don’t waste your time or money on other medications, supplements, herbs, or other concoctions. There are also endless snake-oil products out there, too many to deal with here. A good default position is simply not to believe any product that claims to prevent or treat the common cold. And don’t be compelled by the anecdotal evidence of your neighbor’s cousin’s boss. Everyone thinks they have the secret to treating the cold, but no one does. It’s all placebo effect and confirmation bias."

This piece is by a pharmacist:

What’s with the new cough and cold products?
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/think-of-the-children/