this post was submitted on 16 Oct 2023
68 points (94.7% liked)

No Stupid Questions

35393 readers
1 users here now

No such thing. Ask away!

!nostupidquestions is a community dedicated to being helpful and answering each others' questions on various topics.

The rules for posting and commenting, besides the rules defined here for lemmy.world, are as follows:

Rules (interactive)


Rule 1- All posts must be legitimate questions. All post titles must include a question.

All posts must be legitimate questions, and all post titles must include a question. Questions that are joke or trolling questions, memes, song lyrics as title, etc. are not allowed here. See Rule 6 for all exceptions.



Rule 2- Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material.

Your question subject cannot be illegal or NSFW material. You will be warned first, banned second.



Rule 3- Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here.

Do not seek mental, medical and professional help here. Breaking this rule will not get you or your post removed, but it will put you at risk, and possibly in danger.



Rule 4- No self promotion or upvote-farming of any kind.

That's it.



Rule 5- No baiting or sealioning or promoting an agenda.

Questions which, instead of being of an innocuous nature, are specifically intended (based on reports and in the opinion of our crack moderation team) to bait users into ideological wars on charged political topics will be removed and the authors warned - or banned - depending on severity.



Rule 6- Regarding META posts and joke questions.

Provided it is about the community itself, you may post non-question posts using the [META] tag on your post title.

On fridays, you are allowed to post meme and troll questions, on the condition that it's in text format only, and conforms with our other rules. These posts MUST include the [NSQ Friday] tag in their title.

If you post a serious question on friday and are looking only for legitimate answers, then please include the [Serious] tag on your post. Irrelevant replies will then be removed by moderators.



Rule 7- You can't intentionally annoy, mock, or harass other members.

If you intentionally annoy, mock, harass, or discriminate against any individual member, you will be removed.

Likewise, if you are a member, sympathiser or a resemblant of a movement that is known to largely hate, mock, discriminate against, and/or want to take lives of a group of people, and you were provably vocal about your hate, then you will be banned on sight.



Rule 8- All comments should try to stay relevant to their parent content.



Rule 9- Reposts from other platforms are not allowed.

Let everyone have their own content.



Rule 10- Majority of bots aren't allowed to participate here.



Credits

Our breathtaking icon was bestowed upon us by @Cevilia!

The greatest banner of all time: by @TheOneWithTheHair!

founded 1 year ago
MODERATORS
 

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.

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Lemsip Max active ingredients

paracetamol, caffeine, phenylephrine hydrochloride

The last one is a decongestant.

But it doesn't work

So take your paracetamol with a cup of coffee and you're quids in.

[–] [email protected] 19 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Or, better yet, Tylenol, coffee, and Sudafed (which is a decongestant that does work).

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Make sure the Sudafed actually contains pseudoephedrine.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

And if you have heart issues, know that pseudoephedrine is a stimulant (as well as caffeine of course).

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Also if you're on ADHD meds, which are also stimulants.

That was one jitery mess of a day, let me tell you.

I knew they were both stimulants, but I didn't stop to make the mental connection. All bunged up, sudafed, wait wtf why am I so ah fuck.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Or actifed, that one is OTC in my country, though expect to sleep due to the added tripolidine.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

The last time I saw actifed otc here was the 90s and I'm not doing math or remembering that the last decade actually occurred

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

What you're saying doesn't conflict with what I'm saying. It does nothing, so there's no reason to control it. 😆

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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".

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

youre good, i didnt even know there was a Sudafed that wasnt pseudophedrine

[–] [email protected] 30 points 1 year ago

For those in North America

paracetamol = acetaminophen (Tylenol)

[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago (3 children)

What exactly is a "man cold?"

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Its like a regular cold, butbwith more complaining.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Yeah that sounds about right

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Turns out you're actually a woman.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Cold that smells like Cool Sport Rush Wolf Power Machinery.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Somewhere south of "man flu" but north of "the sniffles"

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

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.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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!

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Which is something anyone who needed psuedoephedrine but got phenylephrine could have told them decades ago.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

~~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

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I recall reading it somewhere when the news was first coming out that it was useless as an oral medicine- lemme see if I can find it again.

Edit: I musta misread whatever news article it was - I just skimmed the actual release from the FDA and don't really mention the nose spray route at all. https://www.fda.gov/media/171972/download

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Thanks for checking!

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Good to know and yes I've been seeing reports on this.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

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.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Yay, I was right. Thank you. Friend.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

It also has a phenylephrine which clears blocked nose and stuff.

If you don't have a sufficiently stuffed nose, paracetamol is cheaper.

[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Phenylephrine has been proven to not work when ingested orally (nasal spray delivery was not part of the study).

So Paracetamol is not only cheaper, it's the exact same therapeutic effect.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

Thanks for catching that. I am not familiar with this product, so just went with the described contents. Frustrating that it is legal to sell.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago

Except that phenylephrine has been shown by multiple studies not to have any effect. It's only there as a replacement for pseudoephedrine, which does work, but can be used to make meth.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Pretty much, it's paracetamol, caffeine and a decongestant. All things that are normally cheaper as tablets.

See: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/5620/smpc

I've always hated the taste of Lemsip because of the paracetamol, don't understand how people can stand it.

I just take some tablets and have a mug of hot lemon/honey, the hot drink helps with congestion and the honey soothes a sore throat. Lemsip just mashes it all up into one powder.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

I already have one so it's fine. I believe it also contains a load of caffeine so you can be fully awake to appreciate your suffering. Honestly, Lemsip is shit. Just take a couple of paracetamol and drink some hot water, lemon juice and honey (with added whisky preferably).

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's just nice. The hot lemon helps more than the paracetemol for me so sometimes I just make squash with hot water and it's not too different.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I assume from context that the “squash” you are referring to is not a gourd. Is it a beverage? Does it contain or is it served in a gourd?

[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago (4 children)

"Squash" is another word for cordial or diluting juice - that is, a concentrated fruit juice that you dilute with water to drink

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

TIL thanks!

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago (5 children)

How exactly does the hot lemon help you?

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 year ago

It’s the hot water that helps, mostly. The lemon makes it taste better.

Personally, I do a ginger infusion with lemon and honey in it. The lemon moderates some of the bite from ginger, and the stuff in ginger eases the symptoms.

(Note- slice or grate fresh ginger and boil or steep that in hot water. “ginger tea” bags that have been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long…. Not helpful.)

The honey also helps with coughs and sore throats, but mostly just by coating the throat. (Same, for example, as cough syrup.)

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Vitamin C is good for you. It's been found to reduce the time you're sick by 10%. It's better to consume it regularly before getting sick though, as it significantly reduces the risk of developing a cold.

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›