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The Popular Over-The-Counter Cold Medicine That Science Says Doesn't Work (forbes.com)
HughPickens.com writes: Back before methamphetamine cooks started buying up non-prescription decongestants to brew crank, all of us were able to buy effective decongestants right off the store shelf without a problem. Now David DiSalvo writes at Forbes that to fill the store-shelf void, drug companies substituted the already-FDA approved ingredient phenylephrine for pseudoephedrine. But the oral decongestant phenylephrine simply doesn't work at the FDA-approved amount found in popular non-prescription brands, and it may not even work at much higher doses. Researchers at the University of Florida are asking the FDA to remove oral phenylephrine from the market. "We think the evidence supports that phenylephrine's status as a safe and effective over-the-counter product should be changed," says Randy Hatton. "We are looking out for the consumer, and he or she needs to know that science says that oral phenylephrine does not work for the majority of people."
In 1976, the FDA deemed a 10 milligram oral dose of phenylephrine safe and effective at relieving congestion, making it possible for companies to use the ingredient without conducting studies. But Leslie Hendeles and Hatton say phenylephrine does not effectively relieve nasal stuffiness at this dose. They say the FDA cited four tests demonstrating efficacy at the 10 milligram dose, two of which were unpublished and sponsored by drug manufacturers. In contrast, the FDA cited six tests demonstrating no significant difference between phenylephrine and placebo. Hendeles said a higher dose may work, but no research has been published regarding safety at higher doses. "They need to do a dose-response study to determine at what higher dose they get both efficacy and safety," says Hendeles adding that until then "consumers should go that extra step and get it (pseudoephedrine) from behind the counter."
In 1976, the FDA deemed a 10 milligram oral dose of phenylephrine safe and effective at relieving congestion, making it possible for companies to use the ingredient without conducting studies. But Leslie Hendeles and Hatton say phenylephrine does not effectively relieve nasal stuffiness at this dose. They say the FDA cited four tests demonstrating efficacy at the 10 milligram dose, two of which were unpublished and sponsored by drug manufacturers. In contrast, the FDA cited six tests demonstrating no significant difference between phenylephrine and placebo. Hendeles said a higher dose may work, but no research has been published regarding safety at higher doses. "They need to do a dose-response study to determine at what higher dose they get both efficacy and safety," says Hendeles adding that until then "consumers should go that extra step and get it (pseudoephedrine) from behind the counter."
Anyone who has taken a product sans pseudoephedrine already knows they don't work.
Everyone knows PE doesn't work. It's only there so the government can claim they haven't removed all the useful OTC decongestants from the market. Yes, technically you can still buy pseudoephedrine in most states, but doing so puts you on a list which gives them probable cause to bust down your door on suspicion of meth manufacture.
I remind the pharmacist every time I have to sign my life away to buy the real stuff that the PE doesn't work. They always wink and laugh like 'sure it doesn't, we know you're cooking very small amounts of Meth with this at home, no need for the cover story.'
Speak for yourself.
I used to take Sudafed for my allergies, but then they had to change because METH. Now I take Claritin D, and if I want more than a 2 week supply, I have to get a prescription. This requires me to go see my doctor every so often, because she isn't keen to give prescriptions without checkups. All of this mess because somebody might use a drug as an ingredient for a drug that used to be legal.
Taking guns away from the 99% gives the 1% 100% of the power.
After CMEA, I switched to oxymetazoline nasal spray, which works better than oral pseudoephedrine ever did. People say Afrin can be addictive, but I reduce risk of rebound congestion by using it in one nostril in the morning and the other at night.
... is that crystal meth is relatively easy to obtain, and it can be converted to Sudafed. Now all we need is for researchers to simplify the process and provide a practical process for the layman.
Was never to save people from meth, it was to contain the damage to the poor communities. One of the byproducts of our drug war is that the poors keep their misery to themselves. If they start spilling over we toss then in jail. Meth broke that. You had desperate folks cooking it in middle class neighborhoods. Making it otc restored the balance and put the drug way back where it belonged: in poor neighborhoods
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While the FDA is at it, can they please tackle all the other snake-oil products at the drug stores? All the homeopathic crap, Airborne Head On, magnet bullshit, diet pills, etc. They are all 100% bullshit placebos.
If drugs were legalised, do you think they'd all re-train as accountants?
I have news for you. A lot of them ARE de-facto or even actual trained accountants. If you want to do something illegal on a big scale and not go to jail for it, you had better have a more than passing familiarity with accounting. All that money has to be accounted for same as with any other business and it has to be moved around and used to pay bills, buy materials and stored somewhere. Who do you think does all that? The tooth fairy?
As an allergy sufferer, and a nerd, it matters to me. And go fuck yourself besides. Your comment adds nothing.
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I have learned to use Afrin to get all the way through a bad cold, but then when I'm feeling better, I use pills to recover from the Afrin dependency, which is usually brief.
PS - I have dramatically reduced my nasal issues in life once I started taking very good care of my teeth. It never dawned on me that germs have 8 hours every night to travel a short, wet, warm path to my sinuses.