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The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

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Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

#161

Post by InCityDreams »

Damogran6 wrote: post #107
munificent wrote: post #43

My drug of choice for colds is NyQuil. It's always been great for opening up my nasal passages enough to let me breathe easily and then knocking me the fuck out so I could sleep off most of the cold. I remember several years ago when all of a sudden NyQuil stopped doing anything useful. I had no idea why but I directly observed that it was like it had been replaced with a non-functioning placebo. Only a couple years…

Didn’t they also drop the alcohol percentage? It’s 10% now (I know this because post Covid I seem to be catching EVERYTHING), I could have sworn it was 14% or higher growing up.

No post body was provided.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

#162

Post by caymanjim »

dataangel wrote: post #146

I've recently had to deal with the medical profession a lot more than in the past and I'm finding this sort of thing everywhere. OTC medicines that by current standards would not be made OTC, surgeries that are extremely common but have never had quality randomized trials, official sounding diagnoses that on inspection are actually defined as "we have no idea", lack of consensus about how to treat some of the most co…

> OTC medicines that by current standards would not be made OTC

Acetaminophen would almost certainly be in this category, if it could even get FDA approval at all. The effective dose is dangerously close to a toxic dose that causes liver damage, and not comfortably-far from the LD50. The only reasons acetaminophen is OTC is that it's been informally grandfathered in, makes an absolute fortune for pharmaceutical companies, and doesn't get you high.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

#163

Post by djrogers »

Damogran6 wrote: post #107
munificent wrote: post #43

My drug of choice for colds is NyQuil. It's always been great for opening up my nasal passages enough to let me breathe easily and then knocking me the fuck out so I could sleep off most of the cold. I remember several years ago when all of a sudden NyQuil stopped doing anything useful. I had no idea why but I directly observed that it was like it had been replaced with a non-functioning placebo. Only a couple years…

Didn’t they also drop the alcohol percentage? It’s 10% now (I know this because post Covid I seem to be catching EVERYTHING), I could have sworn it was 14% or higher growing up.

This may be regional, but it's been 10% here for as long as I can recall - although the alcohol free version is much more prevalent than it used to be.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

#164

Post by baggy_trough »

Zak wrote: post #152
baggy_trough wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wouldn't work because what would happen would be a mass reapproval of all regulations. What I'd like to see is a constitutional amendment that the total body of federal laws and regulations can't be any longer or more complicated than a person of average intelligence can be taught in a week.

I used to think a limit on the total size of the law like that would be a good idea, but some areas of regulation are inherently complex. I still hold a related position: an adult of reasonable intelligence should be able to easily learn all the laws that they're likely to encounter, and learn which fields are subject to detailed regulation. To give an example, the regulations governing design of commercial aircraft…

Currently there's no limit to the complexity that governments can inflict on us. Since there's no garbage collection process for laws/regulations, we wind up with an enormous body of legislation and regulation which almost nobody understands or adheres to. It's terrible for the rule of law.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

#165

Post by Rediscover »

techsupporter wrote: post #44
p_l wrote: post #13

The lack of availability of proper pseudoephedrine in USA led to situation where there are papers describing how to turn methamphetamine into pseudoephedrine, not the other way around. With explanation in abstract that its easier to buy meth than pseudoephedrine.

> With explanation in abstract that its easier to buy meth than pseudoephedrine. People may laugh at this, as they should since it is an absurd situation, but this isn't entirely wrong. Neither my wife or I drive and during the pandemic she gave up her license after getting an appointment at the DOL was difficult. Both of us carry US passport cards as our ID. This has resulted in several situations where we've been t…

Gotta chime in on this. Seattle (in general a great place) has some pretty horrible things re: purchasing alcohol. Idiot/mis-placed store/bar-workers who only want a state ID. My U.S. passport=NO. My U.N. passport=NO.

Freakin' weird.

Edit: I worked at Boeing for eight years, very often in a sec/reserved area. My passport was good there. Buying booze down the street from [Boeing] plant 2, no.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

#166

Post by djrogers »

hammock wrote: post #81
ericbarrett wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why not get a non-motorist ID card? Every US state has these; here's Washington's: https://www.dol.wa.gov/driverslicense/gettingidcard.html

Many Americans have difficulty obtaining ID, because they cannot afford or cannot obtain the underlying documents that are a prerequisite to obtaining government-issued photo ID card. Underlying documents required to obtain ID cost money, a significant expense for lower-income Americans. The combined cost of document fees, travel expenses and waiting time are estimated to range from $75 to $175. The travel required i…

> Underlying documents required to obtain ID cost money

Err, no they don't. At least not with any of the IDs I've gotten in California for the past several years....

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

#167

Post by tptacek »

InCityDreams wrote: post #161
Damogran6 wrote: post #107

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Didn’t they also drop the alcohol percentage? It’s 10% now (I know this because post Covid I seem to be catching EVERYTHING), I could have sworn it was 14% or higher growing up.

Quoted post unavailable.

Eschew flamebait. Avoid unrelated controversies and generic tangents.

https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

#168

Post by djrogers »

sydthrowaway wrote: post #156

I am suffering with a bad/cold flu right now and this has made me mad as hell! What if someone is so sick they can't fathom to walk into a pharmacy? Fuck senators.

Thank God I have about 100 different people I could call and ask to pick up medicine for me were I in that situation.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

#169

Post by djrogers »

zaroth wrote: post #92

By the way, if you want something that works, that you can buy without a prescription, I cannot recommend “BronkAid” aka ephedrine sulfate 25mg highly enough. It’s sold “behind the counter” in the US at major pharmacy chains, which means you have to ask for it by name, they won’t even have the cards in the aisles that you then bring up and redeem. You have to show ID — not sure if that’s a Federal or a State thing, a…

Shh! Don't talk about the secret stuff! My pharmacies run out of it too often as it is...

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine

#170

Post by leetbulb »

arkades wrote: post #54
p_l wrote: post #13

The lack of availability of proper pseudoephedrine in USA led to situation where there are papers describing how to turn methamphetamine into pseudoephedrine, not the other way around. With explanation in abstract that its easier to buy meth than pseudoephedrine.

Pseudoephedrine is still available -behind the counter-. You literally just have to ask the pharmacist for it. Let’s not turn grad students having a laugh into an actual statement on public policy.

In my state, I'm able to walk down the road to a 24/7 chain pharmacy and buy pseudoephedrine whenever I want. The pharmacy, in combination with the state, uses ID to regulate how much an individual may purchase over some time frame(s).

Most doctors will just write you a prescription and you can get it delivered to your home. Super easy.

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