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CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they're useless

arstechnica.com

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Re: CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they're useless

#31

Post by Alex3917 »

WirelessGigabit wrote: post #2

Wishful thinking, but next up should be homeopathic snake-oil. No company should have a homeopathic product sitting on the shelf next to an actual medicine.

> Wishful thinking, but next up should be homeopathic snake-oil.

It sounds like it's serving a useful purpose.

> "I know so many people… hell, I've done this myself, I've bought [a homeopathic] product by mistake," Little said. In a trip to the drug store while sick or as a weary parent of a miserably ill child, it's easy to mistakenly pick up a homeopathic product in haste or the fog of infection.

If folks are going to irresponsibly take some random drug without having any idea what's in it, it sounds like funneling them toward something that won't harm them is a good thing. I mean would you really rather have them giving their kids something like tylenol without reading the dosage instructions?

Re: CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they're useless

#32

Post by aidenn0 »

declan_roberts wrote: post #15
MBCook wrote: post #3

But they leave the homeopathic junk mixed in as if it was actual medicine.

[flagged]

Aside from the fact that CVS is implicitly approving of the remedies by having them on their shelves, my wife accidentally came home with a homeopathic product once because it was right next to non-homeopathic products for treating the same symptoms.

Re: CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they're useless

#33

Post by s3p »

tptacek wrote: post #18
techsupporter wrote: post #8

And this means we're going to have an easier time buying the stuff that works...right? ...right?

It's already easy to buy the stuff that works. You just have to go up to the counter and ask. You have to show ID, just like you do for liquor (and, because purchases of psuedoephedrine are rate-limited, they're going to log your purchase). You'll need to get over that, because I don't think the rate limit is going anywhere: psuedoephedrine essentially is methamphetamine, and it's the worst conceivable kind: the kind…

This isn't a very constructive response. OP wants it to be easier to buy decongestants, as do I.

Re: CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they're useless

#35

Post by anikan_vader »

declan_roberts wrote: post #15
MBCook wrote: post #3

But they leave the homeopathic junk mixed in as if it was actual medicine.

[flagged]

Not sure why this comment is being downvoted? Placebo medication is known to have massive health benefits that go far beyond pain relief.

Re: CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they're useless

#36

Post by dartos »

gwern wrote: post #17
techsupporter wrote: post #8

And this means we're going to have an easier time buying the stuff that works...right? ...right?

You will have an easier time inasmuch as you will no longer think, as almost everyone did, that your purchase of phenylephrine is adequate. The hardest pseudoephedrine to buy is the one you don't think you need.

This is a difficult comment to parse

Re: CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they're useless

#37

Post by Mountain_Skies »

tptacek wrote: post #18
techsupporter wrote: post #8

And this means we're going to have an easier time buying the stuff that works...right? ...right?

It's already easy to buy the stuff that works. You just have to go up to the counter and ask. You have to show ID, just like you do for liquor (and, because purchases of psuedoephedrine are rate-limited, they're going to log your purchase). You'll need to get over that, because I don't think the rate limit is going anywhere: psuedoephedrine essentially is methamphetamine, and it's the worst conceivable kind: the kind…

It's a minor annoyance but I only need to buy a pack once a year, so the extra time required isn't bad. The downside is that you have to go when the pharmacy is open and in some places those hours can be quite limited, especially for those who work standard business hours. If you need to buy it regularly, it might become a hassle.

When I bought it, my receipt showed the total amount I had bought in the past thirty days (which was also the amount I was buying that day). For my use, the monthly allowed amount is far far beyond what I'd ever use but I could see some people with really bad sinus issues needing more. Perhaps in that situation a doctor could write them a prescription for more than the standard limit.

Re: CVS ditches common cold meds after FDA advisers say they're useless

#39

Post by qclibre22 »

tptacek wrote: post #18
techsupporter wrote: post #8

And this means we're going to have an easier time buying the stuff that works...right? ...right?

It's already easy to buy the stuff that works. You just have to go up to the counter and ask. You have to show ID, just like you do for liquor (and, because purchases of psuedoephedrine are rate-limited, they're going to log your purchase). You'll need to get over that, because I don't think the rate limit is going anywhere: psuedoephedrine essentially is methamphetamine, and it's the worst conceivable kind: the kind…

I think he might have meant this : "Codeine is a widely used analgesic, that is available for sale in pharmacies over the counter (OTC) in a number of countries including the UK, South Africa, Ireland, France and Australia." [0]

[0] https://www.drugsandalcohol.ie/25048/#:~:text=Codeine%20is%2....

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