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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

#51

Post by ilrwbwrkhv »

qclibre22 wrote: post #39
tptacek wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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... .

[flagged]

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

#52

Post by theultdev »

strifey wrote: post #14
barney54 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not real Sudafed. Real Sudafed isn’t OTC because it is pseudoephedrine—in fact that’s where Sudafed got its name.

Real sudafed is OTC, you just need to ask for it at the counter. No prescription is required. They just don't have it on shelves, because they require you to show your ID when purchasing it. I'm assuming this is so they can track how much a person is buying to track people who are using it for illicit purposes.

Behind the counter (BTC) is the specific term for these OTC medicines.

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

#53

Post by hcurtiss »

strifey wrote: post #14
barney54 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not real Sudafed. Real Sudafed isn’t OTC because it is pseudoephedrine—in fact that’s where Sudafed got its name.

Real sudafed is OTC, you just need to ask for it at the counter. No prescription is required. They just don't have it on shelves, because they require you to show your ID when purchasing it. I'm assuming this is so they can track how much a person is buying to track people who are using it for illicit purposes.

Oregon requires a prescription.

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

#54

Post by jibolash »

strifey wrote: post #14
barney54 wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not real Sudafed. Real Sudafed isn’t OTC because it is pseudoephedrine—in fact that’s where Sudafed got its name.

Real sudafed is OTC, you just need to ask for it at the counter. No prescription is required. They just don't have it on shelves, because they require you to show your ID when purchasing it. I'm assuming this is so they can track how much a person is buying to track people who are using it for illicit purposes.

This category of drugs are referred to as Behind the Counter, https://www.fda.gov/drugs/information-drug-class/legal-requi...

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

#55

Post by ekianjo »

jeroenhd wrote: post #29
declan_roberts wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

There's nothing wrong with buying homoeopathic tinctures if you like them, but putting them right next to medicine legitimises them for those who don't know any better. It's not like these tinctures are hand-crafted by some wise old shaman, they're mass produced by billion dollar companies profiting off the association with proven medicine. The confusion and misinformation is problematic, not the sale of the tincture…

Homeopathic remedies should be labeled as "does not contain any active ingredient and was never ever proven to do anything."

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

#56

Post by cjensen »

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…

In California, the rate-limit for purchasing pseudoephedrine is insufficient for allergy sufferers. They end up having to go out of their way to stock up during the off-season.

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

#57

Post by techsupporter »

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…

> 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)

Up to the counter and ask...when the counter is open that is increasingly a problem as pharmacies close and hours are limited (the two nearest me close at 6pm, right at the end of working hours).

Show ID...that the pharmacist will accept (not all of us drive or have a driver license).

Rate-limited...at a quantity too low for a household that has a sinus infection running around.

So, no, it's not already easy. Canadians can go into a Costco and buy as much as they like and apparently it's not an entire nation of Walter Whites up there so what makes us so special?

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

#58

Post by ekianjo »

anikan_vader wrote: post #35
declan_roberts wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

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

This is a myth. Placebo effect is an invention. What you observe is return to the mean.

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

#59

Post by beepbooptheory »

ilrwbwrkhv wrote: post #51
qclibre22 wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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... .

[flagged]

Why do you believe this is the case?

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

#60

Post by tkzed49 »

cm2187 wrote: post #45
declan_roberts wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

[flagged]

I am not sure why the downvote. It keeps hypochondriac people away from the medical system by giving them essentially placebos. Everyone is happy.

this is hardly a "good" outcome--hypochondriacs _should_ be interacting with the medical system; the outcome should be mental health intervention.
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