Live data from Hacker News

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

arstechnica.com

161–170 of 275 posts

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

#161
post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Codeine treats coughs. Sudafed treats sinus congestion. Different drugs with different uses.

Codeine is great, throw a lil bit in some sprite and hang out.

You'd be missing the promethazine.

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

#163

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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…

> Rate-limited...at a quantity too low for a household that has a sinus infection running around. I know all of this is annoying (and I agree) but many people don't think to stock up when they are healthy. You should! You can avoid a lot of problems with a little preparation ahead of time.

For the first time in my adult life I ran dry of Fisherman's Friend and DXM while dealing with a flu just this last week. Amazingly Amazon Prime will overnight you DXM if you enter your driver's license info at check-out.

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

#165
Its annoying how the biggest consideration in whats get OTC'd is how useless it is (only slightly above homeopathic level useless) or how painful the overdose is (more painful -> sure, knock urself out) and little recreational potential it has (see point 2 + again, knock urself out) with a few radical exception(s)

Edit: if its pharmacologically active and effective for "an" indication, its fun/euphoric, and super safe? --> illegal or controlled vs snake oil, no fun, narrow or easily surpassed and potentially catastrophic therapeutic window --> sure, knock urself out

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

#166

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's not easy in my state. It goes like this: go to inside counter of an open pharmacy (can't use drive thru for it). Wait, for a long time (aren't all of your pharmacies massively overloaded with 30-60m lines? ours are). Ask for a 96-count sudafed (generic or regular) and hope they have it. If they don't, get 48. If they don't, get 24 (forget that I need 2 tabs every day as prescribed by my doctor -- yet can only bu…

Man, your state sounds horrible. Only problem with pharmacies around here is they're always out of adderall.

But if they have the active ingredient to make meth, there's no need for adderall. Meth is adderall (amphetamine) with a methyl group added to make it cross the blood brain barrier easier/faster. Once metabolised by the body it becomes the same amphetamine as your addys. There are a surprising number of people who dose meth like adderall to treat their adhd symptoms and you'd never know if they didn't tell you.

I'm not advocating anyone do meth, the above was said mainly to crack and easy joke about the pharmacy being out of legal speed but in stock on the stuff to make illegal speed

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

#167
post #155

My understanding is that they are only removing products that ONLY contain Phenylephrine, which means they will still sell it when it is part of multiple-ingredient formulations, which are in themselves kind of a scam. For example, many OTC "severe cold/flu" formulations contain: - Acetaminophen. Potentially helpful for the body aches that come with the flu, but a lot of the time when I'm sick, I don't exactly need o…

>If you have a fever it can reduce it, but for a minor fever I'm not sure that is necessary. I think it's generally good to have a mild fever since it's how your body makes itself inhospitable to viruses

I've heard that but I don't know if it has been borne out in any studies, so I didn't mention it in my original post.

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

#168
post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. But the sad joke is you can buy 20 guns without presenting your license or having the state tell you no. But if you got a sinus headache? You’re a dangerous individual. You gotta get registered and in the system so we can track you.

> Under federal law, federally licensed gun dealers, importers and manufacturers must run background checks for sales to an unlicensed buyer. Specifically, a potential purchaser must show identification, complete a federal document known as a Form 4473, and pass a National Instant Criminal Background Check System check. Any licensed firearm dealer MUST run a background check at ALL times. Stop your misinformation.

I assume GP is talking about face-to-face private sales, which doesn’t require any background check on the federal level and in many states. In some states, you can go on Armslist and buy 20 guns without having to show an ID. And worse, running a background check isn’t even an option in most states unless you pay an FFL to intermediate the sale.

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

#169
post #88

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, Oregon still requires a prescription for pseudoephedrine. And it's infuriating.

You haven't needed a prescription to purchase products with pseudoephedrine in them in Oregon since January 1, 2022.

Fascinating. That is not a well-known fact as my neighbors were just complaining about this a couple weeks ago. I wonder whether our local pharmacy is setup to handle those requests.

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

#170

Heh. I'm at the tail end of either COVID or the worst sinus infection of my life. I asked my wife to grab some (real) Sudafed from the CVS, which they also were not stocking (they are constantly robbed), but the pharmacist recommended "oxymetazoline hydrochloride" (Afrin?) as being just as effective without the side effects. Gotta say, she wasn't wrong. As a nasal spray it works way quicker than Sudafed pills and wit…

Works great, BUT easily habit forming. Beware.

My doc gave me a trick that prevents the rebound effect of Afrin (and other addictive vasoconstricting sprays). When you start the Afrin, or about a week before you want to stop it, start using a nasal steroid spray (nasalcort or whatever you prefer). The steroid will prevent the swelling and itself has no rebound period. After a week after stopping the Afrin, stop the steroid as well, and you will successfully be congestion free the entire time.

I prefer this to pseudoephedrine as it’s not a systemic solution to a local problem in the nasal cavity.

Post reply on HN