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The Uselessness of Phenylephrine (2022)

science.org

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Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine (2022)

#291
post #235

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Reminds me of the old joke: what's the difference between an oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer? Answer: the taste

This reminds me of the funniest scene in the movie Idiocracy, where he loses track of which cable goes in the mouth vs ear vs butt. A laugh a day keeps the doctor away, enjoy :-) https://youtu.be/zop3VG_K9HU?si=k8LDptGhvQDxtsTB

For the future, please remove the ?si= parameter from your YouTube share links. It uniquely identifies you and allows Google to track your social circle with certainty. (Not that they couldn't do it already)

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine (2022)

#292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes. But now it's produced in para-industrial labs, mostly in other countries, rather than in apartments and back yards, where those ad hoc labs were actually real public safety problems.

I wonder if the users are sad to miss out on the artisanal small-batch experience.

Adding chili powder was his trademark.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine (2022)

#293
post #275

Question: why does anyone want to use stimulant decongestants anyway, when corticosteroid nasal sprays (the -metazolines) are equally effective at treating a runny nose, and much more effective at unplugging a stuffy nose?

Nasal sprays like Afrin (oxymetazoline) give me major rebound congestion, even if I only use it for a couple days. I.e. even if I just use it for one night to make it easier to sleep, I always feel like I'm more stuffed up the next day.

The only thing I'll use these days is a neti pot/sinus rinse. It obviously doesn't open up my sinuses as much as something like Afrin but there are no negative side effects for me.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine (2022)

#294
My read of the headline was "bullshit! It's a great alpha-1-adrenergic vasopressor in anesthesiology and critical care(1). Funny how ones training and past experiences affect this. Similarly I read unionized as the chemistry un-ionized every time.

(1) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534801/#:~:text=In%20t...

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine (2022)

#296
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

At least if I followed that path, I would not be required to have my purchase recorded in an insecure government database.

Why are you worried about the government recording your usage of Sudafed? What is anybody going to do with that information? Serious question! I understand the principle involved; I just want to know if there's some practical concern.

These people are just very paranoid. This is my field of work for the last 15 years.. people think way too highly of the govt capabilities and negatively on their goals. If we actually did 1/10th of what people accused us of our lives would probably be much easier.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine (2022)

#297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> social programs Do you have any links to social programs that have successfully dealt with meth addiction? Can't say I have seen any locally (New Zealand) and we are a country more likely to see such programs?

I don't, but I'll ask you to consider the following: 1) The implication of my statement wasn't that social programs would solve the problem single-handedly, but that they're more effective than enhanced law enforcement spending. 2) This would seem to be, at the very least, supported by the people who advocated for treating the (mostly white and middle-class) victims of the opioid epidemic in the US as suffering from…

> I don't, but I'll ask you to consider the following: 1) The implication of my statement wasn't that social programs would solve the problem single-handedly, but that they're more effective than enhanced law enforcement spending.

What do police have to do with the effectiveness of social programs? A fundamentally ineffective social program will be just about as ineffective no matter how much funding it gets - because the problem they are approaching isn't one that they can solve.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine (2022)

#298
post #224
post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Dextromethorphan is one of the other “scientifically proven ineffective” OTC products mentioned by the authors. Once when I had a quite severe cough I did some (highly motivated) research and my conclusion was that there is no such thing as an effective cough suppressant. At least, none that isn’t also a consciousness suppressant.

Low dose codeine is notoriously efficient.

Codeine is what I ended up using in that one (thank goodness) case. It does work to suppress coughs, as well as other functions, like breathing! Watch the dosage.

Re: The Uselessness of Phenylephrine (2022)

#300
post #210
post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The effectiveness of dextrometorphan is... underwhelming in most people. But you are correct that no effective cough suppressant is available OTC in Europe.

Dextromethorphan is one of the other “scientifically proven ineffective” OTC products mentioned by the authors. Once when I had a quite severe cough I did some (highly motivated) research and my conclusion was that there is no such thing as an effective cough suppressant. At least, none that isn’t also a consciousness suppressant.

As a consciousness suppressant I wonder if DXM is safer than diphenhydramine. When I'm sick, being able to essentially sedate myself is honestly pretty valuable.
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