I have a man cold and taking my usual bowl of chicken soup washed down with a Lemsip Max but now I’m thinking… if the main ingrediant of a Lemsip is paracetamol, why don’t I just have a paracetamol? It’d cost alot less.
Whats the point of a Lemsip other than the paracetamol?
Thank you.
Now that you’ve read this, you now have a cold sorry thats just how this one works.
paracetamol, caffeine, phenylephrine hydrochloride
The last one is a decongestant.
So take your paracetamol with a cup of coffee and you’re quids in.
Or, better yet, Tylenol, coffee, and Sudafed (which is a decongestant that does work).
Make sure the Sudafed actually contains pseudoephedrine.
And if you have heart issues, know that pseudoephedrine is a stimulant (as well as caffeine of course).
Also if you’re on ADHD meds, which are also stimulants.
That was one jitery mess of a day, let me tell you.
I knew they were both stimulants, but I didn’t stop to make the mental connection. All bunged up, sudafed, wait wtf why am I so ah fuck.
Or actifed, that one is OTC in my country, though expect to sleep due to the added tripolidine.
The last time I saw actifed otc here was the 90s and I’m not doing math or remembering that the last decade actually occurred
There are types of Sudafed that don’t work and types that do.
Pseudoephedrine HCl is the original recipe, it’s controlled in the US because people use it to make meth. So it’s behind the counter at US pharmacies, and you usually have to show ID to make sure you’re not buying too much.
Phenylephrine is the new stuff that’s basically useless, it’s not controlled because it basically does nothing. You can’t use it to make meth, but it also doesn’t work as a decongestant. It’s called Sudafed PE.
I’m not sure about other countries but that’s how it works in the US. If you’re not showing ID to a pharmacist, you’re not buying the good stuff.
For those in North America
paracetamol = acetaminophen (Tylenol)
What exactly is a “man cold?”
Its like a regular cold, butbwith more complaining.
Yeah that sounds about right
I never understood this- if i get a cold, I deny its existence and power through. Most of the time my wife doesn’t even know I was sick.
Cold that smells like Cool Sport Rush Wolf Power Machinery.
Somewhere south of “man flu” but north of “the sniffles”
Yes, as others have said, it’s paracetamol with some other stuff.
Something I’ve not seen mentioned yet however is to please be mindful that these do contain it and try to not take additional paracetamol (say, in tablet form) without watching your dose. Paracetamol overdose leads to some very nasty effects. Be careful not to exceed the daily dose of paracetamol, as stated in the product insert.
In my country Lemsip Max Cold and Flu Capsules contain a few other ingredients, I’m not sure if they are the same with yours. They say they contain a combination of paracetamol, phenylephrine hydrochloride, and caffeine. I think that the combo helps with congestion as well, and obviously if it has caffeine, so it’ll give you a buzz (never in a great way in my opinion) - Basic Paracetamol works for the pain and fever part. It is commonly used to alleviate symptoms such as headache, muscle aches, sore throat, and fever.
Hope you get better soon!
They say they contain a combination of paracetamol, phenylephrine hydrochloride, and caffeine.
Incidentally, the US FDA has just completed updated studies on phenylephrine, more rigorous than when it was first introduced, and determined that when taken orally it is fully metabolized before it makes it to the sinuses and is completely ineffective. It’s going to disappear from shelves soon.
Which is something anyone who needed psuedoephedrine but got phenylephrine could have told them decades ago.
Thank you!
I may be wrong, but doesn’t caffeine have actual benefits when taken with medical drugs? I always thought it gave them a bit of extra power. Well, maybe not directly giving them power, but like helping them be more efficient.
It certainly does:
Yay, I was right. Thank you. Friend.
It also has a phenylephrine which clears blocked nose and stuff.
If you don’t have a sufficiently stuffed nose, paracetamol is cheaper.
Phenylephrine has been proven to not work when ingested orally (nasal spray delivery was not part of the study).
So Paracetamol is not only cheaper, it’s the exact same therapeutic effect.
Thanks for catching that. I am not familiar with this product, so just went with the described contents. Frustrating that it is legal to sell.
It also has a phenylephrine which clears blocked nose and stuff.
It doesn’t actually work.
Except that phenylephrine has been shown by multiple studies not to have any effect. It’s only there as a replacement for pseudoephedrine, which does work, but can be used to make meth.
Pretty much, it’s paracetamol, caffeine and a decongestant. All things that are normally cheaper as tablets.
See: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/5620/smpc
I’ve always hated the taste of Lemsip because of the paracetamol, don’t understand how people can stand it.
I just take some tablets and have a mug of hot lemon/honey, the hot drink helps with congestion and the honey soothes a sore throat. Lemsip just mashes it all up into one powder.
I already have one so it’s fine. I believe it also contains a load of caffeine so you can be fully awake to appreciate your suffering. Honestly, Lemsip is shit. Just take a couple of paracetamol and drink some hot water, lemon juice and honey (with added whisky preferably).
It’s just nice. The hot lemon helps more than the paracetemol for me so sometimes I just make squash with hot water and it’s not too different.
I assume from context that the “squash” you are referring to is not a gourd. Is it a beverage? Does it contain or is it served in a gourd?
“Squash” is another word for cordial or diluting juice - that is, a concentrated fruit juice that you dilute with water to drink
TIL thanks!
Huh. That sounds like a good time and fridge space saver. Make your own concentrate. I have made my own ginger syrup concentrate before, tastes good but not exactly a fruit. Have you got a recipe you actually like drinking when you’re not sick?
Skua has answered most of your issues but I thought I’d add a link.
https://www.tesco.com/groceries/en-GB/products/258935230
This is the best lemon squash. It doesn’t need to be refrigerated, it can be kept in the cupboard for a year or two, I’m sad that it’s not common everywhere.
I’m afraid I’ve never made any myself. There’s a wide variety of them available pretty cheap in most shops here, and also I am fortunate enough to live somewhere where the tap water is really good
How exactly does the hot lemon help you?
It’s the hot water that helps, mostly. The lemon makes it taste better.
Personally, I do a ginger infusion with lemon and honey in it. The lemon moderates some of the bite from ginger, and the stuff in ginger eases the symptoms.
(Note- slice or grate fresh ginger and boil or steep that in hot water. “ginger tea” bags that have been sitting on a shelf for who knows how long…. Not helpful.)
The honey also helps with coughs and sore throats, but mostly just by coating the throat. (Same, for example, as cough syrup.)
Vitamin C is good for you. It’s been found to reduce the time you’re sick by 10%. It’s better to consume it regularly before getting sick though, as it significantly reduces the risk of developing a cold.
Clears your congestion which is what’s causing the headache and stuffiness.
What about the fever?
I’m no doctor but it just sounds pretty unlikely that congestion is what is causing the headache. Sounds more likely that a virus is causing both.
The virus is causing both in a roundabout way, but congestion does cause the headache in most colds and flu (and also covid, which is where I learnt this, working with covid patients). It’s because your sinuses are blocked, and they cause pain behind the eyes, across the forehead, and more generally the front of your brain as it spreads.
Most people will take a painkiller for the headache, but usually a decongestant is actually more effective and longer lasting.
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