US Meds -v- UK Meds

I was reading a post by Tholian about cough drops in the UK and how they were the worst and it got me thinking....

Do any of you other yanks find the cold medication here awful? None of it works for me and when you're all stuffed up and miserable all you want is to feel better and you'd kill for Nyquil.

I'm just getting over a 3 week cold (!) and realized that all the different cold stuff I tried did nothing for me except for the Sudafed which made me drowsy.

My folks are coming this September and I've asked them to bring cold medication. The stuff here does nothing for me.

I am actually quite happy with most UK meds and actually bring them the other way.  I love Strepsils and got addicted to those while teaching.  You can get them here, but I have only seen them in NYC.  I also love Anadin for normal headaches and cramps.  Though I soon figured out it was Goody's Headache here in the USA.  Basically the mix of tylenol (paracetemol), asprin and caffine. 

I usually don't take too many meds either way, but did find that codine was brilliant for hacking coughs.  I usually have to take different brands each time as I think they lose their efficacy, but that's probably in my head.  I try my best to read labels as many are the same ingredients with different names.  Sometimes I make my own cold meds by taking the ingredients seprately..like tylenol, sudafed, and some antihistamine or a dextromophan or well whatever I need to take for whatever symptoms I have.  Again I am just odd though.

I did find one bad thing . . . that's that living in an older home exposes you to a lot more damp and that cold damp than you get many places here in the USA and when you get a cold or chest cold in particular it just seems to hang around forever like some mad crud monster.

I found things a bit difficult as well. I had a lingering cough and a completely unsympathetic doctor. Next time will try OTC codeine on my own to see if that helps!

I do have to say that I have had luck with Lemsip capsules (loathe the powder for drinks) for colds. That said, I'm very sensitive to caffeine and have to make sure I don't take them too much though you can get some without caffeine.

I was reading a post by Tholian about cough drops in the UK and how they were the worst and it got me thinking....

Do any of you other yanks find the cold medication here awful? None of it works for me and when you're all stuffed up and miserable all you want is to feel better and you'd kill for Nyquil.

I'm just getting over a 3 week cold (!) and realized that all the different cold stuff I tried did nothing for me except for the Sudafed which made me drowsy.

My folks are coming this September and I've asked them to bring cold medication. The stuff here does nothing for me.

This has been a struggle for me too , Ashley. In the end I tried Beecham's Flu Plus because , unlike Lemsip, it's made with sugar and not aspartame (which I'm allergic to ) and while it's not like NyQuil , Robitussin or Triaminic, it takes the edge off the symptoms. I think the Paracetamol helps, to be honest.  I used to be an Ibuprofen fiend but find that paracetamol really takes the edge off headaches and cramps.  So does Veganin (a vegan Anadintype alternative) and of course Nurofen Plus which has codeine.

I was getting nasty colds with headaches while we were living in London and Chris used to prepare Eucalyptis oil inhalents for me in a nice bowl of hot water with a towel over it hehe *touch wood* I've been nasty cold free for a few months now.

I'm pretty happy with the medicines here too... it seems to me that you can get alot more stuff over the counter here, such as codeine... and has anyone tried the kaolin & morphine bottle for diarrhoea/stomach cramps?  I've never had a better night's sleep!   

For cold/stuffiness, someone mentioned a eucalyptus inhalant... I use Olbas oil.  Put a few drops in a bowl of boiling water, place your face over the steaming water with a towel over your head to prevent the steam from escaping, and breathe deep!  It does make you feel better.

I have a lot of problems with the childrens medicines over here.. They just dont work for my children.. I treasure the childrens tylonal that I bring back with me..

I was just in the States for 10 days and unfortunately got a horrible cold on the second day of my trip...but luckily I could just dash off to Rite Aid and buy a cartload of cold medicine that actually works for me and enables me to function.  I was living on Robitussin for the entire time I was there but at least my vacation was not totally and completely ruined.

Still have the cold but it's gotten better enough that I don't have to take any of the precious store of US cold/cough meds that I brought back with me!

On edit:  I wish I could use the OTC codeine preparations available here.  But even small amounts of codeine give me dreams so bizarre that I'd rather just cough.  Larger amounts keep me in a half-awake "fuzzy" state with hallucinations to match.  No thanks. 

Chalk me up as a person who buys her cold medicines in the US! They don't do anything for me here. 

Oh - jennydee, you had to go and mention Triaminic?!

I remember when I was a kid hoping and praying that I was "orange" sick - but I usually ended up being "yellow" sick...

hi all  as winter is now here yet again & as a brit who doesnt want u all suffering from the dreaded cold & flu virus here is what i always use........  contac 400, its in a capsule form & lasts for 12 hrs, it removes all the symptoms of a cold ie runny nose, blocked nose etc & u can buy it at most chemists, also u can buy night nurse, which my  texan hubby informs me is similiar to nyquil, personally i find lemsips a load of rubbish, theres also day nurse, which im told is quite good, tho ive never used it, another tip, ive always found that if u do some sorta exercise like cycling or jogging etc something that gets u hot & sweaty, your cold will be gone in no time, oh but it must be done in the open air, dont ask me why this works i have no clue, i just know it does .........have a cold frre winter y'all...........love susie xx

Adding to Susie's as another Brit that can recommend

For the yukky deep hacking coughs that make your head swim

1) Boots or Superdrug " Pholcodeine Linctus" approx £1.40 for a bottle
    make sure you get the sweetened version, the un is vile

2) For a non-narcotic one try "Vegetable Cough Remover" from Holland & Barratt or other healthfood stores
    I think it's made by herbal company "Potters"

3) Corvonia - V.V. Strong, but helps a lot (lots of people get addicted to the stuff though, so watch it

The Pholcodeine Linctus works brilliantly though - you need to ask for it at the pharmacy counter.

For tickly, dry throats that wont go away but don't make you cough horribly, Boots Blackcurrant & Glycerine, (approx £1.20) tastes like syrupy ribena and really coats the throat.

I don't think anything we have here, apart from the Phocodeine linctus is anywhere near as good as the tiny sample size "narcotic cough medicine" that a US Dr gave me when I had a really bad cough/bronchitis when I had no medical insurance over there- it was vivid orange, tasted just like a nice flat orangeade and I had the best week of sleep of my whole life

Sheril.

Forgot to add- Hubby (from Connecticut) moans every year that we have nothing as good as that lethal potion known as "Nyquil" - we used to have "Night Nurse", but not sure if we still do and that was dark green witches brew!
   

ok i just found this site that lists all the cold remedies u can find in the uk, it also gives the ingredients for each item, which is helpful if your'e trying to compare it with a US med.......love susie xx
http://www.mypharmacy.co.uk/medicines/topics/c/cold_flu/cold_flu_medicine.htm

I have Night Nurse & Day Nurse (caplets & liquid) in my medicine cabinet.  They work fine for me.

Actually, this suggestion beats all others in my book

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/11/23/wchoc23.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/11/23/ixnewstop.html

Sheril

I have to agree, I find nothing that works for me here!  I brought over a case of theraflu and am actually almost done with it now.  It's a miracle worker.  I was on it for my wedding and gave me a great high along with all the vodka I drank.  Seriously Rich does not even use the stuff here anymore.