The Pseudoephedrine Menace

[timkona]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

It is the most remarkable feat of advertising ever to actually realize that the War on Drugs after nearly 100 years of various types of failures, and the trillions upon trillions of dollars spent, still continues full speed ahead.

PT Barnum would be impressed.

All the while, a certain % of the monkeys in the forest seek out and eat spoiled fruit. Wonder what's in the fruit? Funny how the % in monkeys and the % in humanity is very similar.

Always remember the two basic questions....
1) If drugs were legal, would you start?
2) Do you think a drug abuser ever stopped because of laws?

The answer to both is clearly NO. Now if you support the War on Drugs in any way, then you have cognitive dissonance.

Logic Good. mmmm!

[Pomai]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

The war on drugs will never be won.

The real winners are the souls of those who sacrificed their lives and those who still fight as we speak for the cause to do what is RIGHT. To that, I salute them with the highest honor and respect.

[Miulang]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

Good example of what I meant by if you try to shut down the local cookers that the meth will be shipped in from somewhere else: big meth bust last December when agents intercepted 1 lb cans of "baked beans" that contained ice being shipped in from Mexico via California.

Miulang

[scrivener]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

This cold I came down with Friday night was a bear. I knew I was going to need the big guns. I'd been to 7-Eleven earlier, on my way to a Saturday morning yearbook work-session, and picked up some Day-Quil. It seemed barely to register with my system; I couldn't tell I'd taken a thing.

So I went to Longs Saturday night. I checked all the labels, and nothing on the shelves had pseudoephedrine. Many labels actually boasted of having no pseudoephedrine.

A passing clerk, when I asked, said that I'd have to stand in line at the pharmacy and ask for it there.

I stood in line. The clerk, when it was finally my turn, asked that I wait to the side for a pharmacist to help me. When the pharmacist asked me what I needed, I asked, "Are there any non-prescription cold medications that still have pseudoephedrine?"

She said, "What kind of symptoms do you have?" I thought this was odd, since she was a pharmacist and not a doctor.

"Scratchy throat, headaches, runny nose, congestion, and fever."

The pharmacist left me where I was and went down the store aisle I'd just spent fifteen minutes in. She returned with a box of Tylenol Cold. I said, "Excuse me, but this has the same active ingredients as Ny-Quil, and Ny-Quil sucks now. What I'd like to know is if there's a multi-symptom, non-prescription medicine that contains pseudoephedrine.

She hesitated and said yes, but what she had didn't have the antihistimine that Tylenol Cold has. I don't know how she did it, but she convinced me that I wanted the Tylenol Cold. I said I'd give it a try and took the box.

As I drove home, this is what I thought: pseudoephedrine regulation was NOT designed to keep people who want it from having it; it was never part of the rationale that normal use of products with pseudoephedrine was dangerous in any way. It wasn't designed to keep normal sick people from having it, and yet THAT's EXACTLY WHAT IT DID.

The result: I'm still miserable. PaloloJoe is right: The new stuff without the pseudoephedrine just sucks big ones. If it weren't for the fact that the Tylenol Cold at least makes me somewhat drowsy, it would be useless.

You can believe I'm going to communicate my extreme displeasure with my legislators and with Longs.

I know it's not Longs's fault that this stupid, stupid, stupid legislation exists, but it doesn't have to put itself in the Gatekeeper role, as if somehow keeping me away from pseudoephedrine is making society a better place. Tell that to the students who will be without their teacher for the next day or three.

I'm so pissed off I can't stand it.

[Hellbent]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

Perhaps you could ask your doctor to give you a prescription for something with pseudoephidren? I used to take a longs generic that i noticed disappeared awhile ago, I guess it contains it. I think im sensitive to pseudoephidrene. It allows me to smell colors.

Maybe the war on drugs will continue and they will suppress marijuana more. Like require an ID for buying dirt, miracle gro, or sunlamps.

[Miulang]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

You should still be able to get some formulations of Sudafed with pseudoephidrine in it; you just have to produce an ID and sign a form. Nothing visible on the general pharmacy shelves will contain pseudoephedrine anymore, though. I find for me, anyway, that only Sudafed will stop my drippy nose and aches so I just deal with the BS that now goes along with buying the stuff and get my relief.

Doesn't the Longs Hawai'i have pads of forms stuck on the shelf for cold supplies that allows you to have the pharmacy clerks let you buy packs of the stuff if you show them one of those? Our Longs does.

Miulang

[kaneohegirl]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

the new non psuedophed is called phenylephrine

this stuff SUCKS not only does it not work as well as pseudophed it can have some yucky side effects.... me for example.... I get severe cramps an vomiting from taking it.... nasty stuff gimme good old sudafed anyday I will stand in line an hand over my ID to avoid vomiting.

[blueyecicle]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

OREGON LAW! No prescription...NO psuedophedrine! No Sudafed Products...nothing.
50.00 or more Dr. Visit plus jacked up Psuedo. PRESCRIPTON costs means just live with being sick.

Next step the govenor wants? Ban on all pseudophed products. Period...
No care if it hurts poor people, no care if you have no insurance like me...too damn bad.

Oregon started out with show ID then sign paper and within one year Banned on shelves now?? banned permanently?

[pzarquon]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

Interesting timing of your rant, Mitchell. Jen finally ran out of her huge stash of pseudoephedrine goodies, so she finally bit the bullet and stood in line at the Kahala Longs on Sunday to ask for a little box that she used to be able to grab freely off the shelf. Considering the long line of people with real pharmacy needs, many of whom didn't seem to be in the best of health, we resented taking up someone's time for something so manini.

The kids were already bouncing off the walls, and just as Jen got called forward, one kid started shrieking (alleging some sort of attack by his brother) and our daughter dropped her Icee with a big, messy, orange sploosh. I stumbled over to the cashier to ask for some paper towels as other customers rolled their eyes at the pandemonium.

And somehow in the chaos, Jen got her drugs without showing ID or signing anything.

These rules are ridiculous. Like the PATRIOT act they were underhandedly attached to. I have no doubt the retailers hate them as much as we do, though, so I don't take it out on Longs. I just seethe at the current administration.

[blueyecicle]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

Oregon's govener is not a R and he PUSHED our bill through. Also our Senator.
I don't think Sudafed is only on the R list.

[scrivener]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

may I ask what Jen asked for? maybe I need to be specific.

[pzarquon]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

I think it was Benadryl Sinus. Maybe you could get some poor substitute of the stuff in the public aisles, but the "good stuff" has to be handed to you by an overworked pharmacy counter employee.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

I have no doubt the retailers hate them as much as we do, though,

Yes, they do. My daughter is a Certified Pharmacy Technician in Iowa, a state with some of the harshest regulations (due to all the meth production that was going on there in the past decade) - the restrictions are challenging to keep up with, to say the least.

[timkona]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

After re-reading this entire thread, I am left speechless by the amount of wasted money that has been poured into the War on Drugs over the years. I also reflect upon the social havoc wreaked when daughters grow up without fathers, who would otherwise be at work M-F, and partying a little on the weekend.

And yet, many still cling desperately to the notion that legalizing it would be worse.

[Miulang]

Re: The Pseudoephedrine Menace

After re-reading this entire thread, I am left speechless by the amount of wasted money that has been poured into the War on Drugs over the years. I also reflect upon the social havoc wreaked when daughters grow up without fathers, who would otherwise be at work M-F, and partying a little on the weekend.

And yet, many still cling desperately to the notion that legalizing it would be worse.

Next somebody will have the bright idea of putting mouthwash behind the pharmacy counter too, because kids are using mouthwash to get a buzz. First airplane glue (ahhhh, used to love that smell!), then cans of spray paint, then pseudoephedrine...next: mouthwash and then what???

Miulang