Tylenol Cold - NOT SAFE

[colormist]

I was starting to feel sick on Saturday, so I stocked up on medicine and tissues. I picked up a box of Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom. I did not read the box closely, but later I noticed they had a mint-like taste. So I read the cover. It said "cool burst flavor." Honestly. What's the point of putting flavor on medicines? Is it so your kids think it's candy and they accidentally eat them all?

When taking the medicine, I didn't know if I should chew them, let them dissolve, or just swallow. I decided to just swallow, per usual. The instructions later STRICTLY confirmed this (apparently other people didn't know, either).

I tried to read the label a couple of times. It's really hard to focus when your head is pounding and you feel like you're going to puke. The first time I didn't see any dangerous ingredients. The second time, I spotted it listed as the very last ingredient: sucralose.

Now I'm too sick to go out and get other medicine, so I'll just have to do.

[sarahk]

Sorry to hear about your craptastic weekend. Sarah sticks to only meds that are chalky and white-no flavor. But if she had sucralose in her meds, she would through it up, which defeats the point of the meds. What happends to you?

[colormist]

I just FEEL like I'm going to puke them up. At first I was attributing it all to my cold, then I read the label a second time. I really should go out and get more meds, but I can't even manage getting the mail. Maybe I'll just stick with ibuprofen.

[sarahk]

Mike: I think I caught what you had--I woke up sick today--maybe you passed on a (computer) virus haha

[marianna]

I am sorry, but where do you usually buy Tylenol? I live in a very little town, and have to order everything from Canadian pharmacy . I just wonder what are alternatives and I am also curious to compare prices. Thanks in advance.

[colormist]

I typically purchase generics at my local pharmacy (or the grocery store).

Tylenol is taxing on your liver, so as HFIers we should try to opt for Ibuprofen over Tylenol whenever possible.

[hfimomof3]

That sounds stressful. For years I did similar as you suggest and stuck with tylenol and ibuprofen because of unpleasant experiences with medicines that contained sugar. However I now have new conditions that require me to be open to over the counter medications when I have a cold. So I read some labels at the pharmacy when I was well and got some of the items that I had been told I might need. I make sure to restock those (ie keep the medications within the due date) periodically. It feels like a bit of a waste to keep medications on hand that I might never actually use, but it allows me to be confident that I'm not label-reading when I'm only half alert.

Re tylenol and ibuprofen one should keep in mind that ibuprofen has its own risks, although the risks are different than tylenol. Not everyone who has HFI is dealing with only liver issues.