Comments on: Pseudoephedrine Stupidity – Confessions of a Drug Addict

By: CW BAYER

CW BAYER — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:39:44 +0000

Tom, very funny. You have apparently not spent a night much less months taking care of a baby coming off meth, tried to help a meth addict in recovery, counted the money you already spend for people to do these things, counted the money for crime or incarceration or looked at the literature suggesting pseudoephedrine based medication is no better than medication without it. Big Pharma thanks you. You help keep pseudoephedrine available to the addicts, the cartels and the huge industry dependent on their crimes. Oh…and did I mention the special ed teachers for the baby?

By: CKRose

CKRose — Mon, 07 Mar 2011 17:22:40 +0000

I just recently went to Walgreens to buy my boyfriend some advil cold and sinus meds, for his sinus infection. Well I find the little plastic thing and decided to get the 40 count instead of the 14 count so if anyone else in my house 5 gets sicks (which always happens) I would have enough for everyone. Well I get up to the counter give the lady my licesne, then she proceeds to tell me that it wont let me purchase it. I ask, “Why”? She tells me I have reached my limit. I ask, “How is that possible, I have not bought anything in forever that I have to show my license for”? So she tries it again, still no go. So she tries the 14 count and that goes through. So I ask here how can that thing say I’m over my amount when I have not purchased anything, all she can tell my is maybe some one else has used my license. Which is impossible, its always been with me, she says maybe someone elses number is close to mine or something. So I ask her who could I contact to find out about this, all she could tell me is the government. UGH!!!! So I have been doing research on the internet and cannot find who I should contact.

Does anyone have any ideas, please help!!!!!

By: alicia

alicia — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 03:25:41 +0000

I totally agree both with the sinus meds and the ephedrine ban. I was 250 lbs by the time I was 18 and the only thing that worked was ephedrine. It amazes me in a country this size that our politicians are soo completely ignorant that they don’t see the major benefits these medications have for the majority of the population! Its nice to see I’m not the only one irritated by this bull shit!

By: Ana

Ana — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 17:00:04 +0000

I totally agree with you. Once again, the majority is being punished for the idiocy of a few.

Another similar situation happened with ephedra, the natural supplemental herb used for energy and weight loss. It was OTC for years, now it’s been totally banned in the U.S just because a few people ignored the instructions and hazards and basically overdosed on it, ending up dead from heart attacks and such. My friends and I used ephedra responsibly for years for weight control, and it worked wonders. I still order it off the internet. So people can still get it. How has banning it really accomplished anything ? And now people who legitimately need pseudoephedrine are made to feel like criminals for purchasing it. But don’t worry, you can still drink and smoke yourself to death and that’s A-Okay. Idiots !!

By: Allen

Allen — Sat, 30 May 2009 23:13:53 +0000

Actually, the situation is even worse than you report. The actual federal law is stupid, but reasonable — it restricts you to 3.6 grams/day, which is exactly what the manufacturer recommends (60mg every 4 hours). A 24-dose box is a 4-day supply. In California, Longs (now CVS) restricts you to three boxes (a 12-day supply) per month — 3/8 of the amount the the law proscribes). Walmart has the same stupid rules. In effect, the drug stores have rewritten the law to by considerably more restrictive than it actually is.

By: Suffering Another Sinus Infection

Suffering Another Sinus Infection — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 16:55:53 +0000

There have only been three drugs in my lifetime of allergies and sinus infections that had positive impacts for me, seldane, phenylpropanolamine, and pseudoephedrine of at least 120mg. Uncle Sam has denied me of all of these. It is no surprise that I require more steroids and surgeries each time one is removed from the marketplace. I can gulp down 800mg of the guiafenesen that now fills the aisles, and all I get is a headache, not even a good placebo effect. Thank you Uncle Sam. It is always nice to live in a free country where I can go after my happiness, as long as happiness involves going through surgeries I can’t afford anymore because I can’t work because I can’t breathe or sleep.

By: Melissa Newkirk

Melissa Newkirk — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 18:53:05 +0000

I have to say, Tom, you made me laugh for the first time in the last couple of hours. I just had my Walmart experience. I felt totally humiliated when asking for my SECOND box EVER!! I just finally gave in and admitted that I have allergies and found this generic Sudafed last month for the first time and started taking it at night. Wow..no more sleep apnea, no snoring, feeling rested in the morning…hallelujah! I go to buy my second box…ever…and POW! Guess what, I am over the limit..no explanations..no examples..same as you.

I call my mom, furious, she and I do research and find it is 9 gm per month, which, as you say, is 3 boxes. I only bought 1 box with 20 tablets in the last month!! What is going on?!! So…with much ado, I wrote the fda, who is probably going to wire tap me and keep an eye on my computer at the law firm where I work..oh yeah, and my cell phone…all because I just want my second box of generic sudafed so I can sleep and breathe.

I was told I can get a prescription from my doctor, but seeing I don’t have any health problems other than allergies, I don’t really want to start paying $80 for a visit to explain to the doctor that I have allergies, him write me a prescription, and I go back and get it filled like I could have done in the first place.

Funniest thing is, if they checked my math scores, they would know I could never: 1) get into a chemistry class and 2) understand what I heard there to make anything, much less meth!!\

Thanks for letting me vent. I feel better.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:48:13 +0000

I’m with you all. It is ridiculous. I stopped taking actifed when they started giving us dirty looks for buying it. I figure if I die because my infected sinuses cause heart failure, then maybe my loved ones can wage a wrongful death suit against the federal government.

But, my mom still takes it. We are travelling and I cannot find any place that sells it, ID or not. It’s very frustrating.

By: Kristi

Kristi — Fri, 09 May 2008 19:04:06 +0000

I just went to Wal-Mart to buy a 20 pack of the 12 hour generic Pseudoephedrine. This pack, if taken according to the package will last for 10 days. I only take them at night becuase if I don’t I can’t breath through my nose. If this happens, my mouth dries out to the sore of getting sores in it.

My 6 year old son has horrible allergies and takes zyrtec liquid but that still doesnt stop the stuffed up nose. He now needs the Pseudoephedrine children’s grape liquid at night to help him breathe.

I go up to the counter to at try to buy one packet of each. The lady rudely asks for my ID which I gave her. She then tells me that I MAY not be able to buy both. I asked how she would figure out what I could buy and she told me that she would have to run it through the machine and see. I asked her how old you needed to be to buy the product to which she replied 18. I asked her if she meant to tell me that I may not be able to purchase the medicine for myself AND for my child and that I would need to choose who gets the medication. She said yes. In just a minute, the purchase went through and she grumpliy said that she guessed that “it” was going to allow me to buy both today.

I came home and looked up the gram limit per day and per month. I was just under the daily limt and I can make this purchase 3 times in one month which is enough for me and my son since we do not take it around the clock.

But what if I had several children who all needed it around the clock??? I would not be able to buy enough for everyone. I would need to find other friends or relatives to purchase this simple cold medication for my family.

This is insane!!!!