Where I wanted to go with this post though is the idea of different combo drugs such as Robins example of NyQuil and DayQuil. It has been a huge surprise to me how often people think they need to buy something along the lines of DayQuil when they aren't even experiencing all the symptoms that DayQuil is used to treat. A lot of people will bring DayQuil up to our window (keep in mind its is usually the brand name which costs about 9 dollars for a box of 16 liquicaps where the directions are to take 2 capsules every 4 hours not to exceed 4 doses in a day) and ask the Pharmacist if this will help with their congestion. Below are the main ingredients in DayQuil:
| Active ingredients (in each LiquiCap) | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Acetaminophen 325 mg | Pain reliever/fever reducer |
| Dextromethorphan HBr 10 mg | Cough suppressant |
| Phenylephrine HCl 5 mg | Nasal decongestant |
This is when the Pharmacist goes on to ask if they are experiencing a cough or fever, most of the time they say no. The pharmacist then goes on to explain to them that they do not need DayQuil because it has many other products in it they they don't need. They then recommend pseudoephedrine which is also a nasal decongestant that is sold behind the counter at pharmacies because it can be made into methamphetamine. They recommend pseudoephedrine because it lasts longer than phenylephrine. This product at Walmart can be bought for $5.98 ( generic Sudafed 30mg, it is a box of 48 tablets and the directions are 2 tablets every 4-6 hours and no more than 8 tablets in 24 hours). My point is, you would get a lot more bang for your buck buying a generic solo medication than a combo drug like DayQuil. We get so many customers that come up with the same situation but I can't imagine how many don't come up to ask and are wasting their money without even knowing it.
Overall I think its very important to pay attention to what you are buying and the products that are in it. Do you need everything or would it benefit you to buy an individual generic product that will take care of the specific issue you are experiencing.
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading this blog post. I also felt a little embarrassed, because I can actually relate to the consumer in a lot of these scenarios. Whenever I start feeling sick or even just a little funky, I will take nyquil before bed. If I see that i have one of the symptoms listed on the packaging, I will buy it (even though they are listing 10 other symptoms that i do not actually have). I didnt realize i could go and ask for medication that treats the single symptom i had. I also agree that often times we as the consumer steer away from generic, because brand names maybe are sometimes more comforting.