10 ms·

I would consider voting for a politician with a platform of eliminating phenylephrine and making it easier to obtain pseudoephedrine, i.e. not having to get it

I would consider voting for a politician with a platform of eliminating phenylephrine and making it easier to obtain pseudoephedrine, i.e. not having to get it from behind a counter while showing ID and signing a logbook. Although perhaps I'm naive about the seriousness of the methamphetamine epidemic and the positive impact the additional restrictions have had to society.

awakeasleep 8y ago
And the hostile suspicion of pharmacy techs when you ask for it! I swear they all believe in phenylephrine and think the only reason someone would buy psueudafed is to do meth.
- vinceguidry 8y ago
  Hmm, I never get this reaction, I suspect it has to do with the thousand-yard stare that fairly clearly conveys, "I'm way too sick to care about your judgment cuz I ran out of Sudafed and now I'm dealing with you." I can't imagine one giving me any actual lip, but my escalation strategy there is to look them dead in the eye and ask them whether they're going to give me my perfectly-legal cold remedy or not.
  - AdmiralAsshat 8y ago
    https://xkcd.com/1618/ https://xkcd.com/1618/
    - levesque 8y ago
      > "Seriously considering buying some illegal drugs to try to turn them back into cold medicine." Now that sounds like a project.
      - shabble 8y ago
        A Simple and Convenient Synthesis of Pseudoephedrine From N-Methylamphetamine[1] [1] http://heterodoxy.cc/meowdocs/pseudo/pseudosynth.pdf http://heterodoxy.cc/meowdocs/pseudo/pseudosynth.pdf
  - Analemma_ 8y ago
    I’m convinced that the location of your pharmacy plus whatever class signals you’re silently emanating strongly influence how pharmacists respond to requests for pseudoephedrine. I’ve also never had any issues getting it, but I’m an upper-income guy in a wealthy area of Seattle. I have family members in the rural Midwest who, to put it gently, do not signal upper-class status, and they have told me that pharmacists give them lots of hassle regarding cold medicine. You can sort of understand the logic but it’s a pretty ugly display of naked classism.
    - pnutjam 8y ago
      I have six kids, so it can look suspicious when we all get a cold, but I go to a pharmacy I use regularly and never get hassled.
    - xamuel 8y ago
      If that's the case for OTC cold medicine, it makes you wonder how it is for prescription products like ADHD medication or, God forbid, opiate-based painkillers. My sympathy is stirred up for anyone in chronic pain who happens to exude lower-class status signals!
      - dfxm12 8y ago
        If that's the case for OTC cold medicine... If you follow along with the thread, you'll realize this isn't about OTC cold medicine.
        toast0 8y ago
        What? It's about psuedoephedrine which is available without a prescription; but is subject to mandatory tracking. Not too many years ago, it was available off the shelf.
        Amezarak 8y ago
        Two states ban pseudoephedrine without a prescription, and you can’t buy it across state lines.
- Zak 8y ago
  I usually approach with something indicating disdain for the restrictions like "I'd like as much store-brand pseudoephedrine as the ninnies will let you sell me". I've never had any pushback.
richardhod 8y ago
Beware pseudoephedrine. People have been known to abuse it, and it has dangers especially for those with heart issues: People with heart disease or hypertension should watch out for any legitimate drug that contains pseudoephedrine. See, pseudoephedrine doesn't just constrict the blood vessels in your nose and sinuses; it can also raise blood pressure and heart rate, setting the stage for vascular catastrophe. Over the years, pseudoephedrine has been linked to heart attacks and strokes. "Pseudoephedrine can also worsen symptoms of benign prostate disease and glaucoma," http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24777955/ns/health-health_care/t/drugs-doctors-wouldnt-take/ http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24777955/ns/health-health_care/t/d...
- chrismeller 8y ago
  If I recall correctly several studies have shown that phenylephrine has similar blood pressure risks. Combined with having lackluster (if any) impact on the condition it’s specifically designed to treat could actually lead to a worse impact on those with high blood pressure since you’ll take more of it, hoping it’ll finally work. So yeah, people need to be aware that pseudoephedrine has side effects, but it’s arguably equal to if not better than the alternative that’s being pushed as “safe”.
- e40 8y ago
  I remember years ago I was at the gym with a work buddy and we decided to try one of the drinks offered there, since we forgot our water bottles. We had the most amazing workout. We both executed personal bests, and after the workout we felt great. Much less tired than normal. At that point, I turned to the empty bottles and found it was chocked full of pseudoephedrine. It was a little scary to us, so we never did that again. Yes, it is a powerful drug.
  - patwolf 8y ago
    That's interesting. I never gave much thought to the fact that pseudoephedrine is a stimulant and can be harmful/abused in its own right. I just know it helps me breathe when I'm congested. I feel like the dichotomy between OTC and prescription medications tends to make me assume that prescription drugs are potentially dangerous while anything available OTC is harmless.
tssva 8y ago
The biggest effect of the ban has been to largely push production from independent producers in the US to drug cartels in Mexico. It has been a failure at actually reducing usage.
- ataturk 8y ago
  Not just Mexico, but also countries in Africa with very sophisticated production facilities. But I have to go begging for working cold medicine.
tptacek 8y ago
I used to think this, but now I just go ask for the sudafed. It's usually quicker to buy, since you end up checking it out at the pharmacy rather than at the regular checkout. As long as I can reliably buy it --- and I've never had a problem --- I'm not sure why I'd be up in arms about the fact that sudafed is approximately as hard to buy as a pack of cigarettes.

awakeasleep 8y ago

And the hostile suspicion of pharmacy techs when you ask for it! I swear they all believe in phenylephrine and think the only reason someone would buy psueudafed is to do meth.

vinceguidry 8y ago
Hmm, I never get this reaction, I suspect it has to do with the thousand-yard stare that fairly clearly conveys, "I'm way too sick to care about your judgment cuz I ran out of Sudafed and now I'm dealing with you." I can't imagine one giving me any actual lip, but my escalation strategy there is to look them dead in the eye and ask them whether they're going to give me my perfectly-legal cold remedy or not.
- AdmiralAsshat 8y ago
  https://xkcd.com/1618/ https://xkcd.com/1618/
  - levesque 8y ago
    > "Seriously considering buying some illegal drugs to try to turn them back into cold medicine." Now that sounds like a project.
    - shabble 8y ago
      A Simple and Convenient Synthesis of Pseudoephedrine From N-Methylamphetamine[1] [1] http://heterodoxy.cc/meowdocs/pseudo/pseudosynth.pdf http://heterodoxy.cc/meowdocs/pseudo/pseudosynth.pdf
- Analemma_ 8y ago
  I’m convinced that the location of your pharmacy plus whatever class signals you’re silently emanating strongly influence how pharmacists respond to requests for pseudoephedrine. I’ve also never had any issues getting it, but I’m an upper-income guy in a wealthy area of Seattle. I have family members in the rural Midwest who, to put it gently, do not signal upper-class status, and they have told me that pharmacists give them lots of hassle regarding cold medicine. You can sort of understand the logic but it’s a pretty ugly display of naked classism.
  - pnutjam 8y ago
    I have six kids, so it can look suspicious when we all get a cold, but I go to a pharmacy I use regularly and never get hassled.
  - xamuel 8y ago
    If that's the case for OTC cold medicine, it makes you wonder how it is for prescription products like ADHD medication or, God forbid, opiate-based painkillers. My sympathy is stirred up for anyone in chronic pain who happens to exude lower-class status signals!
    - dfxm12 8y ago
      If that's the case for OTC cold medicine... If you follow along with the thread, you'll realize this isn't about OTC cold medicine.
      - toast0 8y ago
        What? It's about psuedoephedrine which is available without a prescription; but is subject to mandatory tracking. Not too many years ago, it was available off the shelf.
        Amezarak 8y ago
        Two states ban pseudoephedrine without a prescription, and you can’t buy it across state lines.
Zak 8y ago
I usually approach with something indicating disdain for the restrictions like "I'd like as much store-brand pseudoephedrine as the ninnies will let you sell me". I've never had any pushback.

richardhod 8y ago

Beware pseudoephedrine. People have been known to abuse it, and it has dangers especially for those with heart issues: People with heart disease or hypertension should watch out for any legitimate drug that contains pseudoephedrine. See, pseudoephedrine doesn't just constrict the blood vessels in your nose and sinuses; it can also raise blood pressure and heart rate, setting the stage for vascular catastrophe. Over the years, pseudoephedrine has been linked to heart attacks and strokes. "Pseudoephedrine can also worsen symptoms of benign prostate disease and glaucoma," http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24777955/ns/health-health_care/t/drugs-doctors-wouldnt-take/ http://www.nbcnews.com/id/24777955/ns/health-health_care/t/d...

chrismeller 8y ago
If I recall correctly several studies have shown that phenylephrine has similar blood pressure risks. Combined with having lackluster (if any) impact on the condition it’s specifically designed to treat could actually lead to a worse impact on those with high blood pressure since you’ll take more of it, hoping it’ll finally work. So yeah, people need to be aware that pseudoephedrine has side effects, but it’s arguably equal to if not better than the alternative that’s being pushed as “safe”.
e40 8y ago
I remember years ago I was at the gym with a work buddy and we decided to try one of the drinks offered there, since we forgot our water bottles. We had the most amazing workout. We both executed personal bests, and after the workout we felt great. Much less tired than normal. At that point, I turned to the empty bottles and found it was chocked full of pseudoephedrine. It was a little scary to us, so we never did that again. Yes, it is a powerful drug.
- patwolf 8y ago
  That's interesting. I never gave much thought to the fact that pseudoephedrine is a stimulant and can be harmful/abused in its own right. I just know it helps me breathe when I'm congested. I feel like the dichotomy between OTC and prescription medications tends to make me assume that prescription drugs are potentially dangerous while anything available OTC is harmless.

tssva 8y ago

The biggest effect of the ban has been to largely push production from independent producers in the US to drug cartels in Mexico. It has been a failure at actually reducing usage.

ataturk 8y ago
Not just Mexico, but also countries in Africa with very sophisticated production facilities. But I have to go begging for working cold medicine.

tptacek 8y ago

I used to think this, but now I just go ask for the sudafed. It's usually quicker to buy, since you end up checking it out at the pharmacy rather than at the regular checkout. As long as I can reliably buy it --- and I've never had a problem --- I'm not sure why I'd be up in arms about the fact that sudafed is approximately as hard to buy as a pack of cigarettes.