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Pseudoephedrine is another victim of the "war on drugs." It works really well as a decongestant, but purchases are tracked, pills are expensive, and you can't k

Pseudoephedrine is another victim of the "war on drugs." It works really well as a decongestant, but purchases are tracked, pills are expensive, and you can't keep a stockpile like you might for some other medicine.

sbelskie 3y ago
I get the expense and tracking argument but not the stockpiling one. You can buy 3.6 grams in a day and 9 grams per month. Are there stricter state level laws or pharmacy policies that I’m unaware of? 9 grams is like 75 120mg 12-hour pills. How much pseudoephedrine are people using?
- BenjiWiebe 3y ago
  If you are purchasing for a family of 6 that all get colds within a short timeframe the limit can get annoying. Well actually it's the per-visit limit. You can only buy like two boxes at one time even though you can come back the next day and buy some more.
jmbwell 3y ago
Yeah, I don't quite get the outrage at this particular useless thing being on store shelves, among so many other useless things. The outrage should be that anyone who wants the safe and effective option is treated as a potential meth manufacturer.
- justrealist 3y ago
  The problem is that the names are very similar and most consumers are confused about which is which. Most consumers don't know to go to the pharmacy and ask, because there's something claiming to be effective on the shelf.
- fluidcruft 3y ago
  Basically, it's snake oil. These companies are taking people's money by selling drugs that do not work using false promises. The FDA is was established to combat this sort of scam, but somehow FDA seems to have allowed these companies to legally market this useless crap without actually confirming effectiveness. Sure, there were reasons to make it more difficult to obtain a certain type of drug. Fine. There are obviously economic effects of these regulations on the manufacturers. Somehow these companies found a loophole to fill the gap by making it easy to buy useless bullshit. This is massive egg on the FDA's face and I'm really curious how this happened and what's going to be done to prevent it happening again.
HideousKojima 3y ago
And as soon as the laws making it a pain to buy were passed, cartels in Mexico were almost immediately able to provide instead. The restrictions were passed into law in the US in 2006, and Mexico implemented similar restrictions in 2005. According to the DOJ themselves meth production dipped briefly but stabilized or even increased by 2008: https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs31/31379/meth.htm https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs31/31379/meth.htm
ravenstine 3y ago
They're expensive? I've bought pseudo for years, and to this day a box is around 5 bucks. Maybe that would get expensive if one were to use them frequently, but they're not meant to be a replacement for allergy medication or whatever.
- smileysteve 3y ago
  This. Sudafed is ~$12, but most pharmacists will ask if you're fine with the generic, which is about half the cost. And that's for 2 sheets of 12 hour.
- P_I_Staker 3y ago
  No, I flat out don't believe this. Maybe you got a good source. I've never seen it for less than $10 for the small box.
  - ravenstine 3y ago
    Probably depends on the locality, yeah. In the LA area, I never end up paying more than 4 or 5 bucks for a small box of immediate release pseudo. The name-brand boxes might be over $6, but I can't imagine paying $10.
User23 3y ago
To be fair deoxyephedrine and the other amphetamines also work really well as decongestants. Pseudoephedrine doesn't produce as pronounced a "high," but it definitely is noticeably psychoactive. It doesn't just clear up your congestion, it also makes you feel better and boosts your energy. It really is a fine drug for masking cold and flu symptoms.
tiahura 3y ago
Other commenters seem to disagree, but you're right: if, instead of an entire aisle of useless junk, your local pharmacy just had generic extended-release pseudoephedrine, the world would be better off.

sbelskie 3y ago

I get the expense and tracking argument but not the stockpiling one. You can buy 3.6 grams in a day and 9 grams per month. Are there stricter state level laws or pharmacy policies that I’m unaware of? 9 grams is like 75 120mg 12-hour pills. How much pseudoephedrine are people using?

BenjiWiebe 3y ago
If you are purchasing for a family of 6 that all get colds within a short timeframe the limit can get annoying. Well actually it's the per-visit limit. You can only buy like two boxes at one time even though you can come back the next day and buy some more.

jmbwell 3y ago

Yeah, I don't quite get the outrage at this particular useless thing being on store shelves, among so many other useless things. The outrage should be that anyone who wants the safe and effective option is treated as a potential meth manufacturer.

justrealist 3y ago
The problem is that the names are very similar and most consumers are confused about which is which. Most consumers don't know to go to the pharmacy and ask, because there's something claiming to be effective on the shelf.
fluidcruft 3y ago
Basically, it's snake oil. These companies are taking people's money by selling drugs that do not work using false promises. The FDA is was established to combat this sort of scam, but somehow FDA seems to have allowed these companies to legally market this useless crap without actually confirming effectiveness. Sure, there were reasons to make it more difficult to obtain a certain type of drug. Fine. There are obviously economic effects of these regulations on the manufacturers. Somehow these companies found a loophole to fill the gap by making it easy to buy useless bullshit. This is massive egg on the FDA's face and I'm really curious how this happened and what's going to be done to prevent it happening again.

HideousKojima 3y ago

And as soon as the laws making it a pain to buy were passed, cartels in Mexico were almost immediately able to provide instead. The restrictions were passed into law in the US in 2006, and Mexico implemented similar restrictions in 2005. According to the DOJ themselves meth production dipped briefly but stabilized or even increased by 2008: https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs31/31379/meth.htm https://www.justice.gov/archive/ndic/pubs31/31379/meth.htm

ravenstine 3y ago

They're expensive? I've bought pseudo for years, and to this day a box is around 5 bucks. Maybe that would get expensive if one were to use them frequently, but they're not meant to be a replacement for allergy medication or whatever.

smileysteve 3y ago
This. Sudafed is ~$12, but most pharmacists will ask if you're fine with the generic, which is about half the cost. And that's for 2 sheets of 12 hour.
P_I_Staker 3y ago
No, I flat out don't believe this. Maybe you got a good source. I've never seen it for less than $10 for the small box.
- ravenstine 3y ago
  Probably depends on the locality, yeah. In the LA area, I never end up paying more than 4 or 5 bucks for a small box of immediate release pseudo. The name-brand boxes might be over $6, but I can't imagine paying $10.

User23 3y ago

To be fair deoxyephedrine and the other amphetamines also work really well as decongestants. Pseudoephedrine doesn't produce as pronounced a "high," but it definitely is noticeably psychoactive. It doesn't just clear up your congestion, it also makes you feel better and boosts your energy. It really is a fine drug for masking cold and flu symptoms.

tiahura 3y ago

Other commenters seem to disagree, but you're right: if, instead of an entire aisle of useless junk, your local pharmacy just had generic extended-release pseudoephedrine, the world would be better off.