O T C s - Vegan OTC Medications?
Posted by 7 on Oct 23, 2006 · Member since Oct 2006 · 471 posts
It's that time again! I don't know how the rest of you are getting along, but here in Montana, it's COLD!! So as for being prepared, while I usually don't medicate unless absolutely necessary, I do on occasion get some over-the-counters. I would like to be informed and ready before the storm hits. (I have seven children, one gets sick, within minutes we're changing local statistics) So, what do I need to know? What o-t-cs are vegan? Are there any herbals good for what gets you in the winter? Any recommendations? Any input here would be greatly appreciated, and thankyou.
When I was little my Mommy always made me honey lemon ginger tea when I was starting to get sick. Now I make ginger lemon stevia tea!You can use powdered, but fresh is best. I always estimate, try a teaspoon chopped ginger, simmered in one cup of water for 15 minutes, multiplying as necessary. Add sweetener to taste last with a small splash of lemon juice. Ginger is great for the immune system and also gets your circulation pumping, which is helpful in the minus 50degreesC weather I experienced most of my life (Saskatchewan). Garlic is always a good one for immunity as well. So thats off the top of my head, I'll put more later.
Unfortunately for a drug to get FDA approved it has to be tested on animals. Also most drugs are coated with gelatin made from dead animals. I don't take any meds except for the prescription ones I need to function from day to day. I know that's not something you can do with your children but if I can ever find a website with vegan alternatives I will post it here.
There are a lot of herbal medicines available that can be very good, if taken under guidance of a professional. Fortunately our local pharmacy has a "parapharmacist" who is trained in herbal medicine, so I know he knows what he's talking about and that the plant medicines they sell are clean, legit and accurately dosed.
Unfortunately, for things like cold prevention and allergies, you need to start building up the system *before* illness strikes. Like Vitamin C, herbals like echinacea are more of a preventative than a cure...you need to take them for at least 2 weeks for them to be effective.
Though I despise the taste, I used to love honey because it seems to kill everything. But as for ginger, I have long loved what it did to my former migraines, and associated it so well with that that I never would have thought to use it for anything else! We do good with C, but Elderberry is something I know nothing about, so I have something to look into. Echinacea, I thought, was one of those 'under no circumstances whatsoever, give this to children' or am I mistaking it for something else? I'd love to have a "parapharmacist" around, but I'm probably the only customer he'd get. I appreciate all of the input, and am feeling a little better about winter already. I would appreciate any more that anyone has to offer also. A very special thankyou to VegOrBust=Unfortunately for a drug to get FDA approved it has to be tested on animals. I think I knew that, but it was lost somewhere else in my mind, so I appreciate that you were willing to clarify the obvious for me. ;)
Does anyone have anything for tummy troubles?
We all use (including my 5 year old) B and T Cough and Bronchial Syrup (a division of Nature's Way. It's Homeopathic and I think vegan. It tastes bad but really works for us!
Speaking of OTC's, this is definitely a noteable thing to TELL EVERYONE! I got this in an email from a friend:
*** Subject: Phenylpropanolamine (PPA)***
I would like to thank those of you who expressed
condolences on the recent passing of my mother. She
suffered a hemorrhagic stroke while she was driving home
from my house on 7/30 and passed away on 8/3. My
mother's stroke and passing was an enormous shock to
my family because she did not
Have any symptoms or risk factors for a stroke. Just the
week before she had gone to her doctor for a check up
and received a clean bill of health. She
did, however, develop a cold while she was visiting me
and had taken Alka Seltzer Cold Plus for 3 days. Since
her passing, we have learned that Alka Seltzer is one of the
many cold medicines that contains Phenylpropanolamine (PPA)
which can cause
hemorrhagic stokes or cerebral bleeding even with the
first use. I am forwarding a list of other medications
that currently use PPA. These medicines are supposedly being
recalled but my mother just purchased this medication
less than two weeks ago. Pharmaceutical companies have
known about this danger for years, we >>>Unfortunately, did
not. >>>
I urge you to review the list of medicines with PPA and
avoid these Medications. All drugs containing
PHENYLPROPANOLAMINE are dangerous. You may want to try
ca lling the 800 number listed on most drug boxes and
inquire About a REFUND. Please read this CAREFULLY.
>>>Also, please pass this on to
Everyone you know. STOP TAKING anything containing this
ingredient. It has
been linked to increased hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in
brain) among women ages 18-49 in the three days after
starting use of
medication. Problems were not found in men, but the FDA
recommended that everyone (even >>>children) seek
alternative medicine. The following medications contain
Phenylpropanolamine:
>>>Acutrim Diet Gum Appetite Suppressant
>>>Acutrim Plus Dietary Supplements
>>>Acutrim Maximum Strength Appetite Control
>>>Alka-Seltzer Plus Children's Cold Medicine Effervescent
>>>Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold medicine (cherry or or ange)
>>>Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Original
>>>Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Cough Medicine Effervescent
>>>Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold & Flu Medicine
>>>Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold &
>>>Sinus Effervescent
>>>Alka Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine
>>>BC Allergy Sinus Cold Powder
>>>BC Sinus Cold Powder
>>>Comtrex Flu Therapy & Fever Relief
>>>Day & Night Contac 12-Hour Cold Capsules
>>>Contac 12 Hour Caplets
>>>Coricidin D Cold, Flu & Sinus
>>>Dexatrim Caffeine Free
>>>Dexatrim Extended Duration
>>>Dexatrim Gelcaps
>>>Dexatrim Vitamin C/Caffeine Free
>>>Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Chewable Tablets
>>>Dimetapp Cold & Cough Liqui-Gels
>>>Dimetapp DM Cold & Cough Elixir
>>>Dimetapp Elixir
>>>Dimetapp 4 Hour Liquid Gels
>>>Dimetapp 4 Hour Tablets
>>>Dimetapp 12 Hour Extentabs Tablets
>>>Naldecon DX Pediatric Drops
>>>Permathene Mega-16
>>>Robitussin CF
>>>Tavist-D 12 Hour Relief of Sinus & Nasal
>>>Congestion
>>>Triaminic DM
>>>Cough Relief
>>>Triaminic Expectorant Chest & Head
>>>Triaminic Syrup ! ! Cold & amp;am p; Allergy
>>>Triaminic Triaminicol Cold & Cough
I just found out and called the 800# on the container for
Triaminic and they informed me that they are voluntarily
recalling the following medicines
because of a certain ingredient that is causing strokes
and seizures in children:
>>>Orange 3D Cold & Allergy Cherry (Pink)
>>>3D Cold & Cough Berry
>>>3D Cough Relief Yellow 3D Expectorant
If you know of anyone else with small Children,
PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF!
I checked this out on truthorfiction.com. Everything is
true .
DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST so people are
Informed. They can then pass it along to their families.
To confirm these findings please take time to check the
following:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/
Oh yeah, that's huge! Even the FDA says its unsafe! :o
Yikes!
Also, please be careful about mixing your medications. In May I had to be taken to the hospital by an ambulance because I had a nasty flu (which was possibly pneumonia-- bloodwork said yes, X-rays said no) and could not breathe. As a really intermittent asthmatic, I only had OTC asthma inhalers handy. I had used an OTC asthma inhaler to try to open my breathing passages; I guess it conflicted with the OTC decongestant I was taking. Anyway, between the two and caffeine, I was heavily dosed with stimulants. When the paramedics had given me one breathing treatment in the ambulance, my blood oxygen was still only 68%. :o The ER doctor believed the oxygen deprivation might be a result of the stimulant conflict.
Take what you need, but seriously-- at the first sign that your sniffle is something nastier, get medical help. OTCs are nasty business. (But so are virii, so don't neglect them either!)
And this is why I avoid all meds that I can :) Kinda wish I didn't have to take the 3 scrips I have but bleh... I know what I'm like when I go without them :-/
If you know of anyone else with small Children,
PLEASE PASS THIS ON. THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF!
I checked this out on truthorfiction.com. Everything is
true .
DO PASS ALONG TO ALL ON YOUR MAILING LIST so people are
Informed. They can then pass it along to their families.
To confirm these findings please take time to check the
following:
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/infopage/ppa/
Wait! Before passing it on, please read what Snopes.com has to say about it - while this was true, it is apparently outdated now.
http://www.snopes.com/medical/drugs/ppa.asp
Just wanted people to take a look at that before potentially spamming all their friends! While it is certainly considerate to alert us of possible danger, Snopes.com is a great website if you're looking to check if a forwarded e-mail you got is fact or myth.