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Easy-to-take forms of common medications are becoming the modern spoonful of sugar
Posted on 12/29/2008
By Jan Jarvis McClatchy Tribune Forget about gagging on pills that seem as big as footballs or swallowing liquids that smell like cod liver oil. Today, everything from cough medicine to multiple vitamins has been turned into pellets that melt, powders that dissolve and gum balls that can be gobbled up like candy. In most cases, the drugs are not new, but the way they are delivered often is. Over the past 40 years, inventors have been coming up with improved ways to deliver medicine, from time-released pills and skin patches to sprays and strips, said William Soller, executive director of the Center for Consumer Self Care at the University of California at San Francisco. Often the new products that hit the market are just updates on old ones. The straws that deliver a dose of probiotics today are much like the chocolate straws of the 1950s that made milk more appetizing, Soller said. Still, there is a good reason to make medications more appealing, as any parent who has tried to get a spoonful of pink syrup down a moving target knows. Children are more willing to take cough medicine if it is cherry-flavored and melts in their mouth. The only problem: The medicine might taste a little too good to children, said Dan Hooper, chief pharmacist at the University of North Texas Health Science Center. "If kids like it, parents need to take special caution to keep it out of the reach of their children because they won't know that it is not candy," Hooper said. While many of the easy-to-take medications are marketed for children, they're not the only ones using powders, pops and chews. An estimated 40 percent of adults have trouble swallowing capsules. As a result, a growing number of companies are making medications and vitamins that are easy for adults to take. The makers of Viactiv calcium soft chews were onto something when they came up with a product designed especially for women that was a whole lot easier to take than big capsules. Powders that can be mixed with warm water have made cold medications almost as soothing as a cup of chamomile tea. And those little medicine-coated strips have changed the way many adults and children treat a nagging cough. On the downside, consumers are paying for convenience, and most of the products do cost more per dose than conventional pills and liquids, Hooper said. On the plus side, the products work as effectively as conventional methods. Speaking from experience, Hooper said that when a cold strikes, drinking a mug filled with warm medicine just feels soothing. Popular pill alternatives Airborne Power Pixies What it does: Airborne products are advertised to boost the immune system and help it fight germs. What's new: The cherry-flavored powder quickly dissolves on the tongue, making it far more enticing to take than a liquid or tablet. Key ingredients: Vitamins A, C, E, magnesium, zinc, selenium, manganese, herbal extract blend and amino acids blend Cost: About $8, at Walgreens Airborne Soft Chews What it does: Airborne products are advertised to boost the immune system. What's new: Caramel-apple flavored chews are the latest alternative to tablets or water-dissolving ingredients. Key ingredients: Vitamins A, C and E; magnesium; zinc; selenium; manganese; sodium; herbal extract blend; and amino acids blend Cost: About $7.50, at Walgreens Glowelle sticks What it does: Protects and hydrates the inner and outer layers of the skin. What's new: Unlike beauty products that go on the skin, Glowelle goes inside the body via a powder or liquid. Glowelle comes in a seven-day powder pack kit and in a ready-to-drink glass bottle. Key ingredients: Proprietary blend of antioxidants from vitamins, phlyo-nutrients and botanical extracts. Cost: About $40 for a kit of Glowelle sticks, at Neiman Marcus Commit cappuccino-flavored stop-smoking lozenge What it does: Reduces withdrawal symptoms, including nicotine craving What's new: The trendy cappuccino flavor Key ingredients: Nicotine polacrilex, sodium, Xanthan gum and inactive ingredients Cost: About $35, at Target Children's Benadryl Perfect Measure What it does: Relieves sneezing; runny nose; itchy, watery eyes; and sore throat What's new: The pre-filled single-use spoon makes it easy to dispense on the run. Key ingredients: Diphenhydramine HCl Cost: About $5, widely available Viactiv Multi-Vitamin What it does: Delivers 12 vitamins and calcium What's new: The folks that made calcium easy to swallow have done the same thing for multivitamins. Like the calcium product, the soft chocolate chew is designed for women. Key ingredients: Vitamins C, E, B6, B12, A and D, plus calcium Cost: About $7, widely available
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The number of infant deaths attributed to cold and cough medicines is dramatically underreported. New research published in the Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics demonstrated that there were at least “10 unexpected infant deaths that were associated with cold-medication” in 2006 alone in the state of Arizona. Extrapolated over the US and Canadian population, that would be over 500 deaths a year associated with cold-medication! (http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/122/2/e318)
The FDA recently said that they do not want to pull the medications for children under 6 because they are afraid that parents will give children adult doses because “parents would have no other alternatives.” The truth is that the American Academy of Pediatrics has said that buckwheat honey is a safe alternative.
Parents now have a safe, effective, yet natural choice for their children. Recent research from Penn State showed 100% pure Buckwheat Honey out performed children’s cough and cold medicine for children’s nighttime cough.
Buckwheat Honey is considered safe for children 1 and older, so it is the perfect choice for conscientious parents and doctors. Currently, “Honey Don’t Cough” is the only company packaging 100% pure Buckwheat Honey in ready-to-use packets for children. A growing number of pharmacies are providing “Honey don’t Cough,” it is available on Amazon.com. To learn more you can visit Check out http://www.honeydontcough.com/
-Daddydoctor
Posted by: daddydoctor | Jan 01, 2009
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These soft chews were great because all these supplements that help keep colds away were instantly introduced into my system the moment I needed them. I didn't have to waste a couple minutes finding a glass and pouring water and then waiting another minute for that tablet to dissolve.
Perhaps 3 minutes doesn't seem like much, but try several hours if I was away from home or just too busy working to pause to pour that glass of water, and then it was too late, I had a cold. With this, I'd pop it in my mouth every time I felt that sore throat coming on and I never got that winter cold I always get.
Even when directly exposed to my friend's cold, by chewing an airborne every 4 hours 3x a day as directed the cold felt like a minor allergy, which it might just have been all along because my friend was fine a couple days later with no symptoms, he also liked the taste of the airborne chewable I gave him.
I really hope they or another company introduces a chewable product with the natural ingredients of Airborne that I can actually take at the first sign of having a cold. Just by instantly popping something in my mouth a second after sneezing or coughing and having that much more of a greater chance of not getting sick, I don't get sick.
Posted by: Bop | Apr 23, 2009
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