With cold and flu season in full swing, a pharmacist has revealed which medications to avoid.
Dr Grant Harting, a licensed pharmacist and founder of CrushCost, puts Theraflu at the top of his list.
Dr Harting explains that while the severe cold relief and chest congestion syrup, which is priced at $11.99, has ‘flu’ in the name, it ‘unfortunately isn’t really helpful.’
Looking at the list of active ingredients on the back of the bottle, he points out that concoction contains a simple mix of the mild painkiller acetaminophen, guaifenesin which is used to treat chest congestion and ‘does absolutely nothing’, and dextromethorphan, which is a cough suppressant.
‘Now, how is that meant to help a cold?’ he quips as he returns the bottle of Theraflu to its shelf in a TikTok video.
Next up, Dr Harting picks up a packet of Vicks NyQuil severe cold and flu liquid capsules, which is priced at $16.99 for a pack of 24.
He says that the cold remedy, which is also ‘everyone’s favorite’, has ‘great packaging’ but the ingredients will not do much in the way of curing your illness.
Dr Grant Harting, a licensed pharmacist and founder of CrushCost, enters a Walgreen to show which popular over-the-counter medications are a ‘waste of money’
Like Theraflu, the NyQuil capsules contain a combination of acetaminophen and dextromethorphan, with the added ingredients being doxylamine – an antihistamine – and phenylephrine, which Dr Harting says does ‘literally nothing’ as a decongestant.
As he pans his camera across the shelves to show the different NyQuil options available, Dr Harting exclaims: ‘And look how many different variations there are, oh my goodness!’
He continues, as he scans row after row of product: ‘I mean this is almost comical. It’s like I’m looking at a dystopian pharmacist’s nightmare… Just kidding, this is real life.’
Singling out some other products, Dr Harting deems Mucinex ‘also junk’, while Delsym is ‘not much better’.
He pointed to a recent study testing it in teens and adults with respiratory infections like bronchitis.
The research found no difference in cough relief compared to a placebo.
The medic – who has more than 600,000 followers on TikTok – says that all of the aforementioned cold and flu medications are ‘just weird combinations of like the same couple of things.’
Meanwhile Delsym, which is a liquid medication costing from $15 to $28, contains dextromethorphan to alleviate coughing.
Before finishing his tirade, Dr Harting brands Boiron Oscillococcinum – priced at 17.99 for six doses – ‘the worst’ cold remedy out there.
First on his ‘chopping block’ is a Theraflu severe cold relief and chest congestion syrup, which is priced at $11.99
Before finishing his tirade, Dr Harting brands Boiron Oscillococcinum – priced at 17.99 for six doses – ‘the worst’ cold remedy out there
The homeopathic flu medicine was invented by the French physician Joseph Roy in the early 1900s and it is made from the heart and liver of wild duck.
Today, sales in the US are worth more than $20 million a year.
But Mr Harting remains unconvinced by the natural remedy, telling viewers: ‘This is literally nothing. I bought it and I’m going to try it this flu season and prove to everyone that it doesn’t do anything.’
To finish, Sudafed ‘PE’ is also thrown into the ‘junk’ pile.
In his video, Mr Hartings picks up a $21.99 pack designed to fight cold head congestion and mucas.
The medical experts highlights that ‘Sudafed PE is different to Sudafed’.
While he says Sudafed containing the decongestant pseudoephedrine is ‘good,’ Sudafed PE made with the antihistamine phenylephrine is ineffective.
Backing up Mr Harting’s around phenylephrine, the FDA recently announced that it wants to pull common cold and flu medications from drugstore shelves after studies found phenylephrine – the main ingredient – was useless in relieving symptoms when taken orally.
The agency proposed discontinuing the use of phenylephrine – present in common medications like Vicks Sinex, certain types of Sudafed and Benadryl – in nonprescription products because it ‘is not effective’.
The FDA began reviewing the use of phenylephrine in March 2023 and concluded it was no more effective than a placebo when taken orally in a pill.
When metabolized in the gut, phenylephrine can’t reach the bloodstream in sufficient levels, rendering it useless in providing relief.
This is only a ‘proposed order’ and will not have an immediate impact on the medications.
Backing up Mr Harting’s around phenylephrine, the FDA recently announced that it wants to pull common cold and flu medications from drugstore shelves after studies found phenylephrine – the main ingredient – was useless in relieving symptoms
Only a ‘final order’ will affect the products sold, which could have a major impact on the $1.8billion in sales generated by these drugs.
The FDA added: ‘The proposed order is based on effectiveness concerns, not on safety concerns.’
Instead of popular cold and flu remedies, Dr Harting recommends ‘pure, uncut zinc oxide’ at the end of his video.
Some studies have suggested that zinc supplements can reduce the severity and duration of common cold symptoms.
However, the Mayo Clinic notes that zinc has not worked in all studies.
It concludes: ‘Researchers can’t say why zinc works in some studies and not others. There are still questions about which type of zinc works best. Research also doesn’t show what amount of zinc is the best.
‘The limit of zinc for adults is less than 40 mg a day unless their health care providers say otherwise.
‘The safest option is to talk to your provider before using zinc when you have a cold.’
