A PSA regarding cold meds..... Beware.

[LynzM]

Do not, under any circumstances, take Tylenol Severe Cold /Head Congestion medicine before going to school. I totally handed in a *blank* math quiz yesterday, because I couldn't make sense of what I was supposed to do. Similar to being high, but no good or fun side effects. Humiliating.

I sat down tonight (:smoke:) and did the first problem on the quiz, from memory, and could, with not too much difficulty.

How fucked up is that, that a totally legal, OTC drug fucks me up way worse?

[qnr]

1. Oh. That sucks. I don't imagine there is anything you can do about it? nt

[LynzM]

4. Likely not...

I kept the work I did tonight on the problem I did, but couldn't remember the second one. I may bring it in to the prof on Tuesday before class, we'll see. I can't prove I did it without notes or anything, but the prof is a good dude. He also drops a quiz grade or two at the end, so... that'll be the one, lol.

[Drum]

2. Sorry to hear that!

:hug:

Maybe the Turbo-Tylenol just keeps you unaware of your illness for up-to-12-hours? Did it improve any of your symptoms?

Sounds really maddening...sorry about your quiz. :(

:) On the other hand, congratulations on regaining your memory! :smoke:

[LynzM]

5. Yeah, really. Sheesh.

It's a 2-every-4-hours dose, and I do wonder. I think it maybe just makes you forget you're sick! :rofl: I checked it against old-school DayQuil, and the only difference was the Tylenol's got phenylephrine instead of pseudoephedrine. They made the same change to DayQuil recently, which means I'll stop taking it and combine some Robitussin DM with old-school Sudafed (now kept behind the counter) to make my own DayQuil. *sigh*

[hedgehog]

3. Was it the night time medicine?

They aren't kidding a bit about that stuff maing you drowsy. Just having a severe cold is enough to make it hard for me to think. We all say "just" a cold, but they can make you pretty sick.

[LynzM]

6. Nope, not even...

It was a daytime, non-drowsy one. And it wasn't even that I was drowsy, just that it might as well have been written in Hebrew, I couldn't even read it, really. Just, fried my brain cells. Kinda scary.

I agree, though. "Just" a cold can sometimes make it hard to do anything, by itself!

[hedgehog]

9. I can testify that medications have different effects on

different people. Benydryl knocks me right out as does every "non-drowsy" antihistamine I've ever taken. My husband was given a very strong tranquilizer when he had a bad case of poison ivy. The pharmacist practically told him to be lying down before he took the dose lest he hit his head when he collapsed! It took care of the itching but otherwise didn't phase my husband a bit!

[LynzM]

19. Oh, absolutely

Things work differently in different bodies, for many reasons. Your body itself, the other meds you take, your caffeine/nicotine habits or lack of, etc., etc. There are meds that I can take that work well for me that do nothing for my husband, and vice versa!

[Chan790]

7. Go and talk to the teacher

really you should have done it today.

I once managed to get a complete retake on an art-history test which I failed because an epi-pen injection made me unable to concentrate or think after I got stung by a yellowjacket while studying for the test in the courtyard.

Teachers (and professors) know which kids in their classes know the stuff and they know which ones would pull that kind of crap just to avoid an F.

Good luck.

[LynzM]

8. Yeah, I will.

Part of the issue is that I hold a full-time job, normal office hours, an hour away from school. It's not easy to just pop onto campus and talk to him. I will probably email him tomorrow with a typed copy of the work I did tonight, from memory. Thanks for the kind words. :hug:

[Jamastiene]

10. I've had the same experience before too.

I would agree with your warning. Those medicines will make you foggy in the head to the point that you can't make yourself form a complete thought, much less complete a math quiz.

[LynzM]

12. Yup, it's pretty crazy

Or crazy at least, to me, that they're legal, while other things are not. *sigh* "Foggy" is a good description!

[ChoralScholar]

11. DayQuil does that to me.

It will get me to work, but I will be worthless. It is as if I don't really know what's going on around me.

I'll be teaching, and then not realize that I've just been standing there for like 30 seconds staring off into space.

"Mr. ChoralScholar, are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh yeah. Sorry. What class is this again?"

[LynzM]

13. Oh geez, that sucks, lol

I can't imagine trying to teach, feeling like that...

"Why don't you guys all.... sing something for me... " :rofl:

[speedoo]

14. So sorry, LynzM.

It was a long time ago, but I remember what it's like trying to get a degree while you have other big responsibilities.

I'm sure you were not thinking straight while under the influence of that stuff, but if this happens again, maybe you'll be able to remember to let your prof know as soon as you realize what's going on. Can't hurt!

Good luck!:hi:

[LynzM]

15. Thanks, dude....

I did let him know as I was leaving, what was going on, but I was also so frustrated that I was trying not to cry, which meant I basically told him and then booked out of there. I emailed him about it today. So, we'll see... thanks for the good wishes, though! :hi:

[speedoo]

16. I can totally understand your frustration...

but I think you've handled it perfectly!

(Verifies my opinion that you are a very smart lady.)

Best to Briarus and the little one. :hug:

[Drum]

17. These OTC med used to mess me up with the fogginess &tc

...decidedly not an option on my job. So I just use homeopathic stuff (like Boiron brand) along with lotsa fluids and VitC doses, and tissues. I feel myself get well more slowly, but am not compromised along the way. For biggie flu's, that how I attack it.

For everything else, I get miraculous temporary relief from one subset of OTC stuff:
Alka-Sletzer.
Not at all kidding! The reg. variety helped me many mornings after too little sleep and the wrong food etc. And the Alka-Seltzer-Plus varieties for colds work well on me when I need a few hours of head/sinus/ache clarity at a time. No extra nastiness, no scary long duration. They travel easily and only need a cup of water to get working. Lastly, the day and the night versions are very much that, day(=clear) vs night(=sleepy)

Hope it all works out well for ya!
:)

[LynzM]

18. Thanks for the advice!

I'll check out the Alka-Seltzer, for sure... and for now, I'll just stay away from the pre-mixed type of things, anything with phenylephrine, especially. Egads.

p.s. - saw the modeling pics and the pic of you with long hair... :wow:

[Drum]

20. Awwww,

:blush:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

21. Sorry about that.

But at least you got the better drug afterwards. :smoke:

[LynzM]

22. LOL

Good point... it's a fairly new thing for me, actually. I'm enjoying it. :)

[Starbucks Anarchist]

23. New?

Where the hell have you been? It's one of God's greatest gifts. :smoke:

[LynzM]

24. I know, I know...

I just cared too much for a long time about the legality, I guess.... I was a goody two shoes for a long, long time. I'm finally growing out of that! Only took me 26 years! :rofl:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

26. I'm 26 as well.

Been doing it since college. ;)

[LynzM]

28. I think it's a good thing that I didn't discover it earlier

I could see myself not doing so well in school, otherwise. I have a friend who's been working on convincing me for about 10 years now... she finally succeeded! LOL

[Taverner]

25. Pseudoephedrine

Basically a stimulant, but in the dose given in cold meds, you get confused as if you were on speed, but exhausted like you were on downers. Much like too much coffee...

[LynzM]

27. Yeah, some crazy stuff can happen from that

And amazingly, that messes me up waaaay less than phenylephrine, apparently. Maybe I'll just get myself a neti pot, some Vicks vapor rub, and some good tea, and stay the heck away from both of them...