So doctors giving cough syrup is a thing of the past? (sinus, infection)
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If you tell your doctor that the benzonotate (the Tessalon Perles) didn't work for you and ask specifically for cough syrup with codeine, they should be willing to prescribe it for you, although you might have to check with more than one pharmacy to fill it.
As for it being abused, no one is saying that someone is going to become addicted to drugs based on 3 days worth of cough syrup. But it is easy to use it recreationally and is frequently misused in this manner. If you don't have kids yourself or know any that are regularly in your home and might help themselves to it, then it's not a risk and shouldn't prevent you from getting the medication that works better for you. I had cough syrup with vicodin/hydrocodone in it not that long ago because I can't tolerate codeine but nothing else was working.
If you tell your doctor that the benzonotate (the Tessalon Perles) didn't work for you and ask specifically for cough syrup with codeine, they should be willing to prescribe it for you, although you might have to check with more than one pharmacy to fill it.
As for it being abused, no one is saying that someone is going to become addicted to drugs based on 3 days worth of cough syrup. But it is easy to use it recreationally and is frequently misused in this manner. If you don't have kids yourself or know any that are regularly in your home and might help themselves to it, then it's not a risk and shouldn't prevent you from getting the medication that works better for you. I had cough syrup with vicodin/hydrocodone in it not that long ago because I can't tolerate codeine but nothing else was working.
I called two days later and told the doctor that the pills were making me jittery and the perle pills did nothing. He said he'd write me another prescription for a different inhaler and to wait and give my body time to adjust to the prednisolone pills.
I feel like if I go to another doctor now and ask for cough syrup, THEN I'll look like a druggie. Forget it. I'm super aggravated and still sick. Next time I'll save myself the trip to the doctor and just ride out being sick and use over the counter stuff.
Maybe if I was younger I wouldn't know better. I'm mid 40s and I remember being sick and getting stuff that worked. You're not fooling me with asthma meds and steroids.
And to deny sick people medication because maybe someone else in the household might use the medication recreationally just seems, I don't know, wrong to me. SHouldn't doctors treat the patient? Not worry about who may or may not else use the medication? It's just me and my husband. And he'd never touch my meds or vice versa. We have no prior history to make a doctor think we'd abuse medication. Like I said, we barely use our health insurance!
OP, I echo your thoughts on this. It is mind boggling that freakin' cough syrup is an issue these days. We're the same way, barely use our insurance except for the annual physical. And we may get a bad cold/flu every few years. If I ever have a doc that won't prescribe cough syrup, I will be out the door looking for a new doc. For cryin' out loud, they can see your prescription history in your records, right?!
ETA: and Tessalon Perles didn't do a thing for us when we tried them years ago, either.
Well, given that fact that we have a nationwide opiod epidemic going on, I think it's not inappropriate for doctors to minimize opiate prescriptions as much as they can.
But if a patient says that the alternative medication didn't work for them, then yes, the doctor should treat that patient as an individual and not a statistic and prescribe what they need when there is nothing in that patient's records to indicate otherwise. I wouldn't just give in and not bother the next time, I'd be looking for a different primary care doctor.
Last fall I became ill and initially visited two urgent cares. The 1st gave me the cough pills. It did nothing. The 2nd place prescribed an inhaler. It also did nothing. I ended up finding a primary care doctor who prescribed antibiotics and codeine syrup. The codeine was to ease the cough so I could sleep. It depends where you go and who you see. I was hesitant to keep going to the Dr but I was also extremely sick and miserable.
Maybe if I was younger I wouldn't know better. I'm mid 40s and I remember being sick and getting stuff that worked. You're not fooling me with asthma meds and steroids.
The asthma meds and whatnot are to keep you breathing properly, not necessarily to make you super comfortable, unfortunately. Not to put too find a point on it, but the reason the old stuff "worked" is that it's an opioid. Of course it made you feel good. That's what opioids do, and why we currently have an epidemic of opioid addiction.
I see both sides - being sick is miserable and people want effective pain relief. OTOH, schedule II drugs seem like serious overkill for a scratchy throat.
I have a couple of bottles of prescription cough medicine around here somewhere. In all my 40 plus years from childhood to present day I never recall ever finishing one of those bottles. They sit in the medicine cabinet and collect dust. I think the last couple of times I was sick it has been an ear infection, sore throat, and congestion. I get ear drops, anti-biotic and Mucinex. I find the Mucinex really works well. I also use Ziacam for colds and allergies. Really great stuff. I much rather use that than ever have to take a codeine prescription based medicine again.
I have.. Not sure if I've broken a rib or have just pulled the muscles so badly it feels like a broken rib right now from coughing.
I went to the doctor 2 weeks ago.. tested for flu, tested for strep.. Negative on both. Got an antibiotic, which I believe was a waste, because it did next to nothing. It did help some.. But not alot. So, likely, I had adenovirus or similar.
But, I didn't get cough syrup.. Didn't ask for it.. Didn't feel the cough was that bad at the time, but.. It escalated.
The Tussionex really works for me.. The red stuff and the Pearls (or however you spell it) do nothing. The problem with the Tussionex is that it REALLY suppresses my breathing.. To the point that I've been sitting in a chair and wake up gasping because I basically stopped breathing. Plus, it being time release.. Good and bad.. Stuff lasts for like 12 hours.
My biggest thing.. When I do get sick.. Especially with nasal congestion.. I always have to get a Rhinocort prescription (though, this is OTC now) to 'cure' me off the nasal mists. I'll use those for 2 days and that's it.. If I DON'T use them I can't breathe through my nose for 5 days afterwards. It's like that old thing "I stopped smoking cigarettes by smoking cigars, stopped cigars with a pipe, went to crack to get off the pipe..."
I only had one experience when the pharmacy wouldn't fill my prescription and that was for some cough syrup when I was really, really sick. Middle of winter, freezing cold and I was sick in bed but they wouldn't let my husband pick up my prescription.
Now that is just not right! I don't care about any drug addict--I was sick and needed medicine to get well. Finally I called the pharmacy on the phone and maybe they could hear how sick I was but I begged them to please let my husband get my medicine because I was too sick to get dressed and go out at night in the freezing cold.
Finally they agreed. As long as he took my driver's license with him. I can see the other point of view, but this is really unfair to people who are sick or who are in pain. (As far as I am concerned, they can put the drug dealers away somewhere--they are not trying to get better. Sick people are trying to get better.)
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