to wonder who buys actual Neurofen or Anadin and why?

[TaggieCampbellBlack]

When the brand stuff costs £££££ but the same stuff in a non-name or value box costs 16p?

Why would you? I don't gettit

I buy calpol for me because tablets make me retch at the best of times and I ended up hospitalised once because I threw up a paracetamol given to me by a paramedic - don't want to risk that again!

Why would you care what other people spend their money on?

Presumably you go for own brand/value for everything you buy?

Bizarre thing to worry about IMO.

Dh buys anadin extra, he says it's the only thing that gets rid of his headaches. We used to do the buying generics and making our own anadin but i started to worry about mistakes being made so went back to branded anadin.

Bog standard paracetamol and ibuprofen we get the 16p packs and the kids are bought the supermarket own brand calpol.

I don't use enough of any drugs to bother overly about the price, tbh. I just pick up whatever is closest to grab usually. And they tend to hide the unbranded stuff a bit. If I have an awful headache or period pains I will just grab whatever is nearest and a bottle of water so I can get some relief asap.

I always buy generic apart from Syndol, which doesn't appear to be around anymore. That is the only painkiller that touches tension headaches in my neck. Is there an alternative?

The doctor was going to prescribe something once DD was born, which was 14 months ago, but I don't fancy prescription strength so haven't been back.

I'm a nurse, always buy generic/unbranded. Anadin extra are the biggest swizz IMHO, a part dose of aspirin, a part dose of paracetamol, bit of caffeine. When you would get much better pain relief from a full dose of paracetamol, plus a full dose of aspirin and a cup of tea. For about a tenth of the price.

Oops, forgot the combined nurofen/paracetamol tablets. About 7 quid for something containing only paracetamol and ibuprofen, when you could get a full pack of each drug for a quid total.

No extra placebo effect for me. And Bad Science is a good read. There's another book by someone else all about the placebo effect that makes very interesting reading too and goes a long way to explain people's perceived effects from homeopathy. I like to eat sugar too, but I like mine as percy pigs rather than sham pills.

Bad Science is a great book, especially the chapter on Gillian McKeith!

I do if I need it and can't get to a supermarket. the cornershop only has branded stuff.
but otherwise I buy own brand for me and dh and branded for dc as they would actually take it due to the taste + it is often available in more practical packaging (sachets for example).

There's really no need for all the insults is there? What a ridiculous thing to be so rude about.

I buy nurofen caplets because I struggle to take meds & they go down the easiest. I don't take them very often, so the price difference really doesn't matter.

Satisfied?

I buy Anadin Extra. It works for me where paracetamol doesn't. I can't take Ibuprofen or codene (sp?), as both have side effects for me.

The difference in preparation does make a difference for me. I was sceptical until someone gave me a Nurofen and it worked like magic. Also, Feminax is the only thing that enables me to get on with things other than curling up in a ball and whimpering for the first half of my period - the generics, that I use for everything else, don't touch the sides. If I knew of a cheap generic that worked in exactly the same way, I'd buy it without hesitation.

ibuprofen and paracetamol work differently.
ibu is an anti-inflammatory, which also relieves pain and has an effect on fever. it is a bit hard on the stomach, though so you have to be careful when taking on empty stomach and/or longer term. if overdoses it can damage kidneys

paracetamol relieves pain and fever. it's not so hard on the stomach. it is very poisonous, though. just a little overdose can damage your liver.

Dh prefers neurofen, especially the double strength and express versions when he has toothache. It apparently works faster.

I don't really care but do buy them for convenience sometimes.

nocake, IIRC one of the freakiest aspects of the placebo effect is that it works even if you are perfectly well aware of it.

I buy Nurofen for Children because it comes with a handy syringe and I've always lost the old syringe (and our local chmist doesn't seem to sell the syringes in isolation), and I buy Nurofen Cold and Flu because I find whatever-its-mix-is of analgesics and decongestants the best (I am aware I could probably assemble the same combination out of generics, but if I have a streaming cold and my sinuses are about to explode then I want the convenience of a pre-measured combined dose). Other than that I buy generics.

The placebo effect of the posh stuff can work even if you know it's the same thing - even very sceptical people can get improved pain relief from the expensive stuff in a shiny box. Mind you, the cheap generic can be just as good if doled out by an actual hospital nurse in a proper uniform.

Im a nurse, I know they are the same thing in different boxes and with different prices.
Some times I buy value brand, sometimes normal ones. I have never thought about it, and find the fact that some people wonder about this....odd.

Sorry, it's people like dh who will not have it that it's all the fucking same.

I buy morrisons paracetamol, 16 for 15p.

We've been having the same argument for 8 years. I haven't given up yet.

I always but unbranded- if I have a really bad headache I just take one paracetamol and one ibuprofen, or even better, co codamol soluble.

I used to pay £4.99 for 7 'one a day' antihistamine tablets

active ingredient, cetirizine..

also available in Wilkinsons, but 79p for 14 tablets!!

If I've got a cold, I wouldn't buy anything other than Lemsip Max Strength. I know it works and if I'm feeling bad enough to buy it, I wouldn't dare risk buying something cheaper in case it was rubbish or tasted (even more) minging.

The 'double strength' Nurofen sounds like it might be stronger and so better at killing pain, but of course its identical to taking two 200mg ibuprofen (which is what you'd take anyway). Unbranded all the way here too.

The easiest thing to do is check the medicine licence number (it's on the box)

If it's the same number, it has to have the same formulation.

Faster acting and 'targeted' painkillers are a swizz, there is no way a tablet can target just one spot.

There was a BBC show about it not too long back.

I don't buy lemsip. I buy soluble paracetamol and use warm ribena/blackcurrant juice.

Basic paracetamol takes 10 minutes to start working. It's not that long really.

CatuptheDuff Totally agree re Feminax. I'm equally puzzled by the scale of the price difference between brand/own-brand painkillers, but old Feminax was the only thing I've ever had that could touch my awful period pain. Other paracetamol - codeine mixes just don't have the same blessed effect.

Have been hunting for a replacement (Feminax Express is just ibuprofen and Ultra makes me feel sick), but from this thread I realise I might have been enjoying placebo effect despite my skepticism .