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

Its like cold sore cream zorvirex ( think that's what it's called) branded its over £5 for a tiny tiny tube pound land do the exact same thing same size tube and content and everything for a quid.

I used to take paracetamol as a child. My mum told me it would get rid of my headache, but it didn't. I believed her implicitly so was very disappointed when it had no affect whatsoever. All these years later, it still doesn't work at all. (I wasn't aware of the placebo effect then. I am now. Still zip.)

I get headaches which last for DAYS. The only thing that ever worked on getting rid of them was Nurofen Plus when it first appeared. Over the years though its efficacy seems to have dropped and I know now that when a headache appears it's with me for a long while, regardless of taking NP. I stopped taking it when I was pregnant and BF and hoped that when I resumed it would be back to its powerful beginnings.

It wasn't.

All you people who can take analgesics in the expectation that they will work - you are very very lucky.

heyannie YY, it's the 2004-ish golden days of Feminax I remember (was recommended it by a friend, had previously scorned as pink-packaged, over-priced paracetamol, then discovered the magic).

I'd be eternally grateful to anyone who could recommend an alternative - since discontinued I've had many days of suffering, including time off work. Why on earth did they discontinue?

now frantically googling hyoscine

polgara ibuprofen lysine is the new version, Feminax Express - can be bought off brand as mentioned by montybojangles above. Unfortunately does little for me.

Hysocine is in Buscopan, its used as an anti spasmodic, so would probably explain its effect in reducing period cramps along with paracetamol.

Migralieve (migraine relief) is a huge con at 8 quid or more. It is the same as ordinary co-codemol which you can get for a pound.

I know the previous formulation of feminax was renowned as a legal high in some circles. No idea why, I just know I had to hide mine when I lived in shared houses.

I do buy children's nurofen because for some reason the generic ones make two of my dds sick straight after, and they taste foul.

I've tried two chemist own brand with the same effect so far. There must be something in the flavouring to have that effect.

I buy generic paracetamol for kids though. That's seems ok.

Dd1 is old enough to take tablet form paracetamol now but had to wait another year before ibroprofen

This is bizarre, but i've found that only co-op extra strength paracetamol works on my headaches.

Even co codemol wouldnt work on my horrid headaches.

Seems mad!

Agnes, that depends on the version of migralieve. Some contains an anti-emetic as well as pain relief.

It is amazing how some people think the branded forms are better in some way. I work in the NHS and you would not believe the resistance we have from some patients when we try to use generic medicines instead of branded.

Haven't read whole thread so apologies if this has been said already but Anadin is paracetamol, aspirin and caffeine and I find it works better than plain paracetamol.
I only buy children's Nurofen and Calpol and perhaps that's a waste of money...

Yamayoid You could buy generic paracetamol and generic aspirin then take the with a cup of strong coffee for far less.

My DD suffered terrible headaches when revising for her finals and found Syndol was the only thing that helped. When it was unavailable I discovered I could buy one ingredient via Amazon from the US and she could take that with Co-Codamol for the same effect for much cheaper

Actually - while the ACTIVE ingredient in cheaper brands of medications are the same, the OTHER ingredients can be slightly different, or different quantities.

I find that as I have allergies, I have to be very careful which brands I stick to.

For example - I can't use any type if soluble medications, as I am allergic to the binder that dissolves. That goes for OTC supermarket brand soluble paracetamol just as much as it does nurofen meltlets...

So there ARE subtle differences that most people don't notice, but will work slightly differently.

I have an intolerance to magnesium stearate, for example - and slight differences in the quantity of this in medications can mean the difference between me having a reaction or not having a reaction. Try finding ANY pills without magnesium stearate in as a filler, and then try looking at the differing amounts in 'proper' branded nurofen and then a supermarket own brand.

In that case, at least in Tesco, the supermarket ones actually have slightly LESS magnesium stearate in.

It's not as clear cut as you think, for some people, OP!

As an aside, some OTC sleep aid medicines have doxylamine succinate in (the missing thing from syndol, which has 450mg paracetamol, 10mg codeine phosphate, doxylamine succinate and caffeine in).

So just buy an OTC sleep aid with doxylamine succinate in.

Been working my way around making generic forms of branded painkillers for years for cost reasons

No, not addicted to painkillers, have disabilities that CAUSE lots of pain!

Buscopan, kwells and joy-rides contain hysocine, the 'missing' ingredient from old style feminax.

So IBS anti-spasmodic medicines and also travel sickness medicines.

Not quite the same thing but i was also told, as well as about generic painkillers, that cough medicine is a massive con. It doesn't actually do anything to help the cough it's another placebo effect. I stopped buying it after that and just make honey and lemon drinks and alternate taking painkillers that can work alongside each other.

Cough syrups make me cough more because of the sugar in them. My mum gets Pavacol D on prescription (diabetic) and always gives me a bottle - I don't know if there is a generic version.

DD can't stand strawberry flavoured medicine of any kind - all those years wasting money on Nurofen etc before I discovered Lloyds own brand orange paracetamol and ibruprofen.

I became very suspicious when, and only in the last 20 years or so, cough medicine (pretty suddenly) decided to market different formulations or different 'types' of cough. I've never checked ingredient lists, but I suspect the differences are slight. And that the whole approach is designed to get you to buy two or three bottles per season, not just one.

(I get just one inexpensive bottle; one that still just calls itself cough medicine and isn't part of a range).

Yes, unbranded here - right down to a hot squash and 2 paracetamol for Lemsip and own brand version of Calpol - HOWEVER I have always made an exception for Anadin Extra as the only thing to touch period pain. Can't BELIEVE it's never occurred to me to have a cup of tea, asprin and paracetamol!! Thanks all who mentioned it

I use nurofen melts because I can't take tablets without water so it's handy to have in my handbag. Other than that I just go for the cheapest version available though.

Which generic ibuprofen comes in the small round sugar pills, anyone know?

Afaik, the only cough suppressant that works is pholocodiene. It's basically codeine in syrup form.

You mustn't use it for a cough where you are bringing up mucus though or it can't get off your chest and it may cause a chest infection. But for dry coughs its fantastic.

When I was at university our lecturers used to tell us there was no scientific evidence that cough syrups worked, they worked because placebos work.

Someone upthread mentioned Paramol. I buy generics every time, but have yet to find a generic Paramol. It contains dihydrocodeine, and is fab for migraines.

If a generic is available I'd love to know.