so how evil is medised, exactly?

[Spink]

just been to the pharmacy and overheard the pharmacist telling another mum off for wanting to buy medised (he doesn't stock it because he thinks it is awful). I asked what was so terrible about it and don't think I got an answer - just a bit of a rant. This was the first I'd heard about the badness of medised. Anyone know what Mr Pharmacist was on about?

oh my word that is quite full on isn't it? he thinks it is immoral, or physically harmful, or what? Are pharmacists ethically allowed to have opinions like this on the products they stock?

lots of parents use it purely to knock their kids out don't they? i can see the pharmacist having a problem if she was regularly going in to buy it and therefore obviously using it every night!

the impression I got was that he thought one of the ingredients was harmful - which surprised me. It is a small independent pharmacy and he underlined the fact that he feels so strongly about it that he chooses not to stock it...

We have it in the house - we use it when the kids are poorly but are fighting sleep (we only use it at night) very often it doesn't buy us a nights sleep it just seems to aid them getting off to sleep rather than stopping them from waking so am not sure how evil it can be.

some parents use it as a way to get non poorly children to sleep

it is a godsend when your child is sick with a heavy , heavy cold though...

yes. they are franny, i thought they did not have to dispense MAP if they were religiously opposed

I think he's probably ranting about the temptation for parents to use it just to get their kids to sleep, rather than because they are ill - which we have just done for 4 nights while on hoiday as ds1 just wouldn't sleep otherwise - but it's the first time we've ever bought medised. In fact, I think we should just have bought piriton, because the sleepiness comes from antihistamine, but medised also has calpol in which he didn't need.
Maybe he also meant, some kids apparently have a weird reaction to antihistamines and it can send them a bit hyper, rather than knocking them out.
Mind you, at least it isn't putridly pink like calpol is!

it doesn't exist in Belgium, and we manage without it perfectly fine.

I think it would be hugely tempting to misuse it, rather then dealing with a child's sleeping problems.

oh that is interesting lulu, I didn't know that

I think perhaps they should be obliged to disclose this in a sign on the door or something

it is a bit harsh to go in and get a lecture about the MAP or be refused the medicine you feel is right for your poorly child - I think we have a right to expect impartial health care from pharmacists and not moralising, personally

I tried to buy it at a small local pharmacy recently (read about it on here actually, thought it might be useful for 18 year old DD who occasionally can't sleep and gets very anxious about it.)

Mr Pharmacist said he would order some in for me. Returned next day to find young Miss Pharmacist who didn't want me to have it, even though it had come into stock. She was very nice - just adamant - offered me 15 other things she thought would be better/safer etc and kept on offering. I finally got uncomfortable and walked out with nothing, wondering 'how do all those Mumsnetters get hold of it so easily'

we use it too sometimes - we were told by our usual pharmacy that it can be really good for snotty noses getting in the way of sleep, as one of the ingredients acts as a decongestant..
I was just really surprised to hear a health prof be so dead against it, especially when it didn't sound like he was saying "it's ok just not for regular use for an un-sleeper"

Haven't looked at medised, but Boots' own brand equivelant has alcohol in it. Perhaps he objects to that if Medised contains alcohol too.

I used it when ds has a heavy cold - blocked nose, coughing etc. etc. Otherwise the poor little sausage would get little sleep and feel even worse. Never had a problem buying it.

People who use it purely to dope a healthy child are a. wrong and b. dangerous. It contains paracetamol. Fine for occasional use when required but not good as a regular crutch.

it has sodium in it, maybe that is why??

Just googled it - no alcohol in it, just paracetamol & a "2nd active ingredient is a mild antihistamine called ?diphenhydramine?, which helps clear blocked stuffy noses and eases nasal irritation associated with colds, helping restful sleep."

We use medised infrequently, just because if dd has a heavy cold it is the ONLY thing that will help her get off to sleep easier, without her sounding like she is choking on her own snot.
Doctors can also refuse to see patients about certain things like contraception, we have a notice up in our local practice that two GPs in the practice will not see patients about contraceptive issues on moral grounds.

oh and SIX E-numbers

yes ranting I think that is fair enough

but you need a CLEAR notice

you don't want to get in to the doctor's office and get a lecture because you have been wicked enough to ask

Can't get excited about the E numbers, I'm afraid, I'm not feeding it to her for tea!

I was wondering just the other day if the new Calpol night is just the same as medised? Like a few other posters, we use it when DS2 is full of cold and constantly waking himself up with a bunged up nose. It's rare we use it and to be honest I always feel that they are able to get themselves better quicker with a decent night's sleep.

Oh yes, I see what you are getting at F&Z, bit slow this afternoon

FandZ - I know, I really felt for the other mum - she looked like she wanted the ground to swallow her up.. then when he couldn't give me a clear reason why he didn't like it, my hackles really rose.
Fair enough that pharmacists might have worries about people misusing meds, but surely there are plenty of people who use it as indicated and in the appropriate circumstances?? If someone is intent on sedating their dc they will find something other than medised.. spoonful of gin, anyone?

It works well for my DS2 when he has bad cold and is really snotty so struggles to get to sleep. DS1 gets quite hyper with it...which is why I comment on the E-numbers as I think they were probably responsible.

Any parent giving OTC medicine to sedate their well child is wrong IMO...unless very short term. As the effect starts to wear off it is tempting to up the dose a bit then a bit more until the point where the child can run into serious problems.

Hairycaterpillar all food additives have e numbers. so the mere presence of them doesn't make something bad. It depends which numbers are there surely.

My dd gets hyper on medised, have only given it to her once when she had a cold and was bouncing off the walls, calpol doesn't do this to her. Maybe the preservatives or something.