 |
Dioralyte Sachets
by Aliasfan
INTRODUCTION
My first encounter with Dioralyte was in Hong Kong in summer 1994. I was travelling in my gap year, and spent three weeks volunteering to train youngsters in English. My first week was spent in a training centre and on the second day I must have eaten some bad bean sprouts because I. Was. Sick.
Really ... sick.
The next morning I stumbled out of my cabin and met up with the other Brits who were in a neighbouring hut. One of them, an older gentleman who'd travelled for decades, took pity on me and gave me some sachets of Dioralyte from his own medical kit. At this point I was willing to try anything as I was jetlagged, homesick and feeling desperately unwell.
I made up the sachet according to the instructions on the pack and sipped the resulting concoction very, very slowly. By some miracle it stayed down, and within an hour I was able to start getting some more liquids down. Within a day or so I was able to participate in activites again, and went on to have a fantastic time for the rest of my trip.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
Dioralyte is a product designed to help replenish salts and essential electrolytes lost during bouts of acute vomiting and/or diarrhoea. What I didn't know until I encountered this product is that when you are suffering from this sort of illness you need to replace more than just water.
Dioralyte comes in a variety of flavours, the most commonly available (and palatable) being the blackcurrent. It's normally sold in boxes of 6 sachets for around £3.50. Cheaper own-brand versions are available and are just as effective, but they don't taste as nice and when I'm really ill I want to take the most pleasant product available.
The back of the Dioralyte box contains comprehensive instructions on dosage, use and precautions, and even some simple graphics for when you're so ill you can barely think straight. Inside are six single-dose sachets and a clear, detailed information leaflet.
USER EXPERIENCE
I'm unlucky enough to be one of those people who catches a vomiting bug with annoying regularity so I always make sure I have sachets of in-date Dioralyte in the house.
Each sachet is easily torn open to reveal the product which is a white, granular powder. I think it has a chemically smell, but considering it's packed full of all the salts your body is crying out for when you're suffering acute illness, I don't care! It dissolves easily in water with minimal stirring.
When you are suffering acute illness it can be very hard to keep fluids down, and so it is recommended that you sip Dioralyte slowly to minimise the risk of triggering more vomiting. This is where having a palatable product is essential for me and the reason why I choose to buy the branded product rather than a cheaper, generic alternative. If I need to sip something slowly I want the taste to be something I can (literally!) stomach.
Once made up with water I don't notice the chemically smell of Dioralyte Blackcurrent which makes it easier to face drinking. It tastes very salty (due to the essential ingredients it contains). The blackcurrent flavour masks it sufficiently for me to be able to sip the made-up liquid with no problems.
CONCLUSION
Ever since my experience in Hong Kong all those years ago I have learned to take rehydration very seriously when I am ill. Dioralyte is an excellent product that helps me start that process quickly and is now the first thing I attempt to drink after an acute bout of illness. Once I have managed to consume a Dioralyte drink I am usually able to start drinking plain water, so this product is an essential first-step in recovery for me.
Read the complete review |
 |
Nicorette Inhalater
by xxfoxyredxx
When I decided to quit smoking I knew I was going to have a big problem trying to do so. Not because I didn't want to quit but because I have very little will power. I have smoked since I was 18 (Late starter I know!) right through till now I'm 38. I have tried and failed to quit before due to the lack of willpower I suffer with however ... when I gave up for 6 months before I did it with the help of this type of inhaler and patches. This time I'm doing the same, I use a mix of both and I'm giving up with the help of a local chemist so I get the stuff free as I'm within a quit programme thankfully or this could work out more expensive than actually smoking!
Lets be clear from the onset though! I don't believe any nicotene replacement will alone help you quit if you don't want to, I mean really, really want to. I actually got my patches (a low dose) and an inhaler after thinking about quitting and giving myself a date to quit by, this happened both times I have really wanted to quit and I do see 6 months as a decent first time quit however it wasn't down to the nicotene replacement failing me as to why I started again but drinking, smoking so used to go with that! Lol.
Smoking is anti-social. It stinks. It makes my beautiful home stink. Its expensive. It makes your fingers and teeth yellow and a big reason for me wanting to quit was that I suffer with M.E and am prone to dropping off and own a gorgeous kitten and 2 lovely hamsters....its not fair putting them in danger with my bad habit and I did once drop off holding a lit fag that shocked the hell out of me. Quite simply though I grew sick of smoking and the time it took to do, away from my family and friends who don't smoke. Simply it was just time for me to stop and stop I have, I've eliminated the stress from my life and have only positive energy around me so I made sure I had no excuse to fail this time....even when I shoved a knife right through my finger I'm happy to say I wasn't tempted! Maybe I do have will power after all lol.
The Packaging:
Well the box these come in is white, purple and green and on the front of it we are clearly told what it is and who it is by, that my cartridges contain 15mg of nicotene in each and that I have 36 cartridges and that they are to 'Replace hand to mouth action of a cigarette and to relieve cravings' then on the back of the box other information listed includes telling us a fair bit about the product, directions for use are given, warnings are listed, we are clearly told what we should find in the box, storage advice is given and contact details for the manufacturer are also clearly given. Inside the box I have 36 of the cartridges within see through and foil backed strips in 6's so handy to pop in a bag or whatever so I never run out, I got one plastic pen like holder (the inhaler) in a see through wrapper that is easy to tear off it and a pamphlet giving yet more information about the product. The packaging is highly informative and well laid out and the directions for using it are ever so simple!
Using IT:
Well this is meant to be used to help combat cravings so you can use it to help quit or simply to cut down on how many you usually smoke, even use it instead of having a cigarette in places you can't smoke in (which seems to be everywhere lol).
The inhaler is white, plastic and slightly shiny in its appearance. It splits into two halves and all you do is simply grab a cylinder shaped cartridge which is see through and with foil to each end of it and shove it in and simply twist it gently back together. It really is easy, the inhaler is about the length of a standard cigarette and one end is thinner than the other and you just suck through that. No smoke is emitted, there is no smell from it and its legal to suck it anywhere! You remove the cartridge when you can no longer get any nicotene from it and it is simply and easily is removed and you throw it in a bin and pop another in!
The directions given on my pack says no more than 6 cartridges should be used per day, I use a lowish dose of patch and what I do is simply use this when I really miss a fag I have a few puffs of it, particularly at night when I'm alone and I really miss it...... its more the action of doing I miss to be honest cos I really don't miss smoking one bit!
Conclusion:
These are fantastic. They aren't hard to suck on and get some of the pure nicotene out of, it tastes a bit harsh at the back of my throat but I really only need a couple of 'blasts' on it to stop my craving as it is an instant fix and very fast working. The only thing I worry about it giving up the inhaler cos that will be hard cos I'll miss the action of smoking but fact is I feel healthier, not so tired, I'm told I smell wonderful and my pets are safe so I'm a very happy bunny as a newish none smoker!
A pack of four of these cartridges costs about £6.49 the box and the ones I got given to me are about £21.99 (Superdrug prices though widely available of course) so they are not cheap so if you can find a scheme like I did you will get free help as encouragement to quit!
I really do rate these very highly indeed..... well they work for me and I don't miss the fags either. I'm richer than I believed possible now I'm not buying fags and I'm no longer a slave to the deadly weed! Its a good feeling!
This review is also posted on Ciao under this same username.
Read the complete review |
 |
Lloydspharmacy Aqueous Cream BP
by CosmicLove
~ Why I Bought It ~
I didn't - this was actually given to me by my Mum, who'd spotted it in the chemists & picked it up as she said it was quite cheap. I was really grateful as I get through a lot of aqueous cream due to having dry, eczema prone skin.
~ Price ~
This isn't the cheapest aqueous cream at £1.39 for a ... 100 gram tube - the brand that I usually buy is only £2 for five times the amount of product, so I wouldn't buy this myself when I know that there are much cheaper options.
~ Packaging ~
I really like that rather than coming in a big bulky tub this aqueous cream comes in a tube which is quite neatly designed and it stands upright. It is easily squeezable and a neat little size so it doesn't take up very much room. It has a flip top lid which find very handy and it is less messy than the aqueous cream that comes in tubs as I don't have to scoop the product out - I just squeeze a blob into the palm of my hand and run it over my skin which is a lot less messy.
~ My Opinion ~
In my opinion aqueous cream is pretty much the same despite the brand name so when my mum gave me this I wasn't too excited - I have used heaps of aqueous cream over the years. I did however find it unusual that it came in a tube and I prefer this to the tub packaging that most aqueous creams come packaged in as it is a lot less bulky.
The cream itself is white and thick with a wet and silky texture. It doesn't really have much of a smell to it which I like as some of the aqueous creams that I've tried in the past have smelt very medicinal - this doesn't. The cream is just the right consistency - thick, but not too thick.Itsmoothes over my skin fairly easily even when it is insanely dry and flaky. My skin at the minute isn't too good with small patches of open sores on my ankles from where I've scratched my eczema, so understandably I wasn't too keen on the idea of using this on them but I knew I needed to keep the area moisturised so I gritted my teeth and slathered some on but it actually didn't sting at all and provided a soothing, cooling sensation.
The cream does feel very greasy and it leaves my skin with a white, quite sticky residue for a while after I've applied it as it doesn't sink in that quickly so I tend to apply it at night (though I do apply it multiple times a day when my skin is really bad) and apply a bandage over the top to avoid it getting my clothes sticky and leaving white residue on them.
The cream does take a while to work - the effects are not instant for me as my skin is so dry, and I have found that I need to apply it several times a day to smooth out my really dry, rough and flaky patches of skin and once my skin starts looking a little better I make sure I continue using it to keep my skin feeling smooth and moisturised. The cream is very greasy and it leaves my hands feeling greasy after I've applied it so I always need to wash my hands afterwards and I try to apply it when I don't need to get dressed straight away as if I do it leaves greasy patches on my clothing.
~ All in All ~
A moisturising, gentle cream which leaves my skin smooth and soft. It is not a miracle cream and it doesn't instantly make my skin look better but with regular use it is an effective way to keep my skin looking and feeling healthy and it doesn't make my eczema any worse.
Read the complete review |
