Fighting Flu = Lemsip & You (Lemsip Max Cold & Flu Lemon)

Member Name: GramiWay

Product:	Lemsip Max Cold & Flu Lemon
Date:	13/06/09 (94 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quick acting, tastes nice

Disadvantages: Not always effective

I found myself the victim of aches and pains and various other ghastly flu like symptoms over the course of last weekend. After lying awake all Saturday night unable to sleep due to the pain in every joint of my body and also pondering if I had contracted swine flu and if so whether I would be able to create a plan that would enable me to give a deadly dosage of it to Paris Hilton before snuffing it, I decided to tackle the virus with some Lemsip.

Lemsip are a well known brand of flu and cold remedies that come in various forms such as sachets or capsules. Manufactured by Reckitt Benckiser I found that I'd never been a big fan of the original Lemsip but Lemsip Max makes the experience a lot more refreshing. It has only just recently been introduced and is available in the traditional lemon flavour packaged in sachets or in a new powder to consume on the go.

The packaging is in a nice green box with an inviting mug of the mixture on the front with steam oozing from it gracefully. There are 10 sachets inside and the product claims to tackle all of the symptoms of flu and cold from headache to fever, body aches and pains and the classic sore nose. The thing that sets Lemsip Max apart from it's predecessor is the increased amount of paracetamol included in each sachet. This has gone up from 650mg to 1000mg and in my opinion is a lot more effective.

There are various instructions about health and such on the back of the box and ingredients and more information is also replicated on the back of each of the 10 sachets. Taking the sachet is fairly straight forward. Pouring the contents of the sachet into a mug and filling it with hot but not boiling water. You can use cold water if you wish as it will still have the same effect. Inside each sachet is a yellow coloured powder which considering the size of each sachet isn't that much in quantity. Once the power has dissolved into the water you're ready to drink!

I found the lemony taste not to be too overwhelming but just right. It doesn't leave that sour and rather unpleasant aftertaste or make you want to screw up your nose when you're drinking it like the previous Lemsip incarnation and I was surprisingly able to drink it fairly easily as if it were a standard beverage. I found that within about half an hour of draining the mug that the aches and pains had already gone and I was finally able to get some sleep! I also really enjoyed the taste, it soothed my throat as I swallowed it and warmed all my muscles.

There was no need at all to add the sugar or honey that is reccomended in the directions as a nice supplement.

The packaging instructions do state that you have to be 12 or over to be a consumer and that you are not allowed to exceed 4 sachets within a 24 hour period which works out to one every 4-6 hours. Sadly, Lemsip is not a cure for your cold as it acts more as a muzzle keeping the symptoms caged for a short amount of time before they creep back up on you and you have to take more. It also didn't tackle all of the symptoms it promised as my headache was consistant throughout the 48 hour period I was taking the sachets. Other than that it works quickly and efficiently at removing the source of your discomfort. It's also frustrating to have to keep waiting for water to boil and such especially if you still have to go about your daily business such as me going to college where I have no chance of gaining access to a kettle for the entire day. That aside, Lemsip is a fairly decent priced product that is worth the money as it does have some effect.

I don't think it should be the only weapon in your arsenal against cold and flu as it's not really very effective just by itself. The effects wore off after 4 hours or so and you just either have to resort to something stronger or let your system fight the virus itself. However, I guess my experience with Lemsip Max is dependent on the severity of my symptoms.

Summary: It saves getting a slashing from your doctor non?