Only A Lemon Would Take These (Lemsip)

Member Name: criple

Product:	Lemsip
Date:	16/01/03 (1038 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Convenient, Easy To Prepare

Disadvantages: Taste Horrible, Not Very Effective

My recent bout of the dreaded 'virus' left me scouring the shelves of Boots for some comfort. Knowing that nothing would cure me other than time, I was happy to take something just to help me along. Boots were offering 3 for the price of two on hundreds of over the counter medicines so I was able to try a couple of new products, well new to me anyway.

The kids were coughing quite badly so I bought them some Buttercup Syrup, I got myself some Beechams tablets and for the hubby some Lemsip. Unfortunately I used up the Beechams pretty rapid and that left me with the option of my usual co-codamol, which would only help with the headache and any fever or the Lemsip.

When I'm organised I usually buy some lemons and make some home made lemonade, it's soothing and the extra vitamin c certainly seems to help. On this occasion I went for the easy option of simply boiling a kettle and adding a sachet.

Lemsip original Lemon have been around for some time now and they are if nothing else convenient. I bought a box of 10 sachets for £2.89 but they also come in boxes of 5 for £1.85. Each sachet weighs 4.8g so they are small and light enough to carry in your pocket and take to work with you. They open easily by simply tearing of a strip at the top; you don't need scissors. To take them you need to add water, it is recommended that you add hot but not boiling water to the sachet and allow it to dissolve. If you prefer a sweeter taste you can add, sugar, sweeteners or honey. I used Honey, as the properties of Honey are also beneficial when suffering with colds or sore throats, it also makes it more bearable to drink.

**** WHAT ARE LEMSIPS GOOD FOR ****

Well I could say nothing but I better tell you what they are 'recommended' for instead.

As you pick the box up aside from the large LEMSIP written in yellow across the top you will see that underneath its says 'Cold + Flu' obviously this give
s you an idea of why most people would take it. Colds and Flu have many symptoms though and it is important to know exactly how this product is going to help. What Lemsip have done to make it easier to identify the benefits is to strike a large red tick across the box which underneath tells us that this particular box is Original Lemon. It then continues to list a range of symptoms to which it should offer some relief, Headache, Aches & Pains, Runny Nose, High Temperature and Sore Throat. It also tells us that it contains Vitamin C and it offers effective relief with Paracetamol and Decongestant.

This is a pretty conclusive list and should cover most symptoms. The Paracetamol content per sachet is 650mg and the decongestant relief is in the form of 10mg of Phenylephrine HCI. This should be taken in to consideration against your usual dosage of stand-alone painkillers. For example when I take Co-Codamol tablets I take two 500mg tablets, the same with Paracetamol. The content of the Parecetamol in Lemsip is therefore much lower and may not have the same effect on headaches as the ordinary painkillers would. You CANNOT however take both at the same time. No other medicines containing Paracetamol should be taken whilst consuming Lemsip and no more than 4 sachets in 24 hours should be taken for adults and children over 12. They should not be given to children under 12 and you should consult your pharmacist if you are pregnant or being prescribed any other medicine. Some people may have a reaction to Aspartame and it is contained in this product along with sucrose, the total sugars is 2.6g, quite a lot when you consider that the sachets are only 4.8g anyway.

**** WHAT DOES IT SMELL AND TASTE LIKE ****

I have to say that I don?t like the taste of these very much. On opening the sachet you do get quite a nice aroma of Lemons and it doesn't smell offensive at all. Some of the powder seems to escape and it will make you sneeze if you inhale it
. As you add the water again you can smell the zest of Lemons but this is followed by that powdery medicinal taste due to the Paracetamol. It is a lovely yellow colour and it looks quite deceiving, I would imagine before tasting that I would like it.

I tried it first without any additional sweetener and I couldn't stomach it, you can smell and taste the Aspartme and Paracetamol. It is quite artificial and nothing like the taste of real lemon juice. I added some honey and this made it slightly more bearable but still something I would drink as quickly as possible rather than savour. It was't that bad that I would refuse to take them again but enough to make me go 'yack' after each mouthful!

**** HOW EFFECTIVE ARE THEY ****

Headache: not very effective unless the headache is mild, wouldn't be suitable for migraine type headaches.

Aches & Pains: not very effective, my symptoms in this area were mild as I had a cold type virus and I felt slightly better for about half an hour. If I would have had Flu I doubt that they would have been strong enough to provide relief.

Runny Nose: I felt a slight improvement in this area but nothing significant.

High Temperature: My temperature was not desperately high and although the Paracetamol in the Lemsip goes some way to bringing the temperature down, it would depend how severe the temperature was. Remember that the Paracetamol content may be less than taking two over the counter tablets.

Sore Throat: I found the Lemsip soothing and the added Honey helped. I wouldn't say that the relief was any more significant than drinking any other warm drink.

Overall: I think Lemsips are soothing and help slightly with mild colds and viruses. For very high temperatures and severe bouts of Flu however I wouldn?t recommend them.

***** OTHER FACTORS *****

The benefits of Lemsip appear to be their convenience more than any other f
actor. They are easy to prepare and can be taken with you when going out of the house. They may suit people who prefer a warm soothing drink that is easy to make rather than go to the trouble of boiling lemons and taking separate pain relief, decongestants etc.
They work out at approximately 30 to 40 pence each depending on if you buy a pack of 5 or 10. I wouldn't say that they were expensive but I would rather drink hot lemonade and take some painkillers separately. Stores own brands can be bought much cheaper and it may be worth comparing them before buying Lemsip just because they are a leading brand.

Remember never to take any other medication containing Paracetamol and to tell the pharmacy about any other medication you are taking. If symptoms persist or are severe it is always wise to consult a doctor, other illness such as Meningitis have similar symptoms.

Should you wish to find out more about Lemsip before visiting the pharmacy they are made by Reckitt Benckiser Healthcare (UK) Limited, Hull, HU8 7DS. You may email them at lemsip@reckittbenckiser.com or call them free on 0500 455456.

They actually have a website at www.lemsip.com and you can find out more about Lemsip products and an interesting comparison between colds and flu, you can even send an e-card!

In all I won't be recommending Lemsip as I feel they aren't effective enough to warrant the price, they also taste pretty disgusting. Of course this is only my opinion and you may disagree (at your peril of course)

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