Liquid Ralgex for your tummy (PeptoBismal)

Member Name: Squiggles

Product:	PeptoBismal
Date:	06/08/01 (575 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Settles upset tums, Can repeat dose often, Coats stomach lining for fast relief

Disadvantages: Tastes foul, Expensive

If there is anybody out there who hasn’t tried Pepto-Bismol, one taste of this and you will never be able to forget it!

It’s a stomach medicine which is available over the counter from any chemist and is a vivid bright pink in colour. The medicine is very think in consistency and provides a protective coating on sensitive or inflamed tummies. It can help treat a number of problems but be warned, the stuff tastes foul, think liquid Ralgex!

If you can bear to swallow it, you can get very good relief from some unpleasant symptoms. As a recovering M.E. sufferer, I used to get a lot of nausea and tummy upsets and this product always took the edge off the symptoms helping to restore my digestion to something like normal although the nausea didn’t disappear altogether. It’s very effective against indigestion and acid heartburn due to the protective coating it provides and I’ve found it to be excellent at treating diarrhoea. It can also give a lot of relief to anyone suffering from, shall we say, a case of the windypops and the stomach cramps associated with it.

You can repeat dosages quite frequently and this is recommended to get the best relief as the protective coating doesn’t last too long. Adults can take 30ml in the ready provided dosing cup every half an hour to an hour up to 8 doses a day. Children can also have up to 8 doses a day, but no more than 10 or 20ml depending on their age.

There is one point you should be aware of however, if you use repeated doses of this medicine, expect to find a change in the colour of your stools. This came as a bit of a shock to me I have to admit, was in the bathroom happily taking care of my own business, went to flush and nearly died….they were completely black! But this is a perfectly natural result of using this medication and is no cause for alarm. Normal service will resume within a couple of days!

There are one or two cautions to be awa
re of before using this treatment. If you have problems with aspirin or are being treated for anti-coagulation, diabetes or gout or are pregnant, you shouldn’t take this medicine without consulting your doctor first. Anybody suffering from asthma should also take care if trying this product for the first time as the ingredients can increase or cause wheezing. Otherwise, side effects and contra-indications are very rare.

You can purchase Pepto-Bismol in two sizes, either 120ml or 240ml bottles, costing £2.99 and £4.99 respectively. The smaller size gives just 8 adult doses, the maximum you can take in any 24 hour period so the larger size proves to be the better value.

Although you can purchase this medicine over the counter here in the UK with no problems whatsoever, be aware that in some countries, this can only be given via prescription or sometimes not at all, as I found to my cost when staying in Paris. According to the pharmacist I spoke to there, the product had been ‘banned’ which was a bit of a worry but my pigeon French wasn’t good enough to get to the bottom of the reasons why! So, if you’re planning on travelling within Europe (and this is great as a treatment and prevention against travel sickness), make sure you buy it here before you leave.

Overall, this is a very effective medicine to treat most minor stomach irritations, and doubles as an excellent hangover treatment. The fact that you can repeat doses within a short period means you get good relief over a sustained period of time. I heartily recommend it!

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