I'm Feeling A Little Chesty (Veno's Chesty Coughs)

Member Name: criple

Product:	Veno's Chesty Coughs
Date:	07/01/03 (482 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Loosens Phlegm

Disadvantages: Tastes Horrible

What is the world coming to? I'm sat here feeling sorry for myself and writing about cough mixture, haven't I got anything better to do? I should be dosing myself up with a glass of Bailey's instead of this nice little measure of Veno?s. Wouldn't want to overdo it now would we? Cough, cough, splutter, spultter.

The bottle of Veno's has been in my cupboard for as long as the bottle of Whisky that's gathering dust. I hate both of them and I can't think of any use for either except medicinal purposes.

Until writing this review I didn't even notice that Veno's is made by Beechams, or to be precise, SmithKline Beecham. In fact upon further investigation it appears that SmithKline Beecham are now trading as GlaxoSmithKline, I told you I'd had the bottle a long time, didn't I? What is it with these pharmaceutical companies, they always seem to be changing their names and merging with one another to form new companies. Anyway, I'm feeling pretty desperate and I am going against the grain by taking medication for a cough. I've visited the doctor and he confirms that I have a virus; my computer must have passed it on to me somehow. The doctor usually says that there is no point in taking cough medicines as it can actually suppress the cough and therefore take longer to go. If left to their own devices they will leave your weary body naturally. My head is banging and my throat is sore but there is no point in prescribing me antibiotics as they only work for bacterial infections, not the dreaded virus.

I'm sent home to suffer, by the way this was over 3 weeks ago and I'm still suffering. I had some Veno's then along with other medicine for the headache etc and I was starting to feel better. Along came Christmas that brought with it a wonderful cold spell that literally took my breath away. I haven?t stopped coughing since, time to get out the dreaded Veno's again. It's the kind
of stuff that your mother could frighten you with. "Don't forget to put your hat, scarf and gloves on or I'll have no choice than to get the Veno's out" it's enough to make you wrap up warmly and not go within sneezing distance of anyone.

You'll see what I mean in a minute, I'm about to have my next dose.

I open the cardboard package with about as much excitement as getting a sack of coal for Christmas. It tries to lull you in to a false sense of security. It shows this picture of a lady on the front of the box, stretching out her neck, all delicately done in Orange. There is a drop, like a teardrop, which gives off this soothing effect as it placed directly on the throat. She has this kind of satisfied look on her face that I'm sure I get when I've just eaten chocolate. It has a dark blue background at the top with Veno's in white so there is no way you can mistake this medicine if you are brave enough to buy it. CHESTY COUGHS is also there in bold capitals so you know if you're buying it for the right type of cough, I believe they come in two categories, chesty and tickly. Is it me or do all coughs tickle even if they are chesty? Mine do.

I take out the sticky bottle and I'm pleased to see that it's nearly empty! There is 100ml in this bottle and adults usually take 10mls every 2-3 hours. I think I am right in saying that you would therefore get 10 doses from the bottle. If you took it as often as it says, it wouldn't last very long. The bottle is more or less the same as the outside packaging and it has a white unscrew lid. Make sure that the seal isn't broken the first time you use it. There should be a measuring cup with the bottle so that you can pour the required amount in. It does say that it can be given to children aged 3-12 years but I doubt if you could get them to take it, I give the kids Buttercup Syrup. Under no circumstances should you give it to children
under 3 except on medical advice.

Give it a little shake, the bottle I mean! And then pour in the measuring cup. Oh! The smell, I can smell the menthol and it actually cleared my nose a little. As I'm meant to drink it I'll stop sniffing now and swallow. You can't help but notice the colour of this though; it is so dark it's almost black. It's also very thick, like tar. It reminds me of cigarettes that have been put out in water and left to ferment. Don?t ask me how I know this, as I don't even smoke.

I put the cup to my lips and it starts to slide down. It even tastes thick, it goes down slowly and I really want to pinch my nose so I can't taste it. It is kind of minty and you can definitely taste the menthol. It almost burns as it glides down and is very warming. By this time I'm pulling a very funny face but I don't want a drink just yet as it may not work. My throat feels as if it has closed a little, it does this every time but I don't know why. It must stick to the lining of the gullet. It leaves an awful after taste in the mouth and I just hate it. It doesn't make me heave or anything and it's just about bearable, I much prefer Buttercup Syrup taste wise but it's not as effective. You see; Veno'sfor chesty coughs is an expectorant. An expectorant is supposed to loosen phlegm and catarrh and ease congestion. The demulcent action (whatever that is) will soothe and protect a sore throat. There is also no sedative in the mixture so it should not cause drowsiness. I' not going to go on about the ingredients but it does contain Guaiphensin BP, Glucose, Sodium Benzoate and Sodium metabisulphite, E numbers to be precise so if you suffer with reactions to these then please seek advice before taking. Guess what? It also contains treacle, why? I don' know but that' why it is so black and sticky and that must account for some of what I can taste. I wouldn' recommend adding it to
your Parkin though.

Does it work? Well to a point yes. It does soothe the throat a little although this doesn' last long. I have found that it definitely loosens phlegm, which has to be a good thing. There is nothing worse than trying to get it up and irritating your throat even more when doing so. The down side is that you may find it difficult or embarrassing to spit the phlegm out. It' a good idea to do it in the bathroom if you can; I hate spitting!

Of course it' not going to cure you, it will only help to relieve the symptoms. If the cold or flu continues and gets on your chest you may have an infection. If this is the case you should seek medical advice rather than take over the counter medicines, you may need antibiotics. Chest infections can be very nasty and cause other complications, if the symptoms persist always visit your doctor. Veno' will not do anything for headaches and fever and separate medication may be required. Speak to the pharmacist and explain the problem. It is important that they know about all the medicines you are taking whether they are prescribed or not. Some medicines react with one another and could cause problems or even overdose. If you are unsure of the cause of your illness then speak to a doctor first, it'better to be safe than sorry. You can always visit the chemist afterwards if you feel you need a little comfort, not that kind of comfort! lol

You can currently purchase Veno's Expectorant on www.wellbeing.com for £2.79 on their 3 for 2 offer. I am assuming it will be the same price in the Boots stores.

If you would like some further help and advice Beechams have a website, www.beechamsfightback.co.uk you can gather information on their products and advice on how best to deal with colds and flu. I should have read this first!

Effectiveness 7/10
Taste 2/10

Summary: