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Olbas Oil
by Mrb84
When we have colds it's difficult to breathe through our noses and it makes it hard to sleep. We find when we have colds that we use Olbas Oil and it really helps to clear our noses which makes it easier to breathe and we all have a better night's sleep. We use this with our little girl too and it helps her.
There are various ... Olbas oil products including a children's version, oil to put in the bath and lozenges. We just use the standard olbas oil.
This standard Olbas Oil comes in a small glass bottle. The label is green and orange and there is a picture of leaves on the front. It dispenses from a very small hole in the bottle where one drop at a time comes out. We use a couple of drops on a tissue and leave it beside our pillows at bed time. The vapours from the oil help to work as a decongestant and help to clear our nasal passages. When we give this to our little girl we keep the tissue on her window sill so it isn't too close to her bed. I think we should really invest in the product which is meant for children.
It is a natural decongestant and it does really work. Within about a minute I notice a visible difference. It smells really strong, a kind of menthol type smell but it is always a relief when I can smell it as it shows it's working! One thing though about the smell is that you may not be aware of how strong it is and others around you will be! It's never a good fragrance to go round smelling of really! I always use this at night time and make sure I shower before work as I don't want to smell of it in the office.
The Mrs sometimes puts this in a bowl of hot water and uses it as a kind of facial sauna, she says it really helps to clear her nose.
We really rely on this when we have a cold, it does help to give relief and it does so very quickly too.
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Boots Max Strength Cold & Flu Capsules
by milmol7
~ ~ WHY THESE? ~ ~
I picked these up on the way through the airport last weekend, feeling the onset of a cold and wanting to be prepared with a medicine I could trust. Normally when I shop for medicines I do a quick check of active ingredients then congratulate myself for buying an identical unbranded product for a much ... cheaper price. On this occasion, though, I noticed that the Lemsip equivalent does have an additional ingredient. However, it was one I didn't recognise and these Boots brand capsules were over £1 cheaper (at £2.99)and contained what I wanted primarily - (per capsule) paracetamol 500mg, Caffiene 25mg and Phenylephrine Hydrochloride 6.1mg. The Lemsip packet mentioned that they treated chesty cough in addition to the other ailments listed on the Boots one, so I assume that was the additional ingredient - and not something I needed. The things I anticipated that I may need were all listed on the front of the packet - blocked nose, sore throat, fever, headache, body aches and it also states "non drowsy".
In the event, the cold symptoms stayed at bay until I returned home (as if I needed to feel any more miserable!) so I only opened the packet yesterday.
~ ~ PACKAGING ~ ~
The packet is mainly green in colour, but the front is also a range of purple, red, orange and yellow shades - quite vivid! Nevertheless the text on the back is in white and is easy to ready against the green background, which was useful in the shop. The key points I needed to be able to see at a glance were the dosage instructions - take 2 capsules every four to six hours when you need to (not more than 8 in 24 hours) and the active ingredients. There are two warnings on the back - "Do not take with any other paracetamol-containing products" and "Immediate medical advice should be sought in the event of an overdose, even if you feel well" - these are highlighted by being printed in dark purple text in a bright white text box. Impossible to miss.
~ ~ OPEN THE BOX! ~ ~
Inside the packet are two strips of 8 capsules, sealed in their blister pack with foil, which is very easy to pop through from the back. The capsules themselves are half/half red and yellow in colour and the traditional plasticy feel tubular style capsules with round ends, around 1cm long. Personally I find these type very easy to swallow and these were no exception, although I do like to take a good drink with these to feel reassured they are fully gone where they need to go - they do feel quite substantial and I can imagine that their size could be a problem for some.
Also in the box is a very clearly printed A5 size folded information leaflet. The text is a generous size and it contains all you need to know:
- What this medicine is for
- Before you take this medicine
- Other important information
- If you take other medicines
- How to take this medicine
- Possible side effects
- How to store this medicine
- What is in this medicine
- Who makes this medicine
Lots of information is listed under each heading in a clear font, very easy to read.
~ ~ DO THEY WORK? ~ ~
So the key question - well fortunately I'm in no way in the grip of severe flu, but the cold, such as it is, is now in full flight. I took two of these yesterday afternoon, and I definitely felt noticeably better quite quickly. I was glad when four hours were past and I could take two more, and again there was a noticeable uplift in how I felt, and I got to sleep ok so the caffiene is obviously not too extreme! A similar pattern has been repeated this morning - having taken two first thing (almost 4 hours ago), I'm starting to feel a bit of a lull in energy levels and general cold symptoms - so I'm in no doubt the medicine is doing its job as it should.
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Superdrug Paracetamol Caplet
by supersonic75
**Introduction and reason for purchase**
A few weeks ago I was struck down with a nasty kidney infection then a few days later tonsillitis, so it's pretty safe to say that I was feeling very rough indeed. I visited my doctor on both occasions as my infections required antibiotics to clear them up and because my temperature was ... quite raised combined with chills I was advised that regular doses of painkillers would help with my fever. I'm not one for taking tablets unless I really need to, but I made sure I stocked up on both paracetamol and ibuprofen on my way at home and called into my local Superdrug store which is in a close proximity to my home.
I could have bought some painkillers from the pharmacy attached to the doctors surgery whilst getting my antibiotics, but I know they are double the price there and as I wanted some other non medical related items from Superdrug anyway it seemed the obvious choice to purchase them from there.
I picked up a box of Superdrug's own branded Paracetamol 500mg Caplets which I used over the course of my illness and now which I will discuss in my review..
**My thoughts**
I purchased these whilst under a fever induced 'away with the fairies' stupor, but as I recall I think I only paid around the 40p mark, 39p to be specific, which for a box containing 16 tablets is a reasonable amount to pay. The tablets - sorry caplets - are 500mg and are housed in a thin cardboard box which is predominantly white with a bold blue font for the logo.
Decoration is minimum but at the end of the day I really don't care what packaging something as trivial as cheap paracetamol is in as long as the product does the job that's the main thing. Inside the box there are two blister strips, each containing two rows of 4 caplets which are approximately one centimetre in length.
The caplets are a bright white in colour and have a smooth coating, which I do prefer as opposed to the more chalkier variety of tablets that seem to lodge themselves in my throat regardless of the amount of water they are taken with.
As these are Superdrug's own brand they can be purchased in store and are found on the medicine aisle amongst the other painkillers. As mentioned the packaging is quite minimal so doesn't grab attention, but I tend to just scour the prices and search for whatever is cheapest anyway.
When it comes to pain relief - or medicines in general - I refuse to pay over the odds, ridiculous prices for something just because it has a brand name attached to it and especially so for paracetamol or ibuprofen. I never buy branded painkillers and am quite happy to buy the cheapest possible, with the Galpharm brand generally taking up residency in my medicine cabinet in the form of painkillers and antihistamines and it was this brand I was on the hunt for originally in Superdrug as their paracetamol packs are only 19p, but at that price were understandably sold out and out of stock so these caplets took their place in my shopping basket instead.
I rarely take painkillers unless I really *have* to, but with feeling so incredibly poorly and the fever driving me insane with burning and chills I was needing to take medication regularly. I decided to alternate these with ibuprofen and took 2 roughly every 5/6 hours though the directions do state you can take up to 8 in a 24 hour period. My doctor advised me to alternate and whilst I do find ibuprofen helps when I have a throat infection the paracetamol helps bring my temperature down and eased the discomfort in my back from my kidney infection.
Do they work? Well although I felt very poorly indeed for 4 days, to the point of being in bed I felt so rotten, I do feel that these paracetamol helped to ease any discomfort from my infections. They definitely helped with my temperature and for the price of 39p for 16 they are an essential item to keep in the medicine cupboard. I like the fact these are caplets and not chalky tablets as when swallowed with water they instantly slide down the throat with ease, though do leave that generic 'aftertaste' that paracetamols tend to leave behind though this disappears quickly enough after a few more gulps of water.
The caplets get to work pretty fast and within 10 to 15 minutes they have started to relieve my pain, though I can only comment on my own experience of taking these for my recent illnesses, as obviously it depends on the level of pain you are taking these for as to how effective they work but for me they were more than satisfactory.
I wont go greatly into detail about the 'how to take' etc or even the uses, as information like this can be found on the back of the packaging but they are effective for reducing pain in the usual symptoms associated with the likes of headaches, fever, toothache, period pain etc and should be taken as directed.
Would I recommend them? For 39p these are cheap and effective plus easy to take so why pay over the odds for a branded name and fancy packaging?
5/5.
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