I was going for the "Too Afraid to Cough" joke.

Then he'd at least have another reason to lament his shitty day....(drum roll or hook for that one either works).

Could have been worse. They could have sold you a Laxative.

I think water should be banned for safety reasons.

The terrible scourge of Dihydrogen Monoxide!

Since I'm allergic to antihistamines (I know, it's ridiculous) I am a rabid label-reader of OTC meds. If I miss something, I stop breathing, so that's a pretty strong incentive to not miss anything. Cultivating a label-reading habit is a good idea for anybody, however.

I think water should be banned for safety reasons. It's a known asphyxiant, it's toxic if you ingest more than a certain dose, and it greatly increases your risk of electrocution if the radio falls into the bathtub with you.

LOL. But there is a major difference between, say, traditional herbal remedies (a few of which do have demonstrated efficacy) and homeopathy (which never does, because water doesn't "remember" anything). Unless you're trying to thin mucous, in which case the homeopathic remedy will help...because it's water.

(Even water--plain old water--helps.)

Especially if it remembers that it once stood next to a bottle of real cough syrup.

Damn! From the title of this thread I thought NAoC was back! ;)

Strangely enough, expectorants are one of the few classes of medication where there are "natural" remedies nearly as effective as the industry standard (Guaifenesin). This is not so much because the natural remedies are all that effective, but because Guaifenesin is only marginally effective to begin with (it's a low bar), and the mechanism by which the body produces thinner mucous is pretty simple and easy to activate. (Even water--plain old water--helps.)

But it is BS for her to claim that it works *better* than regular OTC cough syrup. That's not cool.

Out of morbid curiosity, what are the supposedly active traditional ingredients?

Probably water with a very long memory.

@ Kodie

I don't remember, I tossed it in the bin. I've been having this nasty cough for more than 3 weeks now. Don't worry, I've already seen the doctor about a week ago. The medicine he subscribe to me is working, but it's slow. I eventually ran out of the syrup at the time so I needed a refill. There's also a clear price difference from the stuff I should have bought.

The expectorant syrup: RM8.90
The "traditional" syrup: RM22

I should have just stuck with the stuff he recommended me.

If I am paying for something over the counter drug wise and am willing to pay more than 6-7$ for the product(depending on where,as in city/state, you are buying it within, and how many doses of said medicine there is), then I am definitely sick and need to see a professional.

Bummer. I'd complain to the pharmacy.

Out of morbid curiosity, what are the supposedly active traditional ingredients?

Being sick can make you vulnerable, so I don't think you're stupid. I would be pissed spending that much money on something that's supposed to help. What's in it? When I had pneumonia, before I realized that's what I had (pretty much only deduced after remembering my mother's symptoms 5 years earlier, and how long she ignored them and how it almost killed her), I went to the pharmacy dept. at Target, and the pharmacist got me to buy two medicines. I don't remember if it was that day or the next day, I went to the ER and had to be admitted... so Mucinex doesn't work for that. That was pretty stupid.

Sounds like you need the Virtual Echo Chamber thread :-)

How the hell could I have done this!? Years of being a reader of Respectful Insolence, JREF, Quackwatch...and I still ended up getting tricked into buying a "traditional medicine" tonight! >_<

I was at the pharmacy and I needed to buy an expectorant cough syrup. That pharmacist bitch recommended me (read: tricked me into) buying this other product which was more expensive and supposedly more helpful. I bought it simply because it wouldn't make me drowsy. I didn't read the label carefully since I was in a rush. Back home, the fine print said:

"This is a traditional medicine. If symptoms persist, please consult your doctor"

Yeah, it didn't even have a period at the end. The box looked so legit like all those other boringly designed medicine boxes, I honestly didn't think I would buy stuff like this from a bleeding pharmacy.

Well, this is a 22-bucks-lesson I'm not going to forget.