Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Liqui-Gels: Gimme Back My Bubbles!
Written: Apr 01 '01 (Updated Jun 27 '01)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Gives relief. Easy to take. No unpleasant flavor.
Cons: Relief may not last long enough. I miss the bubbles.
The Bottom Line: I think you're better off with OTC meds to treat individual symptoms.
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| naphtalia's Full Review: Alka Seltzer Plus Liqui Gels Cold 20 Capsules |
As a child, I hated the taste and the bubbles of Alka-Seltzer, but as an adult I discovered that the fizz (if not the flavor) helped to comfort a sore throat. (I learned about the comfort of bubbles to an achy throat while competing in public speaking contests, where my coach used to ply us all with gingerale.) When I left for Israel, I brought a selection of familiar medications so that when and if I got ill, I would have medications I knew.
Well, recently I had to break into my stash of meds. I had a low fever, a general all-over achiness, a bit of a sore throat, and a nose that was running. (Of course, as my mother used to tell me "If your nose runs and your feet smell, you must be built upside-down." That is irrelevant to this review, but I thought I would mention it.) I pulled out my Alka-Seltzer Plus and nearly cried. I hadn't bought my old-faithful fizzy stuff to Israel. I had bought liqui-gels by mistake. I decided to try it out.
There were no fizzies, but the liqui-gels worked well for awhile. I took two of the aqua-blue gelcaps with a glass of water. The directions say to repeat every 4 hours, but not to exceed 4 doses per day. The liquigels took about 20 or 30 minutes to begin to work. They worked for almost, but not quite, 4 hours. By the end of this time, I was ready for another dose. Since my symptoms outlasted the dosage, I was not happy with the results. The fizzy stuff lasts longer and works faster for me. I was not unhappy with relief while it worked, but I was not happy with the length of the relief.
Each Alka-Seltzer Plus Cold Medicine Liqui-Gel contains 2 mg of chlorpheniramine maleate as an antihistamine, 30 mg of psuedophedrine HCI as a nasal decongestant, and 325 mg of acetaminophen as an analgesic. Inactive ingredients include FD&C Blue #1 and Red #40, gelatin, glycerin, glycol, potassium acetate, povidone, purified water, sorbitol and titanium dioxide.
My preference in the future would be for me to have individual items rather than this medication so that as individual symptoms returned, I could treat them individually. By the second day, I was using Tylenol (acetaminophen) for the fever, Sudafed Cold and Allergy (psuedophedrine hydrochloride and chlorpheniramine maleate ) for my drippy and stuffy nose, and Sucrets Wild Cherry flavor (dychlonine hydrochloride) for a sore throat. I was able to treat each symptom individually and so, I believe, was able to treat the symptoms better and with less medication. (The sore throat relief didn't last as long as the runny nose relief which didn't last as long as the fever relief.)
Although I did not experience any side effects from this medication, the warnings include nervousness, sleeplessness,and dizziness. This product should not be taken by those with emphysema, chronic bronchitis, glaucoma, difficulty in urination, high blood pressure, diabetes, or thyroid disease. In addition to warnings about sleeplessness, this product also says it may cause drowsiness.
I am glad to say that I am feeling better. I have put in a request for the fizzy kind of Alka-Seltzer the next time a care-package is sent. With any luck, I won't need it, but if I do, I'm glad that I will have my bubbles back.
Recommended:
No
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Epinions.com ID:
naphtalia
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Location: Somewhere in Southern California for Now
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Just cause you got the monkey off your back doesn't mean the_circus has left town.
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