Is Mucinex a good choice for you? (Lean-n-Mean III)
Written: Dec 06 '04 (Updated Dec 06 '04)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: *Guifenesin only
Cons: *Cost
*Bitter taste
The Bottom Line: Ounce for ounce, it would be cheaper to eat silver nuggets, but Mucinex helps with mucus.
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| ladyhawk2_99's Full Review: Mucinex Expectorant Guaifenesin Extended Release 6... |
I suffer from Eustachian Tube Dysfunction, which means that the stuff from my middle ear doesn't drain properly. God knows why, but hasn't told my physicians. The results range from stuffy ears or muffled or hollow hearing to searing ear or throat pain.
Enter: Mucinex
Although Mucinex does nothing for ETD, it does thin the mucus, allowing more drainage. I take it daily, along with Allegra (we're testing the idea that this is allergy related, even though I have never had or been tested for allergies. Gotta love modern medicine).
What is Mucinex?
active ingredientsMucinex is time released guifenesin tables. 600mg. That's it.
inactive ingredientsCarbomer 934p, NF; FD&C blue #1 aluminum lake; hypromellose USP; magnesium stearate, NF; microcrystalline cellulose, NF; sodium starch glycolate, NF (a cold medicine must be brightly colored, right?)
The pills are bitter, dry, and hard to swallow. Due to the timed release, they must be swallowed whole.
Cost and Packaging
I normally don't discuss packaging in my reviews, so take note. It indicates my extreme displeasure with Mucinex.
Mucinex comes in a bottle with 20 tablets (fancy, half-blue half-white tablets). At the highest recommended dosage, this will last you 5 days. It lasts me somewhere between 10 and 15. It costs 8.99 at Target's Pharmacy (over the counter).
Not new to this product, I'm not duped by their packaging, but it comes close to outright lying. Opening the 5 inch square, 2.5 inch deep box reveals two almost equally sized spaces. One holds a bottle, the other holds air.
2/3 of the bottle is occupied by the biggest wad of cotton I've seen. Add the capsule that keeps the pills from absorbing water, and only 1/4 of the bottle actually holds pills. Only 1/8th of the entire box is needed for medicine, the rest is just to convince you that there's $9 worth of anything in the box. Only the phrase at the bottom of the box belies the truth: 20 tablets.
Uses
according to the manufacturer:
Helps loosen phlegm (mucus) and thin bronchial secretions to rid the bronchial passageways of bothersome mucus and make coughs more productive
That's nice, but does it work?
I would love to tell you that this alleviates all symptoms of my ETD, but to date, nothing does. However, since I've been using this, I have not had any really excruciating ear or throat pain. So it reduces the symptoms, definitely, but it's not a miracle cure. I don't use it for nasal or bronchial congestion, so I can't comment on that, but I believe it would work equally well.
So is it for me?
If you have a condition that would be best treated with multiple active ingredients, then please, save yourself some cash and go buy those otc cough formulas that include several ingredients. Many of them contain guaifenesin, and it will work just as well in a cheaper combination formulation of Waldryl.
I use this product regularly. I'm not a fan of medication to start with, and I don't want to go mucking about with my body chemistry just because I can. I most definitely do not need sudafed to keep me awake all hours, or benadryl threatening to knock me into oblivion -- I'm a mother! I don't need acetaminophen daily messing with my liver. If you are like me and need JUST guaifenesin, then this is, unfortunately, your only choice.
Final thoughts
Quit with the packaging, already! If they put the pills in the smallest plastic bottle instead of the largest box available, they could ship 2 to 3 times as much. It would still be too expensive, but I'll take the dollar discount, since this is the ONLY way to get straight guifenesin.
Please, Walgreen's, hurry with the Walfesin or Walinex or whatever!!
This is an entry in the Lean-n-Mean III
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
ladyhawk2_99
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Member: Sara
Location: The Great Plains
Reviews written: 53
Trusted by: 21 members
About Me:
Stay at Home mom of 3 kids. Best job I ever had!
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