Decongestants

[kingalfred]

I know this has been discussed before but anyone have an equivalent to Pseudoephradrine strength in tablet form. I went to pharmacies today and it was either Anti Histamines (Phenyline based) or liquid form. I do recall there was a strong tablet available in Thailand that would do the job for a blocked nose ,but cant recall the name

[lopburi3]

Zyrtec is an antihistamine (cetirizine based) but find it is all I need for cold type blockage and is available everywhere.

As said not a direct decongestant but seems to do the job for me.

[Sheryl]

zyrtec, claritin (loratadine) and the like will help only if the congestion is due to allergy. For an actual decongestant there is no substitute for pseudoephedrine. It is stll available here but only from hospitals.

The only OTC thing I can suggest is nasal sprays containing oxymetazoline -- many brands which AFAIK are still OTC.

[fstarbkk]

One of the little ironies of living here, is why products containing pseudoephedrine are no longer available in your local pharmacy:

A few years back, some hospital administrators were caught ordering massive quantities (millions) of these tablets, only to sell them out the back door to people, who used them to produce "speed". To my knowledge, not a single private pharmacy was implicated in this scheme. Yet, in its infinite wisdom, the government banned the sale of these helpful products by anyone EXCEPT hospitals.

As a long-term sinus allergy sufferer, I never used to go anywhere without a supply of Clarinase (Claritine D), in case things started to get stuffy up there. Now, I usually make the trip to a hospital, when things get really bad; sometimes after a full-blown sinus infection has developed, which brings me a prescription of antibiotics and... Wait for it! That's right folks, a nice bottle of pure pseudophedrine, which wouldn't even need to be extracted from a tablet to produce speed.

[Sheryl]

Ah yes. In the good old days we could buy Tiffy with pseduephedrine at every 7-11.

They still sell Tiffy but no longer with pseuepedrine. So basically not worth much.

Actually the way I remember it was that they banned the OTC sales first out of concern that it would be used to cook meth (basically) (though who on earth would go to the trouble involved to extract the precurser out of a Tiffy 4 pack is hard to imagine). And then no sooner had they done so than the hospital mass selling was exposed.

Either way, pointless measure but there you have it. Now the already overcrowded government hospitals have to contend with masses of people seeking relief for a common cold.

[Gonsalviz]

I use Nasolin. It is a tablet. Can be found in any pharmacy.

[kingalfred]

Saw a doctor at a hospital in Bkk today just to get psuedoephredrine (500baht visit) and he agreed with the stupid situation of having to go to hospital for this,whereas more damaging is the widespread abuse of using OTC antibiotics in Thailand and the long term effects that will have in being ineffective against Bacterial infections.

[kwaione]

No need to extract they mix the powder with the other ingredients and it separates the pre-curser then further purified through further process 's