# I think I flushed a bag of cough drops **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 11, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262 "2011-10-11T04:47:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/1 "2011-10-11T04:47:43Z")
I have one of those over-the-tank cabinet units you can use to store towels, toiletries and the like. I pulled a drawer out too far today, and it fell out and dumped everything in the john. I thought I got it all out, but the toilet is now flushing really slow. It fills up near to the brim, then sloooooly drains out. There’s no force behind it at all, and I’ve been flushing all evening hoping something would clear out. Looking back at the drawer, I think I’m missing a bag of cough drops, so I don’t think it’s poop. What should I do? Is this plumber time, or do I have other options? I’ve never had a toilet go this bad before. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![EvilTOJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ee59a6/32.png) [@EvilTOJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EvilTOJ)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/3 "2011-10-11T08:12:34Z")
Plunger? If that doesn’t work a toilet snake. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/4 "2011-10-11T13:38:46Z")
Is it a better goal to stuff it further down the line, or try to bring it back up? ---
**Author:** ![Lare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/53a042/32.png) [@Lare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lare)\ **Post date:** [October 11, 2011, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/5 "2011-10-11T15:00:04Z")
Won’t cough drops dissolve in water? The problem may go away in a few hours. Or are they in a sealed bag and that won’t occur? ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 12:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/6 "2011-10-12T00:32:32Z")
Got a friend with a toilet snake? Ideally, you’ll be able to snag the back of drops and extract them, but tearing / breaking up the bag so the individual candies are loose and able to go down the pipe is an acceptable alternate. Alternately, got a friend who’s well-versed in removing toilets and pushing things back out from underneath? It’s a bit icky, but now and then, it’s about the only way to remove hard solid things like toys or those large boxes of dental floss that are about an inch square and three inches tall. ---
**Author:** ![KRC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/45deac/32.png) [@KRC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KRC)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/7 "2011-10-12T01:39:10Z")
This wouldn’t have happened if you had flushed the cocaine instead. ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/8 "2011-10-12T02:56:45Z")
> [@Lare](#): > > Won’t cough drops dissolve in water? The problem may go away in a few hours. Or are they in a sealed bag and that won’t occur? Sealed bag. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![ChickenLegs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@ChickenLegs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChickenLegs)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 10:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/9 "2011-10-12T10:30:24Z")
Buudy had one of those glue mouse traps stuck in his toilet. We pulled it off the floor, rigged up some treble hooks and fishing weights on a length of fishing line, and eventually snagged the mouse trap by rotating the toilet every which way. Then we remounted it, with a new wax ring of course. It was hard to get that trap out. ---
**Author:** ![ChickenLegs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@ChickenLegs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChickenLegs)\ **Post date:** [October 12, 2011, 10:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/10 "2011-10-12T10:31:30Z")
It will help if you understand what a toilet looks like inside. See here: [http://www.raymondsbrain.com/images/articles/toilet.gif](http://www.raymondsbrain.com/images/articles/toilet.gif) ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 2:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/11 "2011-10-16T02:03:49Z")
I ended up pulling the toilet up. It wasn’t cough drops! It was a roll of medical tape. I need to stop storing stuff in those drawers. This is a pain in the ass. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/12 "2011-10-16T03:28:14Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > Is it a better goal to stuff it further down the line, or try to bring it back up? It depends. How bad is your cough? ---
**Author:** ![Spacegirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47774/32.png) [@Spacegirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spacegirl)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/13 "2011-10-16T05:44:35Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > I ended up pulling the toilet up. It wasn’t cough drops! It was a roll of medical tape. > > I need to stop storing stuff in those drawers. This is a pain in the ass. Or just close the lid :). ---
**Author:** ![Patch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a183cd/32.png) [@Patch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Patch)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/14 "2011-10-16T05:46:03Z")
> [@Spacegirl](#): > > Or just close the lid :). I opened the drawer when I was peeing. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Motorgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e36b37/32.png) [@Motorgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Motorgirl)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2011, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-think-i-flushed-a-bag-of-cough-drops/599262/15 "2011-10-16T17:58:51Z")
> [@Patch](#): > > I opened the drawer when I was peeing. ☹ Multitasking is overrated.