Heh. Confession time. I got such a spasmy awful cough a few weeks ago that I thought, “what the hell?” and took two puffs off my daughter’s albuteral inhaler.
Uh…
Turns out there really is a difference between a wheeze and a cough, even if you’re coughing so hard you can’t breathe. And the inhaler didn’t stop my cough one bit. It added a hell of a head buzz and room spin to the proceedings, however! I couldn’t stop shaking for a good 15 minutes. I have no idea how my daughter takes the thing and goes right to sleep! :eek:
Pseudoephedrine works just fine for me and is OTC in the UK, and I keep a permanent stash in my briefcase for those occasions when there must be an absolute absence of snot running down my face. I found it particularly useful for business trips to Japan, as I always catch some damn disease or other after a long-haul flight, and the Japanese don’t like catching colds (a complex snot-taboo thing). It’s a mild stimulant too, which is a bonus side effect when trying not to sniff and stay awake when jetlagged.
Recently I found out that pseudoephedrine is massively illegal in Japan, and I had a moment of horror as I recalled the occasions I would quite happily tuck into a packet of Sudafed in front of Japanese colleagues and customers blissfully unaware that I could be jailed for doing so. Plus all the times I took it through customs checkpoints.
I guess PE is illegal in Japan as the potential for abuse is huge. A drug that dries up a runny nose and keeps you awake during a long commute and gruelling working day? Perfect.