Editorial: Flu drug ban still working

Feeling yuck? Aches, sore throat, snotty nose, temperature and a cough?

If temperatures below 0C this week weren't enough to convince you winter is here, then getting struck down with the flu certainly will.

Rotorua residents are being hit hard with a stronger-than-usual winter flu that is forcing some people to stay off work and in bed.

Being school holidays - it couldn't have come at a worse time. Among the ill are parents taking time off to be with their kids as well as kids wanting to relax and have fun during their holidays.

In the old days, we used to go to the local pharmacy and crack into a box of pills that would make you feel better.

The pseudoephedrine-based products were top notch but they haven't been on sale nationally over the counter since a change in the law in 2010.

In Rotorua, the products were banned even earlier as businesses got together in 2008 to stop stocking the products as a proactive move to keep drug dregs out of the city and stop robberies and thefts. The move was a huge success.

Now pseudoephedrine is classed similar to a narcotic, meaning anyone wanting the drug needs to get a prescription from their doctor.

The law change was necessarily. Druggie types on the hunt for ingredients to make methamphetamine were resorting to all sorts of horrible crimes to get their hands on pseudoephedrine.

A new product, called phenylephrine, is now available which also helps unblock flu symptoms - some may say this drug isn't as effective as pseudoephedrine products.

But while we blow our noses and wish for a quicker cure, let's remember the ban on a stronger remedy has been a good move for our country.

What do you think?

email editor@dailypost.co.nz, text DP then your message to 021 241 4568, or write to editor, PO Box 1442, Rotorua.