overdue report on Guaifenisin experiment

[Rojzen]

Hello, friends. . .I am long overdue in providing a promised report on my months on Guaifenisin, the mucolytic (brand-name Mucinex) that is popular now as a long-term therapy for fibromyalgia.

I took the Guaifenisin for about 4 months, following dosage guidelines available on several fibromyalgia patient group web sites. As predicted, the product intensified my fibro pain initially, but this aggravation came and went, over time, never ultimately leading to a sustained improvement or worsening.

I as unaware of any benefits to my eyes during treatment, but when I stopped, I did have a few days of increased eye pain (burning and rawness). It is therefore conceivable that the product was helping my eyes symptomatically.

My plan is not to resume, for now, as I'm not clear on whether the product helped, and consider it possible that it may have hurt.

Next: I am moving towards anti-oxidants and immune boosters (powerful ones, rather than the usual vitamin/Omega oil supplements), along the lines of NAC eye drops. . .

I'm still on Lithium Aspartate 10 mg thrice daily, and loving it for antidepressant and brain-clearing benefits. That's one experiment that has turned out brilliantly for me, and I thank Drs. Jonathan Wright and Alan Gaby for publishing so enthusiastically about the product. . .

[Terri]

Rojzen: Good timing on this post. I've been taking Mucinex-D for the last week for a respiratory infection. I haven't noticed any dry eye benefit. My dry eye has actually been a little more red and required more drops over the last few days, but I'm uncertain if that's due to the combined effect of the infection (lots of coughing and waking up at night), the Mucinex or both.

[Rojzen]

re-spelling of guaifenesin; mucolytics and eyes

I can't be surprised that any mucolytic will somehow affect the eyes, since, after all, we are always trying to normalize our mucin layer, among other things. . .

I suspect that if guaifenesin seems to help a DES sufferer, this may be because that person's ocular mucus secretions are too thick, for some reason; whereas if the product seems to exacerbate symptoms, this may be because the sufferer's mucus secretions were already too thin or otherwise not intact. . .

Anyway, this is all just crude guess work, as I know of no interest in the science community in looking at this issue. . .I haven't searched, though, and so perhaps some crafty scientist is wondering the same thing we are here. . .

[kurt]

FDA ruling on timed-release Guaifenesin

To date, only Adams Respiratory Therapeutics has obtained FDA approval for timed-release products containing guaifenesin (600 milligrams and 1200 milligrams) under the trade names of Mucinex and Humibid. These include over-the-counter products containing guaifenesin alone (Mucinex and Humibid), with the decongestant pseudoephedrine (Mucinex-D), and with the cough suppressant dextromethorphan (Mucinex-DM).

[Silverlady]

2 cents

If I was contemplating this experiment, I'd use the plain Musinex or Tussin. The decongestant is drying to some people, me included.

Billye