can I have... chewable medicine?

[Fox Peterson]

I'm not able to swallow pills and I've taken chewable medicines in the past, but they are filled with all sorts of lengthy ingredients, none of which I can readily identify, and some of which are the sugars listed as not okay in the guidelines. That being said, being sick is miserable, and it would be nice to be able to take some advil or tylenol to ward off the symptoms. Likewise, when I have a sore throat, sucking on a few throat drops makes the day much better, but those are of course filled with either sugar or artificial sweeteners. What's the whole 30 stance on medicines?

[Tom Denham]

You can take whatever medicine your doctor prescribes; medical advice trumps a Whole30. Throat drops, however, are not medicine. Try drinking hot tea to soothe a sore throat.

[Fox Peterson]

Thanks Tom, that's a good way to draw the line, on the doctor's orders. I appreciate it.

Hot tea is good stuff-- strangely it's hard finding that without the addition of stevia! The "Throat Ease" teas I once bought contain stevia leaf. However, the "Bengal" flavor of Celestial seasonings tea, which also is very soothing, seems to be okay.

[Melissa Urban]

I like Traditional Medicinal's "Throat Coat" - delicious, and Whole30 Approved. Tylenol is your best choice, if you need pain relief, but as Tom said, some things are more important than the Whole30 - and no one sucks on cough drops for the sugar fix. If you're sick and you really need support to get through the day, do what you have to do, in the least disruptive way possible.

See if this post helps, too: http://whole9life.com/2011/02/stm-feed-a-cold/

[craftygrrl]

I also had a question about this; luckily my cough is almost gone (after nearly 6 weeks!), but I was still using cough drops plus cough medicine up until a couple of days ago.

but what do you do for heartburn? I used to eat Tums equivalent (store brand) & got my calcium that way as well, because I didn't like the prescription meds- they lower your bone density! Tums/calcium antacid chewables all have some sort of sweetener in them. what do you suggest?

thanks

[LibLady]

I also had a question about this; luckily my cough is almost gone (after nearly 6 weeks!), but I was still using cough drops plus cough medicine up until a couple of days ago.

but what do you do for heartburn? I used to eat Tums equivalent (store brand) & got my calcium that way as well, because I didn't like the prescription meds- they lower your bone density! Tums/calcium antacid chewables all have some sort of sweetener in them. what do you suggest?

thanks

I am also wondering about the antacid choices. I finally used 1 of the generic Tums but would like something totally compliant.

[SarrizleP]

In terms of non-chewable medicine you could grind it up and drink it in some water. Will probably taste like butt, haha, but it would get you the tylenol or whatever without the extra sugar of the chewables. Or if you can swallow a smaller pill you can usually cut most pills in half.

[Robin Strathdee]

We'd suggest trying some digestive enzymes if the heartburn doesn't pass in a couple of days. The levels of digestive acids and such in your body increase or decrease based on how much is needed for your regular diet. If you're eating more protein, or even just more food, than you're used to you might need a temporary boost.