Recently I wrote an article about how to save money on diphenhydramine, the active ingredient in Benadryl and a lot of other allergy and sleep medications. I told readers that through careful examination of the list of active ingredients, you can save money on lots of different medications. The same holds true for children’s medicines as well.
Mucinex, a popular over the counter expectorant used to liquefy mucus and loosen chest congestion, is available in a few different formulations for children. All of the formulations include guaifenesin, the ingredient responsible for loosening congestion. Some combine the guaifenesin with other ingredients to suppress coughs or relieve other cold symptoms.
If your child is only suffering from chest congestion, or you prefer to treat symptoms separately, you will want to buy a formulation containing only guaifenesin. Mucinex offers a couple of different guaifenesin only products for kids, each delivering 100mg of the active ingredient per dose. The first is a Mini-Melt that dissolves on the tongue. There are 12 doses in a package sold for $10.99 at Walgreens. The second is a 4 ounce bottle of flavored syrup, also priced at $10.99, which contains about 23 equivalent doses of the same active ingredient.
As you can see, just by choosing carefully between the two different forms of guaifenesin-only Mucinex, you can easily save 50 percent. But you can do even better if you take a look at the store brand. Of course, the store brand guaifenesin does not have a quirky little booger mascot with his own television commercials.
The Walgreens brand 4 ounce bottle of flavored children’s guaifenesin syrup is priced at just $6.49, over 40 percent less than the Mucinex brand syrup. It is almost 70 percent cheaper than the Mucinex Mini-Melts for kids. That is a significant savings, especially for families with more than one child struggling through the middle of cold and flu season.
There is a difference between the adult Mucinex tablets and the store brand guaifenesin. The FDA ruled in 2007 that only the company that makes Mucinex can sell guaifenesin in a timed release pill. Most current generic versions of guaifenesin are only available in instant release versions, but another company announced that they were releasing a generic version of the timed release pill in April. The children’s version of Mucinex, however, is only offered in an instant release form, the same as the store brand guaifenesin.
Catchy television commercials have their place, but when it comes to shopping for your family’s over the counter medications, it really does pay to ignore the animated boogers and look first at the back of the package. Learn about your active ingredients and different formulations, and you can save money while getting better.
More by Tavia:
Things your preteen may need for the first time this year
Save Money on Over-the-Counter Medicines: Diphenhydramine HCL
Medication or Change in Environment: What’s Best for Kids With ADHD?
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