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Busting the Midol Myth. Ever since my first girlfriend introduced me to PMS'ing, I realized the need to keep Midol on hand. Since I was 18 I assumed Midol was some specially formulated concoction designed specifically to counter the effects of PMS. Also, like many other men, I figured if I took some I would start turning into a women or some other silly thing. But one day recently I decided to look at the ingredients and see what Midol was really all about. I used to own a health company and have lots and lots of experience in the health and nutrition world so I tend to understand what ingredients mean and their effects. The midol ingredients are as follows: -Acetaminophen 500 mg (Pain Reliever) As for it's ingredients we have Acetaminophen, which is just a popular pain reliever (think tylenol, alka-seltzer, nyquil, etc) and Pyrilamine Maleate, which is an antihistamine although its used for its diuretic properties. What's diuretic? Easy, it means it makes you pee. And helping you pee is suppose to ease bloating. An because pyrilamine's common side effect is drowsiness they also throw in some caffeine to ward off fatigue and hopefully add a little caffeine buzz to the mix (and hopefully get you addicted to it as well). The truth is there's nothing in Midol that's specific to the female body, in fact, it's not really anything special at all. Then why all the fuss for Midol during PMS? Because Bayer is fantastic at marketing (they have been even back when they made and sold Heroin; the over the counter medicine to ease coughing). Bayer has effectively convinced just about everyone that Midol is magic women drug to cure PMS, so much so that it's become a part of our culture. If someones being fussy, then you might say "Relax dude, should I get you some Midol?" It's just another great illusion concocted in a board room at some posh advertising agency--and it worked. Their are many other things that are good diuretics, namely coffee (the real stuff, not pills), which is funny because taking regular tylenol (or any knock-off) with a cup of joe would have all the same effects as Midol and without the added cost (which just goes to their advertising and pockets). Some other good Diuretics are Cranberry Juice or Grape Fruit, both of which are high in Vitamin C and anti-oxidants. And what about Extra-Strength Midol? They just throw in Naproxen Sodium for the extra pain. What's that? Alleve. All day strong, all day Yadda Yadda. Now how much does Midol cost? Like $7-10+ a box for like 24-40 pills. Thats roughly 20-25 cents a pill! Whereas you can buy a good knock-off Acetaminophen for about $8 for 500 pills-- thats less that 2 CENTS a pill! But I won't discount the phycological effects of Midol. Many women have this romanced idea of how it will magically take away their pains, and thats it made just for them. All these assumptions (mainly fueled by advertising mind you) contributes to its pain relieving effects. Any drugs effectiveness (or efficacy) have a psychological component that is sometimes up to 80% of its total efficacy (even in harder drugs like Heroin and Cocaine). This is perfectly understood by chemists and pharmaceutical companies and is referred to as "Placebo Effect." So in closing, if your happy with your magic midol that you keep in your purse at all times then by all means keep taking it. But at least know what your taking, which is something that should be said about EVERYTHING you consume. .............................................................................................................................. Let's Be Fair But in all fairness, this article isn't meant to dissuade you from buying anything, just to make you think. If you want to buy Midol then Click Here for some good deals at DrugStore.com
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