Is ZzzQuil a scam? Pharmacist Suggests Going to Dollar Tree Instead

Even though FDA approval is required to be available on your local pharmacy’s shelves, some popular medications simply don’t work. At least that’s what a licensed pharmacist says on TikTok.

Medical scam?

Grant Harting (@grant_harting on TikTok) is a pharmacist licensed in three states and board certified in integrative medicine. His the site supposedly helps people save on medicines.

In a viral video with over 840,000 views, he reveals which popular drugs are actually scams. If you have one of these in your medicine cabinet, you may want to replace it with one of Harting’s remedies.

Starting the light while ZzzQuil sleeping pills effective, cheaper and just as effective to get Dollar tree versionhe says. Harting claims the brand-name version is just “alcohol and an antihistamine” and says the Dollar Tree version is more cost-effective.

Kolas is a “stool softener”. However, according to research, it’s actually just a placebo. Instead, he said, experts in the study recommended psyllium fiber supplements (brand name Metamucil), which increase the water content of stool.

Regular Mucinex does not actually destroy the “garbage in the lungs”. Harting recommends that you purchase a saline nebulizer or liquid decongestant, which will have a calming effect.

Further, says Harting Sudafed PE is “absolute trash chickpea beans” and may be taken off the market. However, Sudafed (without PE) is better, but you have to ask for it at the counter.

“Buyer beware: there are some blood pressure and prostate issues that you should talk to your doctor or pharmacist about,” Harting added.

And finally Harting says Prevagenwhich is supposed to improve memory is a “scam”.

@grant_harting Licensed Pharmacist in Tri-State Explains 5 Biggest Pharmacy Scams! #asmr #fraud ♬ original sound – Grant Harting

FDA crackdown

Last year, a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel concluded that phenylephrine (a key ingredient in many over-the-counter cold and allergy medications such as Sudafed PE, Vicks Nyquil Sinex Nighttime Sinus Relief and Benadryl Allergy Plus Congestion) doesn’t really help. get rid of nasal congestion, NBC News reports..

One FDA official said they believed initial studies using the drug were “methodologically unsound and did not meet today’s standards.”

The drug is supposed to relieve nasal congestion by reducing swelling of the blood vessels in the nasal passages. But when taken orally (as opposed to a nasal spray), it barely reaches the nose, which is needed to relieve nasal congestion.

Not only is it ineffective, but it also has side effects including headaches, insomnia and nervousness.

The FDA appears to still be deciding whether to remove from shelves and reformulate these drugs, which essentially falsely advertise their effects. This will change the face of a product that had sales of $1.8 billion in 2022.

To be clear, this only applies to oral medications; Nasal sprays are effective. People tend to prefer the oral version, and an effective alternative is the pseudoephedrine found in Sudafed (which is different from Sudafed PE).

“In pharmacy school we had an hour long lecture on how Prevagen is a scam,” read a popular comment.

“I tell people all the time that over-the-counter sleep medications are just a glorification of Benadryl,” one person noted.

“You need a website that has all the information about name brand trash and replacements,” said another.

The Daily Dot reached out to Harting for comment via Instagram and TikTok.

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