The demise of Enos and the failures of Andrews!

[stephenT2]

Like many people here, I am on several types of medication, of which all have a stated side effect of potential stomach upsets. It's not a major issue at all, and to bring things quickly back to normal, a quick glass of sparkling Enos sorts me out. I use it maybe 2/3 times a week, and also find it a very refreshing drink in its own right.

However, it use to be sold in 218g jars - GlaxoSmithKline have now discontinued the jars and now in the UK have decided that it will only sell it in sachet form.

My main objection to this is price! A 218g jar use to cost £3.99, 50g (10 x 5g) of sachets cost £2.25

The maths are that per gram this is nearly 150% more expensive!! Commonly known as a 'rip off'.

I've considered, after a lifetime of use, to defect to Andrews, but the taste is vile , and for some reason it is loaded with sucrose, not a great addition to a diabetic diet.

Does anyone else regret GlaxoSmithKlein's decision, or am I on a very lonely soap box

 

[sugarless sue]

A quick search on-line shows the sachets (10x 5g) as £1.65 from an on-line Pharmacy.

The ingredients of Eno's is,

Each 5g contains: Sodium Bicarbonate 2.32g, Sodium Carbonate 0.5 g, Citric Acid Anhydrous 2.18g

You could probably make your own from Soda Bic and lemon.

You have free prescriptions so why not get an antacid from your GP, especially as you are having problems so frequently.

 

[stephenT2]

A quick search on-line shows the sachets (10x 5g) as £1.65 from an on-line Pharmacy.

My price quote was from a real shop, unfortunately, all online pharmacies charge around £3/£4 P&P unless you cross a total purchase threshold of £50 or so where P&P is free. Makes it very uneconomical to buy this item online. I've never found an online source that offers a no limit free P&P that stocks this item, but would love to be proved wrong.

I've been using Enos all my life (I'm quite old ), and the actual product has been around for over 100 years - no, I'm not THAT old! I just like the product, but hate being ripped off.

Leaves a bad taste in my mouth which is hard to stomach...... (sorry, couldn't resist!)

 

[Synonym]

There are going to be many such price increases sneaked in during the near future as the squeeze tightens :!:

As sugarless Sue says you can make your own - or just put a heaped teaspoon of bicarb into a glass of water, stir and swallow it fast, consoling yourself that it didn't cost you too much as it goes down! :lol: :roll: And yes, it does work! 8)

 

[stephenT2]

Wow, this is indeed a very lonely soapbox, but I suppose I should have guessed as such.

In this country, we are all amazingly cushioned from the real cost of healthcare by the NHS. If we had to go to Boots every month and hand over £85 for a Byetta pen, or £100 for a months Metformin (60g), many of us would not only be incapable of paying such sums, but would be horrified if the price then suddenly rose by 150%.

The NHS is so huge, and unwieldy, it allows drug companies to take advantage and arbitrarily set the price to basically whatever they can get away with. Last year alone, in one of the toughest recession years in living memory, GlaxoSmithKline made £8.7Billion in 2009!!

That’s nearly £9,000,000,000 PROFIT! Which I find impossible to comprehend.

(or nearly 900,000 x £10,000 cars!)
(or nearly 200,000 doctors/year!)

Yes, I know, raising the price of Enos to the consumer by 150% is very small change in the grand scheme of things, but the lack of anger, passion, or indeed ‘who gives a ****’ from people is overwhelming. No wonder pharmaceutical companies screw us over on a daily basis.

If petrol went up tomorrow by the same amount, it would then cost £3/liter (that’s £13.60/gallon - £140 to full up an average car).

I’m guessing there would be rioting in the streets, wouldn’t there? Or would we just sit down and say, oh well, lets eat more chips, I believe we can use the leftover oil to run our cars.

There, rant over, I'm away for a nice refreshing glass of Enos

 

[Anonymous]

I have read this thread and I know it's in the soapbox, but really we are only talking about a Jar or sachets of Enos. It is only a health salt. I mean it isn't life threatening surely ? I can think of things that are much more important than the cost of a jar of Enos. At least it's still available to buy, unlike some products that used to be around, now sadly a distant memory.
That's probably why you haven't had answers apart from one or two.

 

[mazbee]

I sip soda water with a little lime juice (fresh Lime)
I first came across this when I had an upset stomach while holidaying in Goa several years ago.

 

[josie38]

This a lonely soapbox for you i'm afraid because it is not a life or death situation.

If you are getting stomach complaints and feel you need to have this sort of a drink 2/3 times a week maybe get some medication changed. I had stomach complaints from statins and bp tabs but my doctor changed them so now i dont get them at all.

The other reason you will be on your own about this is because people would pay £100 for metaformin or other meds that would improve quality of life. On the grand scheme of things not many people use enos as often as you so they are not going to get upset by the price increase for something they ocassionally use. So really ranting about something that won't affect millions of people across the country (whereas petrol increases would) will be a lonely place !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :lol:

 

[stephenT2]

because people would pay £100 for metaformin or other meds that would improve quality of life

At last, someone that understands the principal of my rant!!

Drug companies are a law unto themselves, they can charge what they want for anything, because people will pay anything because there is no real alternative. It's no accident GSK made nearly £9 Billion profit.

Another thought - any branch of technology decreases in price every single year. eg 5 years ago you'd have paid £800 easily for a laptop, yet now you pick up a much higher spec one for half that. Same with phones, TV's etc.

Now, a pacemaker (a fairly straightforward piece of tech) cost around £25,000, every single year that price goes up - why? Because, why not, if you were the drug company producing it, whats in it for you to keep reducing the price?

 

[Anonymous]

At last, someone that understands the principal of my rant!!

Stephen, one gets the impression you are not a happy man. Think of your blood pressure.

 

[stephenT2]

Hi Silver Fox,

Your response gave me a real laugh.... Last night I had just returned from hospital from a heart diagnostic procedure. Turns out I have coronary artery disease, and I'm now on a waiting list for a bypass operation and a new valve. I have only last month completed treatment for cancer, and obviously, I was diagnosed with Diabetes a couple of years ago.

To be honest, if it wasn't for bad luck, I'd have no luck at all :lol:

I don't drink, don't smoke, am not overweight, and my diet was always fairly sensible. My genes are really poor, and I could have chosen my parents so much better

Guess right now, I'm not a happy man, but I am optimistic, and am still smiling.....

 

[foxglove]

If I get a windy tummy I just use half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda in a very little warm water.Tastes a bit odd but certainly soon puts matters right, and that's the main thing.

 

[stephenT2]

Reckon I'll have to try one of those 'home remedies' eventually.

GSK recently announced that they are totally withdrawing Eno's from the UK market. No new stocks are being brought in so as they say, when its gone, it's gone.

That leaves their only rival, Andrews Liver Salts with a monopoly, and for diabetics, it's full of sucrose!

Now, bicarbonate of soda, what supermarket aisle is that on?

 

[foxglove]

I shall assume that you may well have found it by now - but just in case - it's on the home baking isle along with Cake mixes etc.

 

[Bigglesworth]

Go see the doc. My other half was prescribed Domperidom (I think that's what its called) and one tiny tablet per day keeps the problem away.

 

[stephenT2]

Go see the doc. My other half was prescribed Domperidom (I think that's what its called) and one tiny tablet per day keeps the problem away.

No way - the last thing I want is another dam tablet to take!! :lol: :lol: Have a look at this topic here to see why!

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=16425

 

[Bigglesworth]

Viewed the post reference. The other half had a triple bypass 6 weeks ago. Medication has since reduced from 29 tablets each morning prior to surgery to 7. Interestingly the amount of insulin used has also dropped dramatically. Tablet or fizzy drink? What's the difference if the underlying problem is resolved?

 

[stephenT2]

Tablet or fizzy drink? What's the difference

That's easy - one is a modern artificial drug taken daily, with inherent potential side effects and is banned for use in the USA.

The other is a pleasant tasting fizzy drink, that's been around for over 100 years, taken as and when needed, and makes you burp!

 

[Boe Jloggs]

Mod edit Louiseb innapropriate post removed.

 

[borofergie]

warning- washing soda is normally an irritant--

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