NyQuil
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
NyQuil, produced by the Vicks company, is a cold medicine designed to help relieve many symptoms of the common cold, and can be taken orally, in either liquid or capsule ("LiquiCap") form, at night. Its daytime counterpart is DayQuil; however, NyQuil, unlike DayQuil, is intended to induce drowsiness.
NyQuil was previously called MyQuil. Some states require pharmacies to stock medications with pseudoephedrine behind the counter due to fears that they will be used as an ingredient to produce methamphetamine. The pseudoephedrine was removed from some of the formulas in late 2005.
[edit] Ingredients
NyQuil's active ingredients are:
- Acetaminophen (pain reliever/fever reducer)
- Dextromethorphan (cough suppressant)
- Doxylamine succinate (antihistamine/hypnotic)
[edit] NyQuil in popular culture
- The album John Henry by They Might Be Giants featured a song which refers to a "NyQuil driver". While the lyrics were unchanged, the song was renamed "AKA Driver" due to legal issues — whether real or perceived — which required a title with no reference to the medicine. In addition, the lyrics to the song were omitted from the CD insert.
- Standup comic Denis Leary once performed a lengthy routine based on the concept of his having given up such illegal drugs as cocaine and marijuana and taking up the use of legal ones, particularly NyQuil, the flavor of which he referred to as "Green Death." He also made note of the large Q in NyQuil.
- Lewis Black humorously referred to NyQuil as "180 proof alcohol", calling it "the moonshine of medicine". In actuality, NyQuil contains 10% alcohol, making it 20 proof. Black also refers to the colors of NyQuil (Red and Green) as the only things that taste that way, in addition to them reminding him of Christmas.[1].
- The Matches referred to NyQuil in their song "December is for Cynics" with the line 'Let's get high on NyQuil and hibernate'.
- Saturday Night Live cast member Chris Farley spoofed NyQuil's advertised sleep aid in a skit promoting a product called Hybernol. The product was featured as a cold and flu medication that would put the patient to sleep for "the next six months" allowing the existing ailment and any subsequent ones to pass comfortably and naturally.
