‘The biggest scam’: Pharmacist exposes ingredients in ZzzQuil, recommends Dollar Tree version instead

Despite needing FDA clearance to be on the shelves of your local pharmacy, some popular medicines just don't work. At least, that's according to a licensed pharmacist on TikTok.

This popular TikTok pharmacist is here to tell you what's worth your money and what will leave you feeling as sick as when you started.

Medicine scam?

Grant Harting (@grant_harting on TikTok) is a pharmacist licensed in three states and certified in integrative medicine. His website allegedly helps people save money on medications.

In a viral video with more than 840,000 views, he reveals what popular medications are actually scams. If you have one of these in your medicine cabinet, you might want to replace it with one of Harting's suggestions.

Starting off light, while ZzzQuil sleep-aid is effective, it's cheaper and just as effective to get the Dollar Tree version, he says. Harting claims the name-brand version is just "alcohol and antihistamine," and says the Dollar Tree version is more cost-effective.

Colace is a "stool softener." However, according to a study, it's really just a placebo. Instead, he says the experts in the study recommended psyllium fiber supplements (brand name Metamucil) which increase the water content in stool.

Plain Mucinex doesn't actually break up "gunk in the lungs." Harting recommends you get a saline nebulizer or a liquid decongestant that will have a soothing effect.

Next, Harting says Sudafed PE is "completely and total garbanzo beans trash" and might get pulled off the market. However, Sudafed (no PE behind it) is better, but you have to ask for it at the counter.

"Buyer beware, there are some issues with blood pressure and prostate issues that you need to talk to a doctor or pharmacist about," Harting added.

And lastly, Harting says Prevagen, which is supposed to improve memory, is a "scam full stop."

@grant_harting Licensed Pharmacist in Three States Reveals top 5 Pharmacy Scams! #asmr #scam ♬ original sound - Grant Harting

FDA crackdown

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

One FDA official said they believe the original studies using the drug were "methodologically unsound and do not match today’s standard."

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

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

The FDA still seems to be deciding whether these drugs, which essentially falsely advertise their effects, should be taken off the shelves and reformulated. This would disrupt a product type that pulled in $1.8 billion in sales in 2022.

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

Commenters react

"We had an hour lecture in pharmacy school dedicated to Prevagen being a scam," a top comment read.

"I tell ppl all the time that OTC sleep meds are just glorified Benadryl," a person pointed out.

"You need a website with all the collected information on the name brand garbage and replacement for it side by side," another said.

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

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