Nyquil, much like it’s competitor Mucinex, are extremely common for folks who have severe colds or the flu and can be found at almost every grocery store or pharmacy in the USA or Canada.
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But while their ingredients are generally vegan, so in that respect they are vegan, they are both likely heavily tested on animals.
Nyquil in particular is owned by Proctor & Gamble, which is known for testing on animals with their other products, and with Nyquil it’s self. So in that respect Nyquil is not Vegan, as it’s a product that had animal exploitation involved in it and the profits go to a company that frequently abuses animals through animal “testing.”
Is Dayquil or Mucinex Vegan-Friendly?
Unfortunately just like Nyquil both of these products seem to have been tested on animals, and the companies that produce them seem to continue testing on animals, so we’d argue they’re not nessecarily 100% vegan-friendly even though their ingredients seem otherwise vegan-friendly.
So what should a Vegan do?
NyQuil isn’t the most healthy nor ethical product and has plenty of nasty ingredients and colorings in it, as well as is of course tested on animals, so I’d avoid it.
If you have a mild cold I’d recommend just toughing it out, being Vegan you should get better quite quickly and it shouldn’t be too bad. Some Amy’s soup or a homemade stew, maybe some Ginger tea, and you’ll be fine.
If you have a severe cold or the flu, as there’s unfortunately no real vegan alternative, it may be necessary for you to take Nyquil.
Nobody can be a perfect Vegan, we may accidentally kill a bug, we may accidentally eat something with honey in it, we may be in a situational where our physical or mental health requires medications that have been tested on animals. It sucks, but that’s how life is sometimes. Being vegan is about reducing and ideally eliminating animal exploitation as much as possible, as well as staying healthy and trying to prevent us from destroying our lovely rock called earth, it’s not about being perfect.
If NyQuil keeps you alive and kicking, or if it even prevents you from having to go to the hospital (and likely being given other non-vegan medications), TAKE IT.
It sucks that they tested it on animals, like most medications are, but there is no real alternative so if you need medication TAKE IT.
Try Ginger tea, a nice stew or soup with lentils and vegetables, eating spicy food, try something. But if it’s not something mild it’s best to just take it if nothing is working. Contributing a fraction of profit to a company that tests on animals, when there’s no other real option, is nothing to fret on when it enables you to fight the good fight another day.
