Do nurses really KNOW?

I had a bit of a cold last weekend. And since I'm supposed to take the bus this Friday, I decided not to take any chances and go and see the doctor. (it's awful to travel long-distance when you're sick!) The doctor gave me three kinds of medicine, one for the cold, one for inflammation (come to think of it, why had I never heard of this anti-inflammation medicine when I was a child? The French doctors love prescribing it, though...and I never really quite understood what it was for; still don't, actually), and one for sore throat.

The nurse at the dispensing counter was the one who handed me the different pills and told me what they were for. Then I moved away from the counter and put the pills in my bag...with a quick glance at what they were (what was written on the packets) so I could remember which was which later.

And I noticed that the sore throat pills were rather big...and resembled Dequadin. What's more, the commercial name was Sunquadin!

So here, I went back to the counter (there wasn't anyone there at the moment) and asked the nurse, "Is this pill to chew or to swallow?"

And she replied, "Either, as you like."

I checked out the drug's name on the Internet when I got home, and yup, it contains the same active ingredient as Dequadin (dequalinium chloride) and in the same dose. So...they're perfectly equivalent.

For those of you who have used Dequadin before, you might know that we are supposed to suck on the lozenges slowly. So I searched some more and found that we are supposed to do that...be it Dequadin or Sunquadin or any other of its market names. (it's supposed to let it release its effect on the sore area slowly) So, nurse...what on earth were you telling me?!