Letitia asked
My son is Type 1 diabetic. I would like to know if the Kroger Nighttime Severe Cold and Flu cough medicine has any carbs in it so we know if he needs to take insulin for it?
At a glance
- Kroger NiteTime Severe Cold & Flu does contain carbohydrates in the form of sucrose (i.e. sugar).
- Brand-name NyQuil also contains carbohydrates in the form of high fructose corn syrup.
Answer
The amount of carbohydrates in Nyquil and similar generic products depends on the specific formulation. Nyquil comes in a variety of formulations and contains several different ingredients.
Carbs In Kroger NiteTime Severe Cold & Flu
The Kroger NiteTime Severe Cold & Flu product does contain carbohydrates in the form of sucrose listed in the “Inactive ingredients” section.
Unfortunately, it is uncertain how much sucrose (i.e. 'table sugar') is in the product and this will also depend on the dose taken.
Being an "inactive ingredient" the labeling does not (and is not required to) specify the exact amount of sucrose, and the associated number of carbohydrates, per dose.
Carbs In NyQuil
Another product, Nyquil Cold & Flu Nighttime Relief Liquid does contain carbohydrates in the form of high fructose corn syrup. It also contains an artificial sweetener, acesulfame potassium, that does not contain any carbohydrates.
The product packaging and the Nyquil website do not specify the caloric information of the product.
Although not an official source, one website shows that for each dose Nyquil liquid contains 93 calories, 19 g of carbohydrates and 13 g of sugars.
How To Avoid Carbs With NyQuil
To avoid carbohydrates, carefully examine the inactive ingredients on the product packaging.
Nyquil Cold & Flu Nighttime Relief LiquiCaps does not appear to contain any carbohydrates or sugars. It does contain sorbitol sorbitan solution which is a sugar alcohol that doesn’t contain any carbohydrates.
Any of the liquid Nyquil products would likely contain at least some carbohydrates. Tablets and capsules would not be likely to contain any significant source of carbohydrates.
>Because Nyquil contains a variety of ingredients in several different formulations, it can be confusing to determine exactly which product you have and what ingredients it contains.
It is usually best to figure out what symptoms you have and then match up your symptoms with the ingredients you need.
Sometimes this may only require one ingredient instead of taking a combination medication which could lead to unnecessary side effects or risks.
References
- MyFitnessPal NyQuil Calorie Chart. MyFitnessPal
- NyQuil Liquid. Vicks
- Kroger NiteTime Severe Cold and Flu Information. Drugs.com
