I have had stomach problems since I was a kid. When I was a kid I used to have many stomach problems with some dizziness and was prescribed this green clear liquid for what my Mother was told was for "nervous stomach" . It worked wonders. No one knows what it might have been. Thanks.
What green liquid in about 1969 would have been prescribed for a nervous stomach?
Question posted by BobMm on 4 Dec 2013
Last updated on 15 June 2023 by Jaynesworld
17 Answers
I was born in 1947 so I remember the tiny bottle of GREEN DROPS in the medicine cabinet. I would have been given this in the 1950s and later. When we were sick mom mixed 1 teaspoon of the green liquid with a teaspon of sugar and very warm water . I believe it was made in Green bay Wi. You would fall asleep and wake up feeling so good. It was not bad tasting and smelled good. I had tried to find that bottle for many many years. It was a miracle. Im still looking if someone has a old bottle to sell.
There was a liquid green medicine that was called Elixir de butisol. It was prescribed for anxiety. It is said to have worked wonders! Unfortunately, it does not appear to be made any longer :( at least from my limited search...
Opioid based paregoric
When I had my daughter in 1987 she ended up getting colic. The doctor gave her a prescription which worked great! 6 years later in 1993 my son had colic and when I asked his doctor about a prescription with green clear liquid, he had no clue and told me to get something over the counter - which did nothing. This last year I was cleaning out old paperwork and found the receipt for the prescription I could not remember what it was. It was DONNATAL ELIXIR. I recently looked it up and it says nothing about giving to babies for colic?
It could have been HI FONG’s Tincture of Green drops. Came in a small bottle with a nose dropper wrapped in green paper. Tasted terrible.
Essence of Green Drops
I also have wondered what the "green liquid" my doctor prescribed for stomach ache; said I had "spasm in cardiac opening of stomach" and gave me that and I returned to work. Have remembered his words about where my problem was, but not sure I read the name on the bottle.
Donnatal
In the early 60’s I was diagnosed with a nervous stomach and was prescribed Donnatol, which I took throughout my grade school years. I still remember the smell and taste of it and the best way that I can describe it is, green NyQuil. To this day, when I HAVE to take NyQuil, I’m taken back to my childhood. I’m standing at my Mom’s white kitchen sink, she has a cup of water ready for me to drink after she gives me the heaping spoonful of “my stomach medicine”, after which I do the “nasty medicine groan” lol.
Back in the sixties, I was given a drop of liquid on the tongue everyday for nervous system issues. I was also a “blue baby” and very sickly as a child. I kept taking this elixir for years to stop fainting spells, etc. Years later I stopped on my own. When I asked my mom what it was, she said it was belladonna prescribed by a doctor who lived next door to us in Chicago. I once told a Dr. about this and he laughed and said, that’s impossible! You wouldn’t be able to function properly at home or school.
I bet anything it was Donnatal liquid. It was a dark green clear liquid. Am not sure they make it any more. I used it for irritable bowel and it really worked!
When I was a child I had taken the same meds. Green in color taste like a green sucker u would get in a banking the 70s. Not the ones now. But my question is. I have just been diagnosed with epilepsy and nonfocal seizures. It says one of the signs is stomach pains. I had seizures as a child was this given to children who had seizures then as well or no and again what might have been the name? Thanks
In the late 1950s and 1960s there was a frequent refrain in our northern Wisconsin home: "Lois! Get the Green Drops!! Margie (Bambi, Chucky, Beanie, Andy) has a belly ache (toothache, earache, side ache, etc etc)." Whatever our painful, nauseated, bruised, and bug bitten bodies suffered, we could ALWAYS count on Green Drops. They were served on a rounded teaspoon-tablespoon of cane sugar because both taste and smell were offensive. This was followed by a large glass of water. After ingesting the mysterious.
Green Drops and sugar I would lay down, apparently fall asleep, and ALWAYS awake refreshed and pain or bellyache free.
Years later I asked my mom, who still lived in the house we grew up in, if we had any of those Green Drops left. I found them where they were always kept. A small amount remained in the bottom. I examined the bottle of green glass with a green label. There was no U.S.P. mark on the bottle and most of the information was in Chinese. On the back at the bottom of the bottle in english it said: Ingredients: Alcohol 50% and Ether 50%.
It's no wonder it worked so well... it knocked all of us out!!
Bobmm,
Were you able to get a definitive resolution to your question?
I am so grateful I've come across your question. I've had the same question for 35+ years! Was a really sickly girl with stomach ailments galore. Had persistent nausea and vomiting as a child due to what was called a nervous stomach and anxiety. The doctor prescribed a green, liquid medicine that would instantly make me feel better. My grandmother would always rely on it when I was ill. I don't remember it having a bitter taste. I've tried for years to find out what this was to no avail. Anybody have any ideas?
No, nothing definitive. We must have been taking the same thing from what your describing. It was beyond helpful to me.
Okay about that time period the only thing i can think of in liquid would be couple come to mind not sure if still avalible but Donnatol liquid not even sure if its made anymore ask a pharmacy first the other that they might have would be Bentyl liquid this is still on the market and helps slow down stomach muscles of a nervous stomach, And also there is a chance it was something we made up
don't know how old you were than but they also had phenobarbital liquid and the last i remember it was green real tough this is all memory ;;;;;;;;;;;;;;as your doctor about these and see what with your symptoms are comfortable to prescribe..Chuck1957 retired pharmacy technician Cpht oregon.
Thanks much to all. I was about 10 years old. I remember it well. Stomach would start churning bad when I awoke. Terrible pains. Then I would worry about getting sick at school and it would just keep building. My current family doc is 10 years younger than me. He has no idea what it was. We have no records of what it was and it was many years ago I had asked my Mom about it. She is long gone. I don't remember it being really nasty tasting but I could be wrong. All I know is the terrible burning and harsh stomach aches and the somewhat dizziness would magically disappear. My doctor just thinks I'm a beat up guy who lived a little too wild in the 70's and is paying for it now. Thanks again.
I still wonder if it could be the Paragoric or the Donnatal? I know Paragoric took stomach pain away almost instantly. Do you remember if Paragoric was colored, Chuck? I seem to think it may have just been clear but it was SO nasty, bitter as gall but I honestly cant recall the color! I hated taking it but it worked so if my belly was griping, I took it well enough, nasty taste and all because it made the pain cease. They used to use Paragoric (tincture of Opium) in kids fairly often back then. They hardly use it now because of the opium. It is kinda silly really. They balk at giving opium but they feed plenty of kids addictive stimulants like Ritalin with no qualms at all! Recently we had a patient with an order for Paragoric and the younger nurse didnt know what it was-had never heard of it because you just dont see it used any more. If your Dr oakys it and you can find it (the pharmacy may have to order it in) Paragoric is a miracle for severe stomach pains.
After thoughts back in that time period There were several others around that were made by small companies that are not around and you could even get them by signing for them then,but real thinking most of those were a combination of parigoric which i am about 75% thinking it was a ugly green pure and now days most of those have been changed to tinc of opium few drops of eigher would take care of any stomach cramps,pain,even when it leads to diarrhea,,, give that i try rx only now,infact the tinc opium is a sch ii
wich is a written rx each time from the doctor. good luck
I was on the same stuff. I was trying to find out what it was. I was on it in the early 60's. The doctors put my son on it in the late 70's. it had a strange smell. I don't remember it tasting bad. Could someone tell me what it is
Well as you can see we have had several guess's personally i still think it is Donnatal elixir,,, or Parogoric elixir,,both are a dirty color more like green and have been used for years..chuck1957 medically retired pharmacy technician Cpht.
Thanks I know it was not Parogoric elixir (I though parogorice was a clear liquid) so it had to be the other. Thanks so much
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nervous, prescription, stomach
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