When did lucozade become the default drink to grab when you’re ill ?

48 comments

1. That was its branding long long ago. You were truly ill if your parents thought it was worth going out to buy a bottle of Lucoade, which came wrapped in Lucozade-coloured cellophane and would be ceremonially opened.

   The transformation to energy drink, partly helped by the ad campaign fronted by Daley Thompson, came later.

2. Because of the sugars it contains it is easy to metabolise and as such was given to patients in certain wards IRC

3. [Since it was invented](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucozade)

   > Created as “Glucozade” in the UK in 1927 by a Newcastle pharmacist, William Walker Hunter (trading as W. Owen & Son),[a] it was acquired by the British pharmaceutical company Beecham’s in 1938 and sold as Lucozade, an energy drink for the sick. Its advertising slogan was “Lucozade aids recovery”. It was sold mostly in pharmacies up until the 1980s before it was more readily available as a sports drink in shops across the UK.

4. Lucozade marketing is working I see.

5. No my mother also does it and now I do too, it replaces lost vitamins and sugars and hopefully gives you a much needed kick of energy.

6. Not at all, I’m 35 and it used to be sold in the chemist, I remember in primary school being given it when I was off sick.

   It’s still my go to hangover drink but Lucozade sport instead of the fizzy stuff

7. I’ve always had it when poorly. Original flavour obviously.

8. It used to be medicinal. Then Daley Thompson came along and told us Lucozade aids recovery and it became a sports drink. Then it evolved into a general purpose drink to have any time. It’s all marketing.

9. Since the 70s, it was always a drink you’d get when you weren’t well

10. It was originally a medical drink I believe of some sort then its marketing changed.

11. No idea, but it was definitely about as the “go to” when I was a teenager in the mid 70’s.

12. I used to get in trouble for pouring myself a glass of Lucozade at my aunt’s house, they only had it because my cousin was Type-1 Diabetic. But as a kid I just loved the stuff.

    Also, like Coca Cola, I think the fizziness helps with an upset stomach, perhaps by releasing trapped air.

13. Since it was invented.

    It was more powerful back then though because the bottle was wrapped in see through orange plastic (like the see through wrappings that were on quality street not so long ago).

14. As a kid in the 80s it was sold as a medicinal drink. I believe the healing powers were from the orange cellophane that the bottle was wrapped in. Looking though that for ten minutes was a good distraction from a tummy bug.

15. I think it just perks you up a bit! I’d always grab one to put in the fridge ready for a hangover the next day.

16. hospital champagne

17. Lucozade helped get me through covid a few months ago. Truly it is some sort of miracle elixir.

18. Literally in the 1920’s.

    It’s always been a drink you have when you’re ill, my nan used to suggest it when I was a kid (obviously the shit tasting original one)

19. Back in the day, their tag line used to be “Lucozade aids recovery”. They only abandoned this when AIDS became a thing.

20. I certainly was given it as a child when it was glass bottles in the 80’s

21. Lucozade was medicine to us 70s/80s kids.

22. hey it’s scientifically proven

23. > Am I the only one that associates lucozade with some kind of medical drink?

    No. That was how it was growing up in the 80s for me. Lucozade only when you were ill.

    Now you have energy drink companies running 2 F1 teams and sponsoring a guy to parachute from space. An amazing change in just 30 odd years…

24. “Isotonic”

25. Since it was advertised on the telly as “Lucozade: aids recovery”. Which, as you can imagine, rapidly became unusable as a strapline in the 80s. So they rebranded it as a sports drink.

26. it used to be a medicine drink only but now its not ofc. the high sugar content sort of brings you back to life and gives you energy. now that doesnt mean monster or red bull will give the same affect

27. Flat lemonade (when it was still real sugar) with a pinch of salt is the same as Dioralyte.. a doctor in India taught the Mothers in his area to make simple rehydration solution with water, salt and sugar as the biggest killer of under 2’s was diarrhoea and vomiting and the hospital was full.. no kids have died since he started and most are treated at home..

28. I stopped buying it after the cheeky bastards at Suntory (the Japanese firm that bought Lucozade and Ribena) reduced the size of large bottles from 1litre to 900ml, while increasing the price at the same time.

29. Lucozade was originally a glucose-infused pseudo health drink called Glucosaid and the theme has stuck

30. Never. I don’t have that when I’m ill. Maybe just plain water or a tea.

31. Well my nana taught me this and she’s 78. So I’m guessing a long time ago

32. It doesn’t work any more, and it’s no longer recommended by health professionals for diabetics because of the recipe change – artificial sweeteners instead of sugar. Plus it tastes fucking rank now. They killed their own product.

33. 30 years ago when I was in hospital on the brink of death with pneumonia one night (3am) when I was delirious I became convinced some ice cold Lucozade would immediately cure me. So I started loudly shouting at the night nurse to get some. That’s all I remember obviously I didn’t get the Lucozade but did survive despite the furious nurse ha.

34. I remember it being sold in chemists when I was a kid in the 80s. I last saw the glass bottle, orange cellophane wrapped ones about 15 years ago in a small independent chemist… even then I remarked I hadn’t seen them sold like that in years.

    It was Oasis in a glass bottle in our family for sick children, even to this day if I try that drink I associate it with sick. Adults got the Lucozade when they were sick in our house and we were never allowed to touch it, must of sent us up the walls or something.

35. My mum always used to give it to me when I was Sick as a child. The slogan used to be “lucozade, aids recovery” apparently they had to change that as some people thought it cured AIDS.

36. In the 1960’s you knew your mum thought you were really poorly if she came back from the chemist with a cellophane wrapped bottle of Lucozade.

37. When I was like 4 and my Nan would give it to me when I was sick

38. Orange Lucozade + Anadin Extra = Cure for literally the worst hangovers, and probably many other things.

39. The sport orange version literally cures hangovers.

40. The 1970s

41. As a kid, the only time I saw lucozade was when my brother was ill. It was sold as an energy drink for when people couldn’t eat properly due to being ill.

42. Yup , back in the 80’s when it still had the shiny annoying plastic wrapper around the bottle.

43. I remember the glass bottles, wrapped in orange plastic.

    Supposedly, doctors had to tell people to stop giving it to I’ll people, as it causes diarrhea.

44. Regardless of the complaint, the school nurse would give us the fizzy orange lucazade. (C2000s)

45. Lucozade sport especially is brilliant when ill. Replaces lost salts, sugars and electrolytes.

46. It was originally sold as something to drink when ill because of the high level of glucose. My mum used to give it to me if I was ill and not eating back in the 1960’s

47. My gran used lucozade as medicine when she had cancer in the early 1980’s. Afaik it was always branded as medicine back then. I doubt anybody except athletes really needs something 19% glucose unless you’re pretty much having zero carbs in as food.

48. I don’t drink Lucozade when I’m sick but I’ll drink a cup of tea