Cold Medicine Suggestions?

Dont believe Ive seen this posted here, thought since my recent cold I would see what works with others.

I find for me that benedral works best for a stuffy nose and dimetapp for coughing.

This past week Ive tried mucinex to help blow the crap out of my system and boy it does work.

Vicks 44 cough medicine seems to work instantly for stop coughing.

What about the stuff to prevent a cold or prevent it from getting worse? Zicam and what not?

Benedryl - being an antihystamine - only works on allergy-related symptoms. Won't affect a virus-related cold. Generic benedryl is also used in some products to induce sleep.

Ephedrine/psedo-ephedrine products are good to open the sinus passages, but products containing it are now behind the counter so methamphetamine losers can't steal it or buy too much. Keeps me awake at night, and I don't like the daytime buzz it gives me, so I dont take it.

yo

I guess that you have to watch your kids around anything (including cold medicines) now ...

Dallas, Kids, Heroin & Tylenol PM equals ''Cheese'':

"To see 11-, 12- and 13-year-olds is something very new to us," said Michelle Hemm, of the Phoenix Academy, a private residential treatment center for children. "They're babies."

The typical age for children attending the academy is anywhere from 15 to 17. But "cheese" is being sold in middle schools and high schools, lowering the age of the center's clientele, Hemm said.

The Phoenix Academy has received more than 40 referrals in the last few months. Nexus Recovery Center Inc. in Dallas and Dallas County's juvenile services department also show an increased number of "cheese" addiction cases. Timberlawn Mental Health System has treated one to two youths each week for "cheese" use, chief executive officer Craig Nuckles said.

The drug is turning up at more campuses and in greater quantities than last school year, school officials said.

It is unclear whether anyone has died from "cheese."

"These kids don't realize or understand that even though you call it cheese, and it's got a cutesy name, it's heroin — highly addictive heroin that's been around for centuries," said Detective Monty Moncibais, of the Dallas Police Department's narcotics division.

Black tar heroin makes up to 8 percent of the mixture and its cut with crushed Tylenol PM tablets that can be snorted. It sells for about $2.

The large amount of Tylenol is also dangerous and can cause liver failure, said Dr. Sing-Yi Feng, a toxicologist at Children's Medical Center of Dallas.

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scary :shakehead

-Bill

if in the US get the stuff behind the counter. It has the "pseudoephedra"(spelling?) that really works for me

My recommendation is to avoid all multi-drug "convenience" compounds; buy your cold/flu meds in single-drug forms and then just use what you need.

Why? Two main reasons. Firstly - why take drugs you don't need? Related to this - taking an antihistamine and an expectorant at the same time is like putting the accelerator and brake pedals to the floor at the same time - these two types of drugs have exactly opposite effects. Antihistamines try to "dry up" excessive excretions, expectorants try to liquefy gunk so you can cough it up.

Second - and perhaps more seriously - a lot of these multi-component products have acetaminophen in them. If you use more than one - or add more acetaminophen (Tylenol, etc.) on your own - you can easily hit the toxic level.

Yes, TOXIC. Way too many people think of acetaminophen as being completely harmless because it's unlikely to cause stomach upset. The problem is that taken to excess, it can destroy your liver - it should never be taken along with alcohol, for instance, or for a hangover. No one should consume more than 4g (4000mg) in one day - that's eight 500mg "Extra Strength" tablets. If you take those on top of a combo drug, you could seriously exceed the safe consumption limit.

So, here's a basic run-down:

Antipyretic/Analgesic: relieve fever/aches. Acetaminophen, aspirin, ibuprofen, etc.

Antihistamine: Relieve runny nose, hives, other allergic symptoms. Common ones are diphenhydramine ("Benadryl"), chlor- or brom-pheniramine maleate ("Chlor-Trimeton") or triprolidine ("Actifed"). All of these are sedating to one degree or another; loratadine ("Claritin") is the only non-sedating antihistamine available over the counter. Generics are often vastly less expensive than the name brand.

Decongestant: An oral decongestant works by constricting blood vessels, which can be a problem for people with high blood pressure or other vascular problems. Pseudoephedrine was the most commonly used such drug, but many states have restricted its sales due to the fact it can be used as a raw material to make methamphetamine. The unrestricted alternative is Phenylephrine; unfortunately, it's not yet available in a time release (12 or 24 hour) dosage form, and thus must be taken every 4 to 6 hours.

Expectorant: Guaifenesin increases secretion of water, thinning phlegm and making it easier to cough up. Note that this is the exact opposite of what an antihistamine does, so taking both drugs at once is paradoxical.

Alcohol: often used as a solvent and preservative in liquid medicines. It can amplify the sedative effect of antihistamines (probably intentionally, in the case of something like "Ny-Quil".) Best avoided for children and/or diabetics. Not wise to consume with acetaminophen.

Luckily I haven't been sick in a few years, but friends swear by Cold-FX capsules to boost the immune system during the cold and flu season.

Buckley's cough syrup worked for me last time, but tastes absolutely horrid...

Bear, think you do have a point. I did try tylenol cold a few years ago while attending VCU as I picked it up from a local 711 and it did JACK SQUAT for me.

The Vicks 44 has done wonders for making me quit coughing.

As for pain relief, I find Bare works best, next to tylenol #3, regular tylenol does nothing for me.

Hot tea (Twinings - Earl Grey) and plenty of sleep.

Biker Bear said:

My recommendation is to avoid all multi-drug "convenience" compounds; buy your cold/flu meds in single-drug forms and then just use what you need.

Why? Two main reasons. Firstly - why take drugs you don't need? Related to this - taking an antihistamine and an expectorant at the same time is like putting the accelerator and brake pedals to the floor at the same time - these two types of drugs have exactly opposite effects. Antihistamines try to "dry up" excessive excretions, expectorants try to liquefy gunk so you can cough it up.

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While most OTC (over the counter) anithistamines such as Benadryl do dry you out quite a bit that it a side effect and not the intended result. I use generic Claritin (loratadine) to stop the production of Histamine which is what an antihistamine does. Histamine is what casues the inflammation and irritaion of tissues during an allergic reaction or during a cold.

Frequently I do take guafenisin while taking the loratadine becuase I find that it loosens the mucousal secretions in my sinuses (snot) to a degree where I can blow my nose. I do avaoid Benadryl (diphenhydramine) and chloramphenrmine types of antihistamines because they do dry me out and make the mucous thicker and harder to blow out of my nose.

So I don't necessarily see these to as mutally exclusive, but I agree on the "Multi Symptom" preperations as being overkill as I rarely need a cough suppressant (dextromethorphan) and like plain old aspirin better than most of the other pain relievers.

I try to just use Garlic and horseradish tablets. Echinasea tea w honey and as a last resort will use an Amcal brand cold and flu day/night tablets which usually do the trick. Plenty of rest and fluids too of course. Do I sound like your mother?

Yeah someone else uses horseradish! That has got to be the best way of blowing open a stopped up nose short of using a firecraker.

I am with Biker about avoiding the medicines that contain everything all mixed together. I prefer to take just the components that I want at the dosages that I want so I can make sure I'm not overdoing the pain killer/fever parts that are so hard on your kidneys and liver and such if you over dose on them.

For stopping the nose dripping I like "claritin D" which is a huge honking horse pill that delivers a constant, mind buzzing, nose drying stream of pseudoephedrine for a whole 24 hours. If those kind of things work for you, this thing will really work. But I only take it on the worse days as I hate how that much pseudoephedrine makes me feel.

I do sometimes use Zycam, I can't honestly tell if it makes a difference, but it makes you feel like you're doing something anyway. It's not really a homeopathic product even though it claims to be that. THere is an actual measurable amount of zinc in it, it only claims a 2x dilution which isn't homeopathic at all. Which as far as I'm concerned is good as herbal/mineral things can actually do something, where a 32x diluted solution of anything cannot

My favorite thing to shorten my colds though is my Sinucleanse If I"m starting to notice some post nasal drip and a scratchy throat I'll do that before going to bed and I really do think that it helps. It's also great for mild allergies as it washes the gunk out of your nose. I dont know about the spray product, but the neti pot really is worth experimenting with. I have read that dry sinuses are damaged and make it easier for the virus that your 2 year old sneezed into your face to get into your system, so in the winter if you do this when you are exposed to things it may help that too.

It takes some getting used to, but it's really not that bad. I often do it before going to bed and it really does help me get a good nights sleep without having to take so many other drugs to keep my nose from dripping. It's not a miracle if you've already got a really bad cold, but it definitely helps and since it's just salt water there are no drug interactions or other potential problems associated with using it. I highly recommend you give it a try.

I've been using one of these for almost a year now.

http://www.hydromedonline.com/hp.html

Haven't had a sinus infection since.

Cold prevention - should you want to? If it does not get you this year, it will get to you eventually. Worst still, you may have 3 to 4 colds in a year if you successfully avoiding it for the past few years. If you do, the only way is wearing a good mask and wash your hand before put it in your mouth. The mask is not practical, so you should just avoid coming too close to anyone that cough and sneezes. Also, avoid kids if you can. They are infested with germs. Sleep enough, have a balance diet, and exercise regularly.

Treating to cure the cold? There is no such thing. These medication only work to make you feel comfortable. So you can sleep better and suffered less. Your body is the only mean to kick these viruses ***.

Mucinex is my new friend. It really seems to loosen any head cold up better than anything else. And the fastest way for me to get rid of one, is to loosen it up. Help more with coughs if it gets to that point than any other cough medicine I have tried. But it's not cheap for an OTC.

Bright Scouter said:

Mucinex is my new friend. It really seems to loosen any head cold up better than anything else. And the fastest way for me to get rid of one, is to loosen it up. Help more with coughs if it gets to that point than any other cough medicine I have tried. But it's not cheap for an OTC.

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Look for other products that contain Guafenesin. Mucinex is just that in a timed release formula. If you don't mind taking more frequent doses you can do what I do and look for childrens cough medicine labled only for expectorcant action. Usually I can find one that is nothing more than a cheery flavored syrup with inly guafenesin which will be 50-70% cheaper than Mucinex.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/medmaster/a682494.html

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That's true, but I have taken Robitussin and other like it for years. My whole reason for liking Mucinex IS because of the simplicity. I can take it twice a day and get the full effect. I have a hard time taking meds at work on a schedule. So it is worth the extra cost to me for the simplicity.

At the first sign of a cold I take Cold-EeZe. Tabs melt in your mouth - taste TERRIBLE; but, I haven't had a full-blown cold in over 2 years (knock-wood ). While at Wal-Mart the other day and noticed that they now have lozenges which probably are a lot more palatible.

I believe the active ingredient is zinc-gluconate - any product with similar active ingredient would probably work as well. FWIW - I think Rush Limbaugh used to advertize and recommend a similar product.

Regards,

I rarely get sick so I haven't tried any of these medications. For congestion I just load up with hot salsa.

Am I the only one who treats a sore throat with a mixture of honey, lemon juice, and whiskey?


edit: It works, too!