How to Choose an Over-the-Counter Cold Remedy

There are two different aspects to choosing an over-the-counter cold remedy--fighting the cause of your sickness, and lessening the severity of the infection’s effect. This article will focus on relief of symptoms, identifying what they are and what medicine will alleviate them.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

1. It’s hard to attack the cause, which are viruses. We still don’t have a lot of effective antiviral medicines. Antibiotics are sometimes prescribed, but they are for fighting bacterial infection and can actually lead to a build up in medicine resistance. There are several natural supplements that can help, including vitamin C, garlic, zinc, goldenseal and echinacea, but the reality is that you’ll probably just have to ride the cold out and let your body’s immune system go to work. Shun any behavior that will enervate your body’s defenses, like smoking and excessive drinking. Be sure to get plenty of rest and fluids. Warm green tea with honey is a good palliative.
2. Choosing an over-the-counter cold remedy can be problematic, since most of them are a mix of different drugs. However, you don’t want to over-medicate yourself or treat symptoms you don’t have.
3. A histamine is a neurotransmitter that can cause inflammation, sneezing, running noses and eye irritation. It’s frequently the body’s first response to an allergy and a cold. To fight these symptoms, take an antihistamine. Because they can cause drowsiness, don’t take them with alcohol. Common antihistamines include Brompheniramine, sold as Dimetapp Cold & Allergy Elixir or Robitussin Allergy & Cough Liquid; Chlorpheniramine, branded as Singlet; Dimenhydrinate , Dramamine Original; Diphenhydramine, sold as Benadryl Allergy and Doxylamine which you’ll find in Vicks NyQuil, and Alka-Seltzer Plus Night-Time Cold Medicine; and Loratadine, also known as Claritin, the first over-the-counter non drowsy antihistamine.
4. Another side effect of a cold is the swelling of the mucous membranes, especially in the nose. Decongestants constrict these blood vessels, allowing greater air flow. Don’t take them with vasodilators like L- Arginine. One popular decongestant is pseudoephedrine, which is sold commonly as Sudafed or Neo-synephrine. Side effects of decongestants may include agitation or nervousness. Because these drugs are systemic, they can constrict other blood vessels leading to rise in blood pressure. Nasal sprays are a better way to deliver decongestants because they are topical. Afrin and Vicks Sinex contain oxymetazoline hydrochloride. Because nasal decongestants work so fast and well, many people use them longer than the 3 day recommended limit. Paradoxically, this can lead to a rebound effect where the body’s mucous membranes start to swell in anticipation of the relief from the decongestant.
5. Analgesics provide pain relief. These include aspirin, acetaminophen (Tylenol), ibuprofen (Advil and Motrin), all of which also lower fever. Ibuprofen reduces inflammation as well.
6. Since mucous is very sticky, too much can harbor microbe growth in the lungs. Expectorants make phlegm easier to cough up, helping to keep airways open. One popular expectorant is Guaifenesin, sold as Mucinex.
7. Finally, there is a class of cough suppressants. Don’t use them if you have a wet cough and you’re producing a lot of mucous. If the cough is dry, take a remedy with dextromethorphan such as Robitussin and Coricidin. But don’t take too much. In large doses it can act as a hallucinogenic drug.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a sustained temperature in the 100's for more than a couple of days and seem to be getting worse, seek medical attention.
• Robitussin abuse is a growing problem with teenagers who turn to it because it's easier to get than alcohol.