How to Select OTC Medication for Cold and Flu

Your local pharmacy is stocked with shelf after shelf of pills, syrups, gelcaps and drops all claiming to be the perfect cure for your cold symptoms. How do you know which brand is better? How do you know whether you need Tylenol Allergy, Tylenol Sinus, or Tylenol Cold and Flu? Do you need cough syrup in addition to your DayQuil geltab? Surprisingly many of these medications are EXACTLY THE SAME, just in different packaging. Which one is right for you will depend on your symptoms, the number of doses per dollar, and on which generic options are available. The key is to check the list of ingredients on each box, and to know what you're looking for. That's where this article comes in!

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Besides OTC medication, here are some more items to pick up while you're at the pharmacy:
• Orange juice (good for both hydration and Vitamin C)
• Ginger (or other herbal) tea - good for hydration, sore throat relief, and an immune boost
• Echinacea - some people find this cuts the duration of their infection by several days
• Zinc lozenges - some people find this cuts the dureation of their infection by several days

1. You will want to select a medicine, or possibly two-three medicines, that will contain the ingredients to treat all of your symptoms. If you're using more than one, you have to make sure that the ingredients don't overlap - otherwise you will be giving yourself a dangerous double dose. If you can find one item that will cover everything, that would be best.
   
   The active ingredients in a medication are the key ingredients that will actually attack your symptoms - these are listed seperately from inactive ingredients, which contribute to the taste, color, and shelf-life of the medicine. While inactive ingredients do differentiate medicines from each other to a degree, they're not important in choosing a drug for your cold symptoms. The active ingredients, on the other hand, are crucial.
   
   The key here is not the brand but the active ingredients, and that means that generics are just as good. Any time there is a generic brand available, it will save you money and give the same result, as long as you make sure the ingredients are the same.
2. For a fever, you will need acetaminophen, otherwise known as Tylenol. Acetaminophen does double duty as a pain reliever, so it will also take care of your aches and pains - great for a nasty flu.
   
   Tylenol on its own would do the job, but acetaminophen is a common ingredient in non-Tylenol cough medicines and hot drink mixes (like Theraflu) as well.
3. Stuffy nose, with that "all-blocked-up" feeling, needs a nasal decongestant.
   
   Pseudoephedrine, the ingredient in Sudafed Maximum strength, is the most-effective nasal decongestant. Unfortunately, it is considerably more difficult to get pseudoephedrine now and you must jump through some hoops to get it. The pharmacist keeps medications containing it behind the counter and you must sign special forms to get it. Thanks tweakers! If your nasal congestion is severe, it will be worth the trouble of finding a product with pseudoephedrine in it.
   
   Other nasal decongestants like phenylephrine are now common ingredients in combination medications like Dayquil, since they don't have to be put behind a counter. If nasal congestion is not your primary symptom and not too severe, these decongestants should do the job.
4. Antihistamines are used to treat allergic symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, and runny nose. Antihistamines frequently cause drowsiness, and are an important ingredient in medicines designed to put you to sleep (like NyQuil, which contains Doxylamine succinate).
   
   Diphenhydramine (the main ingredient in Benadryl) and Doxylamine are both classical antihistamines that are known to cause drowsiness; newer antihistamines like Loratidine (Claratin) and Cetirizine (Zyrtec) are less likely to cause this effect.
5. Nasal drainage is a frustrating symptom that can lead to sore throat and upset stomach. It causes a feeling of mucus dripping down the back of your throat. However, the primary reason for nasal drainage is dehydration and your first treatment is to drink lots of water, and possibly use a saline nose spray to rehydrate your nasal passages.
   
   Antihistamines frequently help with this symptom by slowing production of mucus. But antihistamines also have the effect of drying you out, so you will need to rehydrate along with your antihistamine if you don't want this symptom to come right back.
6. A sore throat is treatable in several ways. If it's painful, acetaminophen (which you may need anyway for other symptoms) can relieve the pain. Many cough medicines contain this ingredient, and the thick syrup form can be soothing. An oral anesthetic like Chloraseptic will numb your throat with a powerful antiseptic. Cough drops can also give relief if you don't mind the menthol taste.
   
   Home remedies are also effective in between doses of cold medicine - hot tea, honey and lemon, and cayenne pepper mixed with water have all been known to provide relief.
7. Uncontrollable coughing is best managed with the cough suppressant Dextromethorphan which is in most cough medicines (including Vicks, Robitussen, and Mucinex). It will remove the itchy feeling or tickle in your throat and give you a break from coughing fits.
8. However, while a cough suppressant will remove the urge to cough, it will not solve chest congestion that makes your chest feel heavy and your breathing labored.
   
   An expectorant will loosen the phlegm that is congesting your airway and allow you to cough it up. Gross, but important in speeding your recovery. The primary expectorant in OTC medicine is Guaifenesin, which is often paired with Dextromethorphan in cough syrup.
9. Upset stomach and nausea can be treated by bismuth subsalicylate (or Pepto-Bismol). This is not typically integrated into other medications and you'll need to buy it seperately.
10. Although it's counter-intuitive, diarrhea is often best treated by drinking lots of water. If diarrhea is continuous, there are many over-the-counter treatments like loperamide (Immodium), and Kaopectate. Remember to continue rehydrating as you take these drugs.
    
    Bismuth subsalicylate (Pepto-Bismol) can treat both upset stomach and diarrhea and is a good option for multiple digestion-related symptoms.
11. How do you choose between two drugs that appear to have the same ingredients? Three things: the amounts (commonly measured in "mg") of each ingredient, the number of doses you get out of one package, and the price.
    
    If you know you need a strong expectorant in your cough medicine, you can choose the box that has the most mg of Guaifenesin. But if you want your cough medicine to also include pain reliever for your sore throat, choose the one with acetaminophen.
    
    DO NOT go by the name of the medication - just because the box says "flu" and you have the flu does not mean it will treat your symptoms any better than another medicine. Many companies will offer "varieties" of their brand with different titles that contain the same active ingredients.

Tips & Warnings

• For faster symptom relief, use a medication that can be dissolved in water and drunk, like Alka-Seltzer or Thera-Flu. These products hit your system much faster than a pill or syrup and will provide relief much sooner.
• Hydration is very important when you are sick no matter what OTC drugs you are taking. And while there are many special drinks available that claim to hydrate more effectively, nothing is cheaper or better than plain old water. Drink water continuously when you are sick.
• A humidifier is also very helpful to keep you hydrated and to improve your sinus symptoms. Some humidifiers (Vicks brand, for example) will allow you to add a decongestant to the vapors that can relieve your sinus pressure.
• Hot showers can also help to clear your sinuses, in addition to washing away infectious germs.
• Do not mix medications that contain any of the same ingredients. You should space these out by a few hours to make sure you don't encounter any unpleasant side effects.
• If you are taking regular prescription drugs, please check with your doctor before taking any OTC medication.