Video: How to Select Pain Relief & Cold Medicines

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When buying medicine for pain relief, choose anti-inflammatory medicines, while colds can be treated with decongestants and expectorants. Buy pain relief medication and medicine for the common cold, but check first for contraindications, with tips from a family practice physician in this free video on the flu and colds.

- How to Select Pain Relief & Cold Medicines
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Video Transcript

If you go into a pharmacy it is easy to become overwhelmed from the vast selection of different medicines for your different symptoms that you are experiencing. Hi, I'm Dr. Savage, I'm an osteopathic family practice physician from Tampa. I'm here to plainly describe in my opinion which medicines, over-the-counter medicines would be most effective for certain symptoms. First of all let's talk about pain. It depends on what type of pain you are having. If it is from an acute injury such as muscle, tendon or joints, a mild sprain or strain, I would recommend anti-inflammatory medicines such as Ibuprofen or Naproxen which is a pain reliever and at the same time decreases inflammation in that area which doubly helps decrease the pain. Another situation with anti-inflammatory medicines that would be helpful for things such as a mild headache also menstrual cramps, very effective in treating menstrual cramps. Now for Tylenol also known as Acetominophine a non-anti-inflammatory type of pain medicine you can take that in the same situation and it may be just as effective for those symptoms but I would prefer to use that in situations such as you know having a mild headache but it is also good for treating fever. Now in terms of the common cold, sinus congestion you've got a couple of different selections. You've got expectorants and you have decongestants. Expectorants my favorite is Gwyfinicin. It does a great job of help cleaning out the mucous and helps you get the snot out basically. Decongestants such as Sudafed do a great job at drying the mucous membranes but one thing to be concerned about is if you have high blood pressure or a history of stroke or heart attack that is a contraindication of taking the medicine. In other words it is not the best idea to take that so in that choice I would recommend once again going with the expectorant Gwyfinicin. One other thing that helps with congestion would be nasal saline it does a great job at clearing the snot out. That simplifies everything you are looking at. I hope this is helpful the next time you go to the pharmacy. I'm Dr. Savage and I wish you the best of health.

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How to Select Pain Relief & Cold Medicines

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