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What's the best cold/nasal decongestant OTC medicine?

RossMAN

RossMAN

Grand Nagus
I feel like sh!t and I have proclaimed holy war against PriceLine.com for fsckering up my tickets to Birmingham, AL next Friday ... now I can't go because the friggin' morons argh I can't talk about it, it's getting me all pissed off.

So what's the best cold/runny nose/nasal decongestant medicine that I can buy over the counter? If it makes me drowsy I don't care.
 
I have horrible allergies and I used to take Triaminic and it worked wonders. They have a lot of different syrups for different things. Also, the other day the doctor gave me some Sudafed and that's working pretty well also.

Good luck and I hope you feel better.
 
Originally posted by: RossMAN
I feel like sh!t and I have proclaimed holy war against PriceLine.com for fsckering up my tickets to Birmingham, AL next Friday ... now I can't go because the friggin' morons argh I can't talk about it, it's getting me all pissed off.

So what's the best cold/runny nose/nasal decongestant medicine that I can buy over the counter? If it makes me drowsy I don't care.
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That's too bad about your trip! 🙁

As for what to take, I generally take tylenol cold/sinus/flu, whatever my problem is! It is really a personal preference though as some OTC cold decongestants I simply cannot tolerate...
 
Thanks for the suggestions, please keep 'em coming.

I want to take whichever is most effective for nasal decongestant or I'll have to buy stock in Kleenex!
 
I swear by Sudafed (actually the generic -- Pseudoephedrine HCl) which works wonders for me. Note that it's strictly nasal/sinus congestion and won't do much for cough or sore throat (although since sore throat can be caused by mucus from your sinus it could theoretically help).

I've also used Drixoral and had good results as well.
 
whenever I'm sick I always put myself to sleep at night with a big dose of Vicks' Formula 44M. I've even gotten to where I like the taste 😱
 
Originally posted by: Jzero
I swear by Sudafed (actually the generic -- Pseudoephedrine HCl) which works wonders for me. Note that it's strictly nasal/sinus congestion and won't do much for cough or sore throat (although since sore throat can be caused by mucus from your sinus it could theoretically help).

I've also used Drixoral and had good results as well.
Click to expand...

This dude knows what he's talking about - I'm hooked on it also. And best of all (For RossMAN), you can get the generic 96 (48 doses) at Walmart for less than $4...it rules.
 
Originally posted by: BillGates
Originally posted by: Jzero
I swear by Sudafed (actually the generic -- Pseudoephedrine HCl) which works wonders for me. Note that it's strictly nasal/sinus congestion and won't do much for cough or sore throat (although since sore throat can be caused by mucus from your sinus it could theoretically help).

I've also used Drixoral and had good results as well.
Click to expand...

This dude knows what he's talking about - I'm hooked on it also. And best of all (For RossMAN), you can get the generic 96 (48 doses) at Walmart for less than $4...it rules.
Click to expand...

If I thought it were safe for me to drive at night I would go to Walmart and buy some.

But luckily my wife has some Tylenol Cold non-drowsy gelcaps, so I took two of those with some water. I feel like $@@! and my free luggage, Compaq Presarion 1500T and SMC 7004AWBR arrived today but I don't have the energy to open the boxes and play around with my new toys 🙁
 
nyquil, night or day. nothing else comes close.

you might be drowsy, but you quit coughing and you can breathe.. kills aches and pains too.

id rather be drowsy than sick 😛
 
If you really wanna clear your head, go down to a good Chinese restaurant and get a large Hot and Sour soup. Seriously!

JC
 
Originally posted by: JC
If you really wanna clear your head, go down to a good Chinese restaurant and get a large Hot and Sour soup. Seriously!

JC
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I can't stand Hot and Sour soup, prefer Egg Drop soup but they both suck.

Gimme a good hearty chili or comforting chicken noodle soup, yum.
 
Originally posted by: RossMAN


I can't stand Hot and Sour soup, prefer Egg Drop soup but they both suck.

Gimme a good hearty chili or comforting chicken noodle soup, yum.
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But medicine is supposed to taste bad.....
 
The key thing is this:
Make sure you get the expectorant by itself so you can increase the dossage to 400mg every 4 hours or more and force yourself to drink tons of water, like a quart or more per hour.


?Cold medications? are a combination of these 3 drugs plus aspirin or Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

1.Antihistamine ? reduces mucus production and can make you sleepy
Brand name Benadryl or Unisome or Nytol
Generic is Diphenhydramine hydrochloride They sell it in 25 and 50 mg tablet


2. Decongestant ? relieves nasal discomfort caused by colds, allergies, and hay fever. It relieves stuffy nose, opens nasal airways, and drains sinuses.
Brand names Sudaphed, Afrin, Cenafed; Decofed; Dorcol; Efidac/24; Pediacare; Sinutab
Generic is Pseudoephedrine is sold for adults in 60 mg tablets. You can double it if it does not make you wired or jittery.

3. Expectorant ? Thins the mucus
Brand names Anti-Tuss; Breonesin; Fenesin; Glytussin; Guiatuss; Humibid; Robitussin; Uni-Tussin
Generic is Guaifenesin and is sold usually in a mixture with antihistamines and decongestants like robotussin. Find a fomula where it is the ONLY ingrediant

You want to have each separately so you can taylor the dosing to your needs.
If you don?t want to get tired, then don?t take the anihistamine
If your head hurts, add tylenol.
 
Actifed includes an extra ingredient in addition to pseudophedrine: tripolidine HCL (I forget the dosage). The recommended dosage is 1 tablet, while I usually take 3. For me, it works extremely well, but does make you feel really strange. Take it with a lot of caffeine, and you'll feel drowsy and hyper at the same time.
 
But isn't Claritin mostly for allergies?

What are the main active ingredients in Claritin and what do they do (in simple speak please)?
 
Originally posted by: RossMAN
But isn't Claritin mostly for allergies?

What are the main active ingredients in Claritin and what do they do (in simple speak please)?
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IIRC: Loratadine.

Let me check.

-PAB

EDIT: Link

In short: Histamine blocker, Aka Anti-Histamine. Check glen's post for details.
 
Claritin is a prescription anti-histamine
Claritin D is Claritin plus Pseudoephedrine, a decongestant.

In the US it is marketed as a "non-drosey" anti-histamine.
In Europe, the dosage is doubled and it is not marketed that way.
In other words, most people get sleepy when taking the amount needed for it to work.
 
I definitely recommend pseudoephedrine as an OTC decongestant--non drowsy and activates those alpha adrenegic resceptors to constrict nasal arterioles to decrease mucous production.
 
For a stuffy nose, nothing works like an Afrin inhaler. The only problem is that if you over-use it, you'll get "addicted" and get a rebound effect where the stuffiness comes back worse than originally. This only happens if you abuse it.
 
rossman: zicam is the stuff you want. seriously. every doctor i know swears by this stuff, it always works, and for about 12 hours, too.
 
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