Picking the Right Cold Medicine

It’s Best to Choose Cold and Flu Medication by Symptom

The key to picking the right product or products to help you feel better faster is to zero in on your symptoms. Also important: Whenever possible, stick to single-ingredient remedies to reduce the risk of side effects, says Nate Favini, MD, an internist and medical director of the nationwide healthcare system Forward.

“Choose a medication that’s going to directly address the symptom or symptoms that are bothering you rather than a cocktail that may include things you don’t need,” he says. For example, if the label of a cold or flu medication says that it treats fevers, coughs, and runny noses but you have only a cough, choose a simple cough suppressant instead.

The best medicine for nagging cough:

Cough suppressants, known as antitussives, inhibit the cough reflex in the brain. The common cough suppressant dextromethorphan (DXM or DM) can be found alone in products such as Robitussin Cough Gels and CVS Health Tussin Cough Liquid Gels, or in combination with other active ingredients as in Vicks Dayquil Cough and Delsym Adult DM Cough + Chest Congestion Relief Liquid.

Expectorants such as guaifenesin (Mucinex, Guai-Aid) work chiefly by thinning mucus so it is easier to cough up and out.

Antihistamines block histamine, a chemical the body releases that triggers runny nose and watery eyes. “Coughs can be caused by postnasal drip — a trickle of mucus and other secretions that stimulates nerves in the back of the throat — in which case drying up the source with an antihistamine is the best way to treat it,” says Dr. Favini. Widely used brands include Benadryl Allergy & Cold and Actifed Cold.

The best medicine for runny nose, sneezing, and itchy, watery eyes:

Antihistamines, as noted above, are often found in combination cold and flu medication because they help treat sniffling, sneezing, itchy, and watery eyes and are the best meds for drying up a runny nose. Options include doxylamine (NyQuil, Alka-Seltzer Plus Night Time Cold Medicine), brompheniramine (Robitussin Cold & Allergy, Dimetapp Cold, Allergy Elixir), and diphenhydramine (Benadryl, Nytol). Some antihistamines also help you sleep through the night because they can cause drowsiness.

The best medicine for stuffy nose and sinus pain:

Decongestants shrink swollen blood vessels and tissues in your nose, making breathing easier. One type, pseudoephedrine (Contac Cold 12 Hour, Sudafed), is sold without a prescription but only from behind the pharmacy counter and in limited quantities because it can be used to make the illegal drug methamphetamine (meth).

Nasal decongestant sprays containing the active ingredient oxymetazoline (Afrin, Sinex) do a good job of reducing stuffiness after just one dose, shows research in the December 1, 2019, issue of the journal Rhinology. However, you shouldn’t use these sprays for more than three days in a row or your stuffy nose could get worse, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians. Preservative-free saline nasal sprays (Ayr, Flo Saline Plus), which contain a small amount of salt diluted in sterilized water to help moisturize inflamed nasal passages, tend to be safe for daily use in people of all ages.

The best medicine for fever, sore throat, and/or aches and pains:

Acetaminophen, best known by the brand name Tylenol, is primarily used as a fever reducer, although research in the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews suggests it may also relieve cold-related aches and pains. Acetaminophen is safe for most people if taken as directed. It is found in many combination remedies, such as Tylenol Cold + Flu Severe Caplets and Vicks Dayquil Cold & Flu Relief Liquicaps.

Because overdoing acetaminophen can cause serious harm to the liver, avoid using more than one product that contains it at a time to avoid exceeding the FDA-suggested daily dose of 3,000 milligrams (mg) for adults per 24-hour period.

Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which include aspirin, ibuprofen (Motrin, Advil), and naproxen (Aleve), reduce fever as well as inflammation throughout the body. Other research in the Cochrane Database of Systemic Reviews found that NSAIDs can greatly lessen discomfort due to headache, ear pain, muscle pain, joint pain, and sneezing.

Note: Some cold and flu remedies such as Excedrin contain both acetaminophen and an NSAID.

Numbing throat sprays and lozenges made with benzocaine (Vicks Vapocool), dyclonine (Cepacol), or phenol (Chloraseptic) work like local anesthetics to provide temporary pain relief caused by a sore throat.

If you’re still having a hard time navigating the cold medication aisle, talk to the pharmacist. With a little customized guidance about ingredients, you may be able to enjoy better symptom relief.

Additional reporting by Nuna Alberts.

Cold & Flu: Runny Nose During The Cold Season

HOW TO STOP A RUNNY NOSE & CONTROL YOUR SNEEZING

Nothing is more irritating than constant sneezing or a runny nose that just won’t quit. Thankfully, there are steps you can take to get relief for your nose. But before we can put that tissue box away, we need to figure out what causes sneezing and all that sniffling.

WHY DOES YOUR NOSE RUN?

Your nose is a complex organ that acts as a gatekeeper against the germs and allergens in the environment. Even when you’re not sick, your nose is lined with mucus. When you inhale bacteria, viruses, or allergens, your mucus production can go into overdrive to flush out the invading cells. Taking the right medicine will help if your runny nose is a symptom of your cold, flu, or allergies, but there are other runny nose remedies you can try to get that dripping under control.

HOW TO STOP A RUNNY NOSE

Don’t let your nose turn into a faucet. If you’re tired of reaching for a tissue box, try the following runny nose home remedies:

• Drink plenty of fluids to thin your mucus, allowing it to drain faster
• Try using a neti pot, which is designed for nasal irrigation, to clear out your mucus
• Elevate your head by at least 10 inches while sleeping
• Use a humidifier to further thin your mucus and add soothing moisture into the air

HOW TO STOP SNEEZING

Though sneezing a lot is annoying, it is actually a defensive mechanism for your body to expel allergens and other irritants from your nose and throat. Sneezing is not normally a serious health problem. Instead, it is usually a minor response to everything from allergies, the cold or flu, dust, smoke, mold, or even the weather. Here are some tricks to help you control and suppress your sneezing sensation:

• Moisten your sinus with a few drops of a gentle salt water solution
• Enrich the air around you with a cool mist vaporizer
• Settle into a bowl of warm soup or hot tea
• Use an active air filtration system to minimize irritants in the air
• Avoid direct exposure to cold temperatures

IS IT A COLD OR IS IT THE FLU?

Though there is a lot of overlap between how you feel when suffering from a cold or flu, some of your symptoms can help you figure out the underlying cause.

Sneezing: though it is common to sneeze during a cold or flu, very frequent sneezing is often due to allergies.

Itchy Eyes: are often due to allergies. In general, feeling itchy is a good indicator of allergies.

Fever: a sign that your body is fighting off a virus. A flu will often cause a more severe fever than the common cold.

Aches + Pains: usually a sign of the flu and can be associated with a fever.

If you’re still not sure if you or your loved one has cold or flu symptoms, head over to our helpful diagram to better understand the cause of your sneezing and runny nose symptoms. 

WHEN TO TAKE MEDICATION OR SEE A DOCTOR

If your runny nose and sneezing is making you uncomfortable, you may want to turn to over-the-counter medication. TYLENOL Cold & Sinus® can help you get back to feeling better, and you can also discover the full line of cold, cough and flu products below. Or, use the information you’ve learned to ask your local pharmacist what the right Tylenol product is for you.

Call your doctor or seek medical attention if any of the following conditions persist:

• If your runny nose or sneezing does not improve with over-the-counter medication
• If new symptoms occur that are unrelated to a cold, or the flu
• Read the label for other conditions

Last but not least, always remember a sneeze travels at about 160 kilometers an hour, so be sure to keep your friends and family safe by sneezing into a tissue or your sleeve. The sick day you prevent, could be your own!

Find the best cold medicine based on your symptoms

The common cold is a viral infection that affects the nose and throat. The bad news is that it takes some time to get over a cold, but the good news is that treatment requires just a quick trip to the pharmacy. Cold medicine like decongestants and cough suppressants can help alleviate symptoms such as a stuffy nose or sore throat. Let’s take a look at some of the best cold medicines so you’ll know what to look for if you or one of your family members gets a cold. 

Types of cold medicine

The following list of cold medicines can help treat cold symptoms such as a runny nose, congestion, sneezing, sore throat, or coughing. None of these medications can cure a cold; they only provide symptomatic relief. 

Antihistamines

Antihistamines primarily treat allergies. Since there is some overlap between allergy and cold symptoms, antihistamines can also treat sneezing, runny noses, and itchy and watery eyes that come from having a cold. First-generation antihistamines are preferred over second-generation antihistamines because they’re better at treating symptoms like sneezing and a runny nose. Over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines that can help treat cold symptoms include:

• Dimetane (brompheniramine maleate)
• Chlor-Trimeton (chlorpheniramine maleate)
• Tavist (clemastine fumarate)

Other antihistamines like Astelin (azelastine) nasal spray or Emadine (emedastine) eye drops require a prescription from a doctor.

RELATED: Non-drowsy Benadryl: What are my options?

Cough suppressants 

One of the best medications for a cold accompanied by a cough is a cough suppressant. Cough suppressants are especially helpful to take at night when many people have difficulty sleeping because of their cough. Cough suppressants (also called antitussives) work by suppressing the urge to cough. The most common OTC cough suppressant for the common cold is dextromethorphan, as found in Vicks Dayquil Cough or Robafen Cough. 

For more severe coughing that lasts longer than a few weeks, a doctor may prescribe a cough medicine like codeine or hydrocodone-acetaminophen. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) doesn’t recommend over-the-counter cough medicine for children younger than 2 years old, and prescription cough medicines containing hydrocodone or codeine aren’t indicated for use in children or adolescents younger than 18.

Expectorants 

Expectorants help to thin out mucus, which makes it easier to cough up mucus and alleviate chest congestion. There are many OTC expectorant products available, which contain guaifenesin as its active ingredient:

• Robafen (guaifenesin)
• Robitussin (guaifenesin)
• Mucinex ER (extended-release guaifenesin)

Expectorants and antitussives can be found together in many OTC combination products, such as Robitussin DM (guaifenesin and dextromethorphan). 

RELATED: How to stop coughing at night

Decongestants 

These can be taken orally or through a nasal spray. “Decongestants are medications that shrink the swollen membranes in the nose, allowing for easier breathing,” says Morton Tavel, MD, author of Snake Oil Is Alive and Well. “Patients with high blood pressure should use decongestants with caution. [It’s] best accomplished under a doctor’s supervision.” A nasal spray decongestant, oxymetazoline (Afrin), should be used sparingly and for no more than 1 to 2 days, given its side effect of causing rebound nasal congestion. 

Here are some of the most common OTC decongestants:  

• Mucinex D (pseudoephedrine-guaifenesin)  
• Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) 
• Afrin (oxymetazoline) 

Pain relievers 

Occasionally, a cold can cause uncomfortable symptoms like body aches, headaches, and in rare cases, fevers. However, if you experience these symptoms, you might actually have the flu. Pain relievers can help relieve painful symptoms that other cold medications can’t. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like ibuprofen or naproxen, and other pain relievers like acetaminophen, can be purchased over-the-counter for pain relief and to help reduce fevers. 

Some combination cold medicines already include acetaminophen or ibuprofen, so it’s always a good idea to double-check the label before taking a pain reliever with cold medicine. Ibuprofen and aspirin shouldn’t be given to children younger than 6 months unless directed by a doctor.   

RELATED: What’s the best pain reliever or fever reducer for kids?

If you’re unsure about what type of cold medication you need, it’s always best to talk with your doctor. In most cases, a doctor will probably recommend over-the-counter cold medicine, and in rare cases, they may recommend stronger prescription drugs. Many people will ask their doctor for antibiotics, but colds are viral and won’t respond to antibiotics.

What is the best cold medicine to use?

The best cold medicine to use will vary depending on the symptoms someone has. For example, someone who has a cold and cough may need to take a cough suppressant, whereas someone with a cold and stuffy nose might need to take a decongestant. Taking a decongestant when you don’t have a stuffy nose probably isn’t going to help you if you’re searching for relief from a sore throat. 

Finding the best cold medicine depends on which cold symptoms you want the most relief from—find a medication that treats those symptoms. Some treatments even provide multi-symptom relief and would say so on the label.

If you’re still unsure about which cold medicine to choose, you can always ask your healthcare provider, including your pharmacist, for advice. It’s also a good idea to ask your doctor or pharmacist if taking cold medicine will interfere with your prescription medications, as drug-drug interactions can cause unwanted side effects.

How do you get rid of a cold fast?

There are many ways to help get rid of a cold fast. The average cold lasts anywhere from several days to several weeks. Even though you won’t beat a cold in 24 hours, with proper medicine and home remedies, you should be able to get symptom relief quickly, and recover in just a few days. Here are some of the best cold remedies: 

• Get plenty of rest: Staying well-rested while you’re sick with a cold will help your body heal faster by giving your immune system a break. Working overtime, staying busy, and exercising with a cold can put unwanted stress on your immune system. 
• Stay hydrated: Drinking water while you have a cold will help keep your nose and throat moist, reducing how much you cough and loosen up mucus that causes congestion. 
• Use a humidifier: Running a humidifier in your room at night will help relieve nasal congestion and soothe the nose and throat. This is especially helpful for reducing coughing at night.
• Try over-the-counter medications: Using an over-the-counter medication such as those listed above can help treat specific symptoms you might be experiencing from a cold. 
• Supplement with zinc and echinacea: Taking zinc at the first signs of a cold may help shorten the duration of symptoms. Not only does zinc support immune function, but it also has an antiviral effect. Echinacea may reduce the duration of the common cold by almost one and a half days, and it may also cut the chances of catching a cold in half. Like zinc, echinacea is best taken at the first signs of illness and can be purchased from health food stores and some grocery stores.
• Choose healthy foods to eat: Eating certain foods while you’re sick can lower your immune system. Refined sugar, caffeine, alcohol, and processed foods can keep your body from fighting off a cold properly. Fresh fruits rich with vitamin C and vegetables will help you heal faster.

Staying at home while you’re treating your cold is always a good idea if you’re able to do so. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends staying home if you have a cold to help prevent spreading it to others. Keeping children out of school or daycare if they have a cold is also a good idea to help keep others from getting sick. 

When to see a doctor for cold symptoms

Even though most colds go away on their own with a little self-care, some colds can become more severe and require medical attention. If you have a cold and have any of the following symptoms, you should consider calling your doctor to schedule an appointment:

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Wheezing
• High fever
• Fever lasting longer than five days
• Severe sinus pain

These symptoms could be signs of a more serious medical condition like pneumonia or asthma. Your healthcare provider will do a physical examination and ask about your medical history to determine what might be causing your symptoms. After your exam, he or she will be able to determine the best treatment option for you.

Allergic rhinitis – Treatment – NHS

Treatment for allergic rhinitis depends on how severe your symptoms are and how much they’re affecting your everyday activities.

In most cases treatment aims to relieve symptoms, such as sneezing and a blocked or runny nose.

If you have mild allergic rhinitis, you can often treat the symptoms yourself. 

You should visit your GP if your symptoms are more severe and affecting your quality of life, or if self-help measures have not worked.

Self-help

It’s possible to treat the symptoms of mild allergic rhinitis with medicines you buy from a pharmacy or shop, such as long-acting non-sedating antihistamines.

If possible, try to reduce exposure to the allergen that triggers the condition.

Find out more about preventing allergic rhinitis

Cleaning your nasal passages

Regularly cleaning your nasal passages with a salt water solution, known as nasal douching or irrigation, can also help by keeping your nose free of irritants.

You can do this by using a solution made with sachets bought from a pharmacy.

Small syringes or pots that often look like small horns or teapots are also available to help flush the solution around the inside of your nose.

To rinse your nose:

• stand over a sink, cup the palm of 1 hand and pour a small amount of the solution into it
• sniff the water into 1 nostril at a time
• repeat this until your nose feels comfortable (you may not need to use all of the solution)

While you do this, some solution may pass into your throat through the back of your nose.

The solution is harmless if swallowed, but try to spit out as much of it as possible.

Nasal irrigation can be carried out as often as necessary, but a fresh solution should be made each time.

Medication

Medication will not cure your allergy, but it can be used to treat the common symptoms.

If your symptoms are caused by seasonal allergens, such as pollen, you should be able to stop taking your medication after the risk of exposure has passed.

Visit your GP if your symptoms do not respond to medication after 2 weeks.

Antihistamines

Antihistamines relieve symptoms of allergic rhinitis by blocking the action of a chemical called histamine, which the body releases when it thinks it’s under attack from an allergen.

You can buy antihistamine tablets from your pharmacist without a prescription, but antihistamine nasal sprays are only available with a prescription.

Antihistamines can sometimes cause drowsiness. If you’re taking them for the first time, see how you react to them before driving or operating heavy machinery.

In particular, antihistamines can cause drowsiness if you drink alcohol while taking them.

Corticosteroids

If you have frequent or persistent symptoms and you have a nasal blockage or nasal polyps, your GP may recommend a nasal spray or drops containing corticosteroids.

Corticosteroids help reduce inflammation and swelling. They take longer to work than antihistamines, but their effects last longer.

Side effects from inhaled corticosteroids are rare, but can include nasal dryness, irritation and nosebleeds.

If you have a particularly severe bout of symptoms and need rapid relief, your GP may prescribe a short course of corticosteroid tablets lasting 5 to 10 days.

Add-on treatments

If allergic rhinitis does not respond to treatment, your GP may choose to add to your original treatment. 

They may suggest:

• increasing the dose of your corticosteroid nasal spray
• using a short-term course of a decongestant nasal spray to take with your other medication
• combining antihistamine tablets with corticosteroid nasal sprays, and possibly decongestants
• using a nasal spray that contains a medicine called ipratropium, which will help reduce nasal discharge and make breathing easier
• using a leukotriene receptor antagonist medication, which blocks the effects of chemicals called leukotrienes that are released during an allergic reaction

If you do not respond to the add-on treatments, you may be referred to a specialist for further assessment and treatment.

Immunotherapy

Immunotherapy, also known as hyposensitisation or desensitisation, is another type of treatment used for some allergies.

It’s only suitable for people with certain types of allergies, such as hay fever, and is usually only considered if your symptoms are severe.

Immunotherapy involves gradually introducing more and more of the allergen into your body to make your immune system less sensitive to it.

The allergen is often injected under the skin of your upper arm. Injections are given at weekly intervals, with a slightly increased dose each time.

Immunotherapy can also be carried out using tablets that contain an allergen, such as grass pollen, which are placed under your tongue.

When a dose is reached that’s effective in reducing your allergic reaction (the maintenance dose), you’ll need to continue with the injections or tablets for up to 3 years.

Immunotherapy should only be carried out under the close supervision of a specially trained doctor, as there’s a risk it may cause a serious allergic reaction.

Page last reviewed: 29 April 2019
Next review due: 29 April 2022

Can’t Stop Sneezing? Here Are 5 Tips to Survive Seasonal Allergies

It’s spring, the weather’s getting warmer, and flowers are starting to bloom. For many, it’s the most blissful time of year. But for those 50 million Americans who suffer from nasal allergies, not so much. The new beginnings of the season are often accompanied with red eyes and a stuffy nose. Kleenex, anyone?

Seasonal allergic rhinitis – also called hay fever – is unfortunately one of the most common chronic diseases in the U.S., according to the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America. Plus, it’s an equal-opportunity disease, affecting people of all ages, both children and adults.

While there is no cure for seasonal allergies, there are ways to avoid triggers that cause you to flare-up and treatment that can ease your seasonal allergy symptoms. Before exploring tips on how to manage allergies, however, let’s take a look at why you’re sneezing in the first place!

What’s Causing My Seasonal Allergies?

Like any allergy, hay fever develops when your body’s immune system becomes sensitized to certain particles in the environment that it considers dangerous. The seasonal allergies you have depend on the time of year when common outdoor allergens, according to American Academy of Allergy Asthma & Immunology, like molds and fungi release their spores or when grasses, trees or weeds release pollen into the air.

During springtime, tree pollen is the most frequent culprit of allergies. Springtime is also coincidentally “pollen season” when pollination is at its peak.  Then, summer tends to bring grass pollen allergies and fall ragweed allergies. To fight against any perceived invader, or allergen, your body releases chemicals, including histamine, into the bloodstream. And for allergy sufferers this results in allergy symptoms – your irritating cough, runny nose or itchy throat.

The best route to take is to first test for allergies to see what it is that is causing the allergic reaction.

How to Cope with Hay Fever Symptoms

Regardless of whether your allergies are mild or severe, or if it is a skin or eye allergy, it doesn’t take long for you to start feeling lousy after seasonal allergy symptoms strike. So how do you prevent seasonal allergies from getting in the way of your day? Here are some helpful tips to reduce or keep symptoms from worsening.

Tip #1:  Make Sure It’s Really Allergies

Before you can properly treat allergic rhinitis, it’s best to determine that your symptoms are actually a reaction to allergens. After all, your nasal congestion could be a sign of a cold or sinus infection. The symptoms for all three of these illnesses are similar, but there are some telltale differences that can help you pinpoint a correct diagnosis.

Colds and sinus infections often cause a runny nose with yellow or green discharge, whereas the mucus from allergies is clear and watery. Additionally, because a cold or sinus infection is caused by bacteria or a virus, you’re likely to have a fever with these. With allergies, even a low-grade fever is uncommon. If you’re experiencing sinus pressure, bad breath and achy teeth, you likely have a sinus infection.

The duration of your illness can also be a clue as to what you have. Colds and sinus infections typically last two days to two weeks; on the other hand, allergies can last anywhere from a couple days to a few months depending on how long you’re exposed to an allergen.

Tip #2: Avoid Extended Time Outdoors When Pollen Counts Are High

Chances are if the weather outside is rainy, cloudy or windless, your allergies won’t act up as much. Only those with extreme sensitivity to pollen or mold will have symptoms when the pollen count is low. However, if the day’s warm, dry and windy, there’s a good possibility you’ll be symptomatic.

To determine what the pollen and mold levels are in your geographic area, the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology’s National Allergy BureauÔ provide an allergen guide with accurate pollen counts.

Since pollen counts tend to be highest in the morning, with peak times in the middle of the day, it’s best to venture out in the late afternoon or early evening. If you’re planning on doing yard work, try wearing a mask. Those marked N95 are approved by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health as being 95% effective at filtering out particles.

Also, if you’re planning on exercising outdoors, consider going after work and make sure to shower in the evening so your hair and skin are clean and you’re not sleeping in pollen.

Tip #3: Allergy-Proof Your Home

Ensuring your home is a safe haven from pollen may require a little work, but it will help you keep allergens at bay:

• Refrain from keeping your doors and windows open during allergy season. Instead, use an air conditioner with a HEPA filter to help you regulate your home’s temperatures. This goes for in the car as well where outdoor allergens may be getting into your air vents without the protection of a garage.
• Take your shoes off at the door so you’re not tracking pollen or mold across your floors. If you have dogs or cats, make sure you wipe their paws and fur as well.
• Choose easy-to-clean furnishings, flooring, curtains, and blinds if you are an indoor allergy sufferer. It’s not hard for dust, mold spores, pollen particles and pet dander to collect, especially in crevices and hard to reach places.
• Your allergies could also be caused by the foods you eat – even in a seasonal situation, since some foods are only available seasonally. With food allergies, trying an elimination diet to remove foods from your diet, one at a time, to see if your symptoms persist after a period of abstinence. Gluten, dairy, soy, refined sugars, peanuts and eggs are some foods that tend to cause allergic reactions.

Tip #4: Ease Seasonal Allergy Symptoms with Medication  

If reducing your exposure to allergy triggers isn’t possible or effective, over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription allergy medications can provide some relief. Your local drugstore should offer a variety of products depending on your symptoms and whether you prefer tablets, nasal spray or eye drops – but before beginning any treatment, you should speak with your doctor.  

Antihistamines

How It Works: Block histamine from binding to receptors in your blood vessels which prevents symptoms like sneezing, itchy watery eyes and skin rashes.

Popular Brands: 

OTC

• Allegra (Fexofenadine)
• Benadryl (Diphenhydramine)
• Chlor-Trimeton (Chlorpheniramine)
• Claritin (Loratadine)
• Dimetapp (Brompheniramine)
• Zyrtec (Cetirizine)

Prescription

• Clarinex (Desloratadine)
• Vistaril (Hydroxyzine)
• Xyzal (Levoceterizine)

Possible Side Effects

• Drowsiness
• Headaches
• Dry eyes, nose or mouth
• Nausea & vomiting
• Stomach pain or Irregular bowel habits

Steroids (Corticosteroids)

How It Works: Contain anti-inflammatory steroid hormones that reduce the swelling of mucous membranes and provide nasal decongestion, relieving symptoms like runny nose.

Popular Brands: 

OTC

• Flonase (Fluticasone Propionate)
• Nasacort (Triamcinolone Acetonide)
• Rhinocort (Budesonide)

Prescription

• Beconase (Beclometasone Dipropionate)
• Nasonex (Mometasone Furoate)
• Veramyst (Fluticasone Furoate)

Possible Side Effects

• Nosebleeds
• Headaches
• Vision changes
• Dizziness
• Facial swelling
• Difficulty breathing

Leukotriene Receptor Antagonists

How It Works: Block the action of leukotrienes, or chemical messangers that have an important role in the inflammatory response that happens in your airways.

Popular Brands: 

Prescription

Possible Side Effects

• Headaches
• Upset stomach
• Tooth pain
• Dizziness
• Mild rash
• Upper respiratory tract infections

Mast Cell Stabilizers

How It Works: Prevent histamine from being released by certain cells in the body, known as mast cells, minimizing allergic and inflammatory responses in the body.

Popular Brands: 

OTC

Prescription

• Alamast (Pemirolast)
• Alocril (Nedocromil)
• Alomide (Lodoxamine)

Possible Side Effects

• Dry or irritated eyes
• Eye redness or pain
• Sensitivity to light
• Headaches
• Unpleasant taste

Decongestants*

How It Works: Reduce swelling of the nasal tissues and blood vessels, which make it easier to breathe through your nose.

* Note: These are not suitable for long-term treatment of allergic rhinitis and it’s recommended that they not be used longer than 5-7 days.

Popular Brands: 

OTC

• Afrin (Oxymetazoline)
• Sudafed (Pseudoephedrine)

Possible Side Effects

• Blurred vision
• Headaches
• Dizziness
• High blood pressure
• Fast or uneven heartbeat
• Easy bruising or bleeding

While there’s no significant difference between these medications, studies show that steroid nasal sprays tend to be the preferred choice for treating hay fever. If your seasonal allergy symptoms don’t improve, it’s possible to try another allergy drug or combine two different medications (e.g., an antihistamine tablet and a steroid nasal spray). However, you should read drug labels to be sure that two medications will not negatively interact with one another.

If allergy season hasn’t started and the experts are predicting it’s going to be a rough spring, you should start taking medicine for allergies before seasonal pollens or molds are present and your allergy symptoms become more acute or disruptive.

Tip #5: Consider Allergy Shots for More Lasting Relief

Maybe you’ve tried adjusting your lifestyle or taking medications as a way of doing allergy management and you’re still suffering from seasonal allergy symptoms. Your doctor might refer you to an allergist or immunologist to be evaluated for allergy shots, also known as allergy treatments or allergen immunology.

Similar to vaccines, allergy shots work by releasing a particular allergen into your system so that – with gradually increased doses over time – you become desensitized to it. If you choose to get shots, expect to receive a series of injections once or twice a week for 3 to 6 months during a build-up phase, and then biweekly and possibly monthly for 2 to 4 months during a maintenance phase.

While such allergy treatments may sound intense, there’s good news! Immunotherapy often leads to more long-term relief from your allergy symptoms even after you’ve stopped receiving shots.

Where Can I Get Allergy Testing Done?

The most important part of allergy treatment is knowing what specific allergens are causing your symptoms. This way, you can better combat them. Not sure whether your sneezing is from mold, pollen or other substance? From New York and Connecticut to Missouri, Oregon and California, GoHealth Urgent Care partners with health care systems near you where you can go to get an allergy test. 

Key Takeaway Points

Short from living in a bubble to stop your exposure to allergens, it’s difficult to protect yourself against all of the indoor and outdoor allergens that are always in the environment. But there is such a thing as enjoying spring, despite your allergies. By keeping track of your signs and symptoms, reducing your exposure to allergens and receiving proper treatment, you can do your best to stay healthy this allergy season. Hey, you might even hear less people tell you, “gesundheit!”

GoHealth Urgent Care partners with these regional healthcare providers:

How to Stop Sneezing: 8 Simple Tips

• To stop sneezing, avoid common triggers like allergens, dust, dry air, and spicy food.
• You can also help stop sneezing and treat allergies with a nasal spray or humidifier. 
• To prevent a sneeze before it happens, try blowing or pinching your nose. 
• Visit Insider’s Health Reference library for more advice.

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Sneezing is a normal biological response that happens when the mucus membranes in the nose are irritated. This is usually due to triggers like allergies or spicy food, or illnesses like the common cold. 

Though it’s not the best idea to hold in a sneeze once it’s happening, there are many ways to prevent yourself from sneezing in the first place. Here’s how to stop sneezing. 

Is it bad to hold in a sneeze? 

While you shouldn’t necessarily hold in a sneeze, there are a few healthy ways to stop a sneeze before it happens. 

• Blow your nose. “Blowing your nose can help clear your nasal cavity free from the irritant,” says Linda Khoshaba, NMD, founder of Natural Endocrinologist Specialists AZ.
• Pinch your nose. Be sure to do this before you sneeze, not during a sneeze. At that point, you’re already sneezing and the extra pressure can cause damage to your eardrums, nose, and eyes, Khoshaba says. 
• Press your tongue against the roof of your mouth. Doctors aren’t sure exactly why this works, but Khoshaba says it may help. Other common tricks like saying a certain word pre-sneeze — like “banana” or “pickle” — are less likely to work. 

1. Avoid your triggers

“The most important step in stopping your sneezing is by addressing the root cause,” says Khoshaba. “Figuring out why you are sneezing and eliminating these factors will be your best line of defense.”

Most people know the triggers that make them sneeze. Doing your best to avoid those — and to flush your nose when you encounter them — can prevent sneezing, Khoshaba says. 

Common triggers for sneezing include:

• Pollen
• Dust
• Mold
• Air pollution or smoke
• Dry air
• Powders
• Spicy or strongly-scented foods

2. Treat your allergies

About 30% of people experience

seasonal allergies
that lead to sneezing. 

Related

How to manage your seasonal allergies

If you have seasonal allergies, Khoshaba suggests starting with an over-the-counter allergy medication like Claritin. 

Most allergy medications contain antihistamines. These work by blocking the chemical histamine, which your body releases in response to an allergen. Antihistamines can reduce nasal swelling, which in turn can help you stop sneezing. 

If that fails to control your symptoms, speak with your doctor or an allergist who may recommend a prescription allergy medication. 

3. Reach for nasal spray 

When you encounter irritants that make you sneeze, like dust or mold, a nasal spray can help flush out particles that would otherwise cause you to sneeze, Khoshaba says. Saline nasal sprays can help clear irritants and stop a sneezing fit quickly.

If you’re anticipating an allergy flare-up, reach for glucocorticosteroid nasal sprays, which are useful for treating allergies, Khoshaba says. However, for these to be most effective, you need to use them consistently throughout allergy season. 

Important: There are a few different types of nasal spray — corticosteroids, antihistamine, saline — that are best for certain cases. Check out our guide on how to use nasal spray to learn more. 

4. Use a humidifier 

If the mucus membranes in your nose dry out, they’re more likely to become irritated. 

Related

The 4 best humidifiers we tested in 2021

Using a humidifier while you sleep — especially if you live in a dry or cold climate — can keep your nose moist and healthy.

5. Build your immune system 

Vitamin C (found in peppers and citrus) and zinc (found in seafood and meats) are both important for a healthy immune system, which can help you fight off viruses that might lead to sneezing. 

“Get plenty of vitamin C and

zinc
in order to build your immune system and reduce the impact of allergies and decrease the chance of infection,” Khoshaba says. “By increasing your intake of Vitamin C you may potentially be able to reduce the amount you sneeze in general.”

6. Drink chamomile tea

Chamomile tea is great for sleep, but it may also have antihistamine properties that can help keep sneezing at bay. 

Related

4 health benefits of drinking chamomile tea, including better sleep and anxiety relief

 Khoshaba recommends having a cup nightly before bed to soothe irritation. “It can be a great tool to combat sneezing by reducing the total amount of histamine in your body,” she says. 

7. Skip the spice 

Spicy and hot foods can trigger sneezing on their own, even if you eat them sparingly, due to a condition called gustatory rhinitis. 

“Gustatory rhinitis causes irritation or swelling in your nose that triggers sneezing,” Khoshaba says. Notice what foods cause you to sneeze, and avoid them in the future. 

Foods like black pepper, curry, and onions are all common triggers of gustatory rhinitis. 

8. Eat small meals 

Overeating can cause sneezing known as snatiation reflex, which appears to be linked to having a full stomach. 

Scientists aren’t sure why this occurs, but it can be avoided by eating smaller meals, Khoshaba says. 

Insider’s takeaway

Once a sneezing fit starts, it can be hard to stop. Blowing your nose, pinching your nose before a sneeze or pressing your tongue into your teeth or the roof of your mouth all may prevent sneezing. 

Still, the best thing you can do to stop sneezing is to prevent it before it starts. You can do this by building your immune system, avoiding known triggers, and keeping your nose well-moisturized through the use of a humidifier or nasal spray. 

“Addressing the root cause of your sneezing is always the best approach,” Khoshaba says. 

Can’t Stop Sneezing? 4 things that cause you to sneeze.: Health One Family Medicine: Family Medicine

2020 has been one big foul so far with all kinds of flus and pandemics dominating the headlines. Then there are seasonal allergies that bring with them a runny nose and sneeze – or both. In these anxious times, it is important to learn more about the reasons that may lead up to sneezing.

Here is our round-up of the 4 things that cause you to sneeze and when you should see a doctor.

1. Virus

Sometimes viruses bring about infections such as the flu and common cold which can make you sneeze. There are over 200 different types of viruses that can cause you to sneeze. The most common of these is due to the result of the rhinovirus.

 Although they are mostly common in the spring and winter, people can catch these viruses at any time of the year. In fact, most adults will get two to three colds every year, and children may have more.

When this happens, your nose may start to tickle, and you’ll know that you’re about to get a common cold. The nose is trying to expel the viruses and germs out by sneezing. Mucus is another way that your body flushes out germs, which explains why the nose may tickle.

2. Sinusitis

Sinusitis can be either chronic or acute. If the tickling sensation in your nose persists for more than a few weeks, you may have chronic sinusitis. It happens when the nasal passages become swollen and inflamed. It is common for chronic sinusitis to last at least 12 weeks and comes with the following symptoms:

• Fatigue
• Discomfort or pain around the eyes
• Difficulty breathing

3. Environmental irritants

The ambient air could be filled with things that may irritate the nasal passages. People who develop an adverse response to these irritants have what medical practitioners call ‘nonallergic rhinitis’. This condition shares the same symptoms as seasonal allergies, but it’s not because of an immune reaction. You may experience a runny nose, sneezing, or some other nasal irritation. Common types of irritants include smoke, cleaning products, and fragrances. 

4. Allergies

Allergic symptoms flare when the body’s immune system reacts to something harmless such as pollen, mold, or dust. The immune system overreacts by producing antibodies to fight the ‘foreign invader’ and protect your body. This will typically trigger cold-like symptoms such as sneezing.

Allergies may last all year long or could be a result of seasonal changes. When this happens, the nose will start to feel tickly and itchy, resulting in frequent sneezing.

When to See Your Doctor

There are many reasons for sneezing, most of which can be resolved by the passage of time or with home remedies. Sneezing is rarely a sign of a serious problem, but if your symptoms persist and don’t improve, you should go and see your doctor. 

Give us a call at (469)262-5762 or request an appointment. Our medical experts can determine the specific reasons that are leading you to sneeze and create a proper treatment plan to get you through your day as sneeze-free as possible.

Author

Health One Family Medicine

How to cure a runny nose. Preparations for the common cold

How to get rid of a cold quickly and without consequences for the body? To do this, you should find out the reason for the appearance of negative symptoms, determining the type of rhinitis (colds, allergic, infectious, etc.) and choose the right medication.

How to get rid of a cold quickly and without consequences for the body? To do this, you should find out the reason for the appearance of negative symptoms by determining the type of rhinitis (colds, allergic, infectious, etc.)) and choose the right medication.

What is rhinitis?

This is an inflammation of the nasal mucosa. The disease has two stages, each of which is accompanied by characteristic symptoms. In some cases, the disease takes a protracted course and then we are talking about a chronic form of the disease.

ENT doctors warn:

at the first signs of illness, you should definitely take medication for rhinitis.

Otherwise, the disease can lead to serious complications and turn into a chronic form that is difficult to treat.In addition, people with severe runny nose, sneezing and snot continue to visit public places, travel in transport and go to work, endangering others with infection.

A runny nose is extremely contagious! Young children, the elderly, and immunocompromised patients are especially susceptible to infection.

Attention! Do not use any traditional methods for the common cold! In cases where a baby, an elderly person or a patient suffering from any serious chronic diseases is sick with a runny nose, treatment is carried out only after consulting a doctor.So, with many forms of the common cold, such “grandmother’s” treatment leads to a significant deterioration in the condition. For example, when instilling in onion or garlic juice, severe irritation of the already inflamed mucous membrane occurs. It swells even more, sneezing worsens, nasal breathing worsens.

How to treat a runny nose in order to prevent complications and the transition of the disease into a chronic form? Modern medicine offers many medicines – these are effective drugs for the common cold of any kind.

Modern drugs for the treatment of rhinitis

Drops and sprays from the common cold

Drops from the common cold and sprays are the most popular and convenient dosage forms. They eliminate dryness and congestion, relieve inflammation, improve the general condition of the patient due to the restoration of nasal breathing. These medicines may contain antibacterial ingredients.

Pills for the common cold

In some cases, it makes sense to use other forms of medication for rhinitis. How to treat a runny nose with pills and tablets?

There are herbal and homeopathic preparations that have practically no contraindications and side effects in comparison with some drops. Preparations for the common cold in the form of tablets, capsules, pills are taken orally according to the instructions.If the drops mainly remove negative symptoms, the pills can be an order of magnitude more effective, since they act on the cause of the disease.

Ointment for the common cold

A remedy for the common cold in the form of an ointment is a convenient form of treatment and prevention of many types of rhinitis. Just like other medicines, ointments are:

• antiviral;
• homeopathic;
• combined;
• antiseptic.

Any ointment is used after consultation with a specialist.Homeopathic remedies for the common cold are the safest.

Oils for the common cold

Essential natural oils can alleviate the condition of a patient with a cold.

They have the following properties:

• antiseptic;
• antiviral;
• antibacterial;
• anti-inflammatory;
• immunostimulating;
• fortifying.

Oils are often included in ointments and drops, but can be taken as an independent dosage form (for inhalation).

Inhalation with a cold

This is one of the most affordable and simplest methods of treatment. Inhalation can be done with essential oils, herbal preparations, saline solutions, etc.

Procedure advantage:

• mild action;
• airway clearance;
• moisturizing mucous membranes;
• removal of edema;
• removal of thick secretions;
• security.
• Inhalation treatment can be used for any type of rhinitis in children and adults.

How to choose the right remedy for rhinitis

How to get rid of a cold? To do this, you should purchase a modern effective medicine and use it from the first days of the disease. The best remedy for a cold is the one that is selected depending on the symptoms and the type of disease. In addition, vitamin and mineral complexes should be taken in order to increase immunity. The social network of Stolichki pharmacies offers the possibility of booking any medicine at affordable prices.

90,000 Don’t sneeze at all! How to quickly overcome a cold? | Healthy life | Health

To combat just such symptoms, there are a lot of drugs that are sold without a prescription. What is the difference?

Are all drops the same?

TV ads for sprays and nasal drops dazzle the eyes. We are shown how they release a stuffy nose so that it can breathe freely again. Is there a catch here?

“Such drugs narrow the vessels in the nasal mucosa, relieving swelling and restoring breathing,” explains Professor Vladimir Kozlov, Head of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at the Central State Medical Academy. – There is no fundamental difference between them: they all have a similar mechanism of action and belong to the group of so-called adrenomimetics. I do not recommend only preparations with naphazoline, they have been created for a long time and act harder than others. The problem of all vasoconstrictors is the same – addiction: without them, the nose stops breathing. Many people still sit on these drugs without any colds, digging them in daily. Particular attention should be paid to those who have a deformed intranasal septum, enlarged turbinates, adenoids and other chronic problems with the nose.In such cases, addiction develops faster and is more difficult to treat.

Seawater sprays and drops can help with dry nose. But even better is to do a simple nasal irrigation – rinsing with copious amounts of salt water. It is ideal to use normal saline solution, which is sold in pharmacies, for this. But you can make such a liquid yourself by dissolving 1 tsp. salt in 0.5 liters of boiled water “.

Earlier – better

“It is important to start throat treatment as early as possible,” continues Vladimir Kozlov.- Better immediately when pain, perspiration or other discomfort occurs. This way you can stop the development of the disease. Rinsing with tinctures of sage, chamomile, as well as a solution of soda or salt is perfect. The most important role in this is played by a simple mechanical cleansing of the inflamed mucous membranes. If you like, you can use pills, lozenges and other drugs that need to be absorbed. They are convenient to use at work, on the road and in other cases when there is no way to rinse your throat. These remedies will also help with mild coughs caused by sore throat.We tested menthol and essential oil lozenges and they really did ease coughs. It is not necessary to use expensive drugs, cheap mucaltin, sage, chamomile and other plant-based lozenges help well. In case of severe coughing attacks, a doctor’s consultation is already needed.

How to treat cold symptoms

If the nose is not breathing

The most common drugs from the so-called group. adrenergic agonists:

Nazivin, Galazolin, Tizin, Rinostop, Dlyanos, Otrivin, Sanorin, Naphtizin and many others.drugs.

Do not use during periods when the nose is breathing.

In no case should it be used for more than 3-5 days (so as not to get addicted).

If the nose is breathing, but dryness in the nose, burning, discharge are bothering you

Take the following drugs: Evamenol ointment, Pinosol drops, preparations with sea water (Aqua Maris, Salin, Marimer), inhalers Kameton, Camfomen, Ingakamp and other nasal ointments and gels.

Relieve cough

Preparations based on medicinal plants – Mukaltin, Likorin, Terpinghydrate, tablets with sage, chamomile, “Cough tablets”, t.n. “Breast Fees”;

Healing lozenges, lozenges, tablets with menthol, essential oils and some other components * – Neo-angin, Strepsils, Falimint, Faringosept.

If the cough is dry and more severe, then drugs that depress it are taken:

Sinekod, Paxeladin, Tusuprex, Libeksin. Codeine is possible, but only with a doctor’s prescription.

Sore throat

Gargles or inhalations based on medicinal plants containing essential oils of eucalyptus, thyme, conifers, mint, menthol, camphor – “asterisk”, eucabal, bronchicum, mentoclar, medicinal preparations for the throat;

Sprays – camphomenus, inhalipt, tantum verde, hexoral, etc.e. Contains essential oils or antiseptics.

* These remedies also help with sore throat.

90,000 Competent treatment of rhinitis in children

It usually takes 7-10 days or more for a cold to develop, depending on the type of illness that provoked it. Severe illnesses, such as some types of acute respiratory viral infections (ARVI), as well as chronic rhinitis caused by specific infections (syphilis, tuberculosis, gonorrhea) are treated simultaneously with the underlying disease in specialized medical centers.

In this article, we will talk about how to properly treat a simple infectious rhinitis in newborns, children in the first years of life and older children. It is important that parents caring for sick children have some knowledge of how to properly care for a child with a cold and why this is important.

How to properly treat a cold in a child?

First aid

In all cases of a runny nose in a child, before starting any drug treatment (that is, drug treatment), you need to try to alleviate the child’s condition with available means:

1.Raise the head of the bed where the baby is lying. To do this, a pillow can be placed under the child’s shoulders so that the child’s head and upper body are at an angle of 40–45 to the body. (make sure the child is comfortable in this position). This will make the phlegm in your nose easier to pass and you may not need to use any medication.

2. If a newborn or baby has a very stuffy nose, you can try to suck mucus from the nasal passages with a rubber bulb or a regular syringe.In general, phlegm suction is used to help children who cannot blow their nose on their own. To suction sputum, you can use an ordinary rubber bulb with a fairly thin tip or an ordinary syringe without a needle. It is necessary to carefully insert the tip of a pear or syringe into the nasal passage of a child with a runny nose, so as not to injure the mucous membrane. The mucus is sucked out first from one and then from the other nasal passage. This procedure can be repeated as often as necessary.

Prevent the sputum from drying out!

The easiest way to drip a saline solution into a child’s nose is: In the case of a runny nose in newborns or infants, as well as a runny nose in older children, it is important to prevent sputum from drying out in the nasal passages – this can completely upset nasal breathing.

In order to prevent phlegm from drying out in the nasal passages, it is recommended to moisten the nasal passages with saline solution. To do this, you can use ordinary saline solution, or you can just use a solution of ordinary table salt in water.

Saline solution is instilled in 3-4 drops into each nostril. It is desirable that at this time the child lies with his head thrown back. The first penetration of liquid into the nose can be very unpleasant, causing coughing, sneezing, or even the urge to vomit. However, after several instillation procedures, such sensitivity of the nasal and pharyngeal mucosa disappears. The procedure can be repeated every 30 to 60 minutes. It is important to ensure that the phlegm in the nose does not dry out. Saline solution helps to liquefy sputum and make it easier to excrete from the nose of a child with a runny nose.

Instead of a saline solution, some experts recommend using oily liquids, such as an oily solution of vitamin A or vitamin E, which can be purchased at a pharmacy. Such liquids not only prevent phlegm from drying out, but also moisturize the nasal mucosa, relieve irritation, and have a regenerating effect.

Medicines for the relief of nasal breathing

In some sources, of course, you can read about the “danger” or “inexpediency” of the use of decongestants (this is the name of all types of drugs that, when instilled in the nose or when ingested, facilitate nasal breathing) in the treatment of acute rhinitis (rhinitis) in newborns, children infants and older children.

We must pay tribute to our colleagues, noting that such drugs can indeed cause some complications and that, if used incorrectly, they can aggravate the condition of the child. Immediately, we note that complications of the common cold arise not because of the drugs themselves, but because of their illiterate use. It is absolutely unacceptable to treat children with decongestants intended for adults and to give the child medicine whenever he pleases.

Below we will consider a description of some drugs recommended for the treatment of rhinitis in children, but first we note that refusal from treatment with modern decongestants can cause complications such as sinusitis.The fact is that all the nasal sinuses (two maxillary, two frontal, ethmoid and wedge-shaped) open with small holes in the nasal cavity. Microbes are removed from the sinuses through these holes. With a runny nose, children develop severe swelling of the nasal mucosa, which leads to the complete closure of the openings that communicate the nasal cavity with the cavities of the paranasal sinuses. As a result, germs accumulate in the sinuses, which ultimately cause sinusitis – an inflammation of the sinuses.

How do medicines that relieve nasal breathing work?

There are two large groups of drugs that facilitate nasal breathing: local (topical) and systemic decongestants.Both those and other types of medicines for the common cold act in the same way: they constrict the vessels of the nasal mucosa. Due to vasoconstriction, the swelling of the nasal mucosa decreases and nasal breathing is partially or completely restored. It also opens communication channels between the nasal cavity and the paranasal sinuses, thereby reducing the risk of developing sinusitis.

What medications should be used to treat the common cold in children?

Firstly, let us draw the parents’ attention to the specifics of drug production: one and the same drug is produced by different companies under different names.However, the active ingredient is always indicated on the package of the medicine or in the instructions for its use, which is the same in all medicines of this type. Therefore, when buying a medicine, pay attention not to the commercial name, but to the name of the active substance that is part of the medicine, as well as the concentration of the active substance in the preparation. Below are some of these examples.

Maxicold Rino is a combined preparation for the elimination of cold and flu symptoms

MAXICOLD® RINO is a warm care for the relief of cold and flu symptoms in adults and children from the age of 12 .

Advantages of the drug

• The combined multicomponent composition provides a complex therapeutic effect: antipyretic, vasoconstrictor, analgesic, antiallergic and strengthening
• is aimed at eliminating and relieving all symptoms of cold and flu:
  902

  • 45 reduces the temperature of the head

    pain

  • relieves aches in muscles and joints
  • relieves runny nose and sneezing
  • relieves nasal congestion
  • relieves paranasal sinuses
  • relieves hot breathing

    46

  902

  • activates the body’s defenses in the fight against infection
• has a double action * enhanced formula against runny nose and nasal congestion

9021 1 the effect of the drug is due to the properties of its constituent components:

• paracetamol : has antipyretic (reduces high temperature) and analgesic effect (reduces sore throat, headache, muscle and joint pain), provides a quick onset of action
• phenylephrine: has a vasoconstrictor effect – reduces edema and hyperemia of the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract and paranasal sinuses; constricts the vessels of the nasal mucosa, relieving swelling and facilitating breathing
• Pheniramine: has an anti-allergic effect; eliminates puffiness and hyperemia of the mucous membranes of the nasal cavity, nasopharynx and paranasal sinuses, reduces runny nose, sneezing, lacrimation, itching of the eyes, nose and throat
• vitamin C: has antioxidant properties; helps to increase the body’s defenses; compensates for the increased need for vitamin C in case of colds and flu
• balanced and verified composition:
  • optimal dosage of each of the components, sufficient to ensure a therapeutic effect and a favorable safety profile
  • paracetamol dosage is 325 mg and does not exceed the dose recommended by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration) for combination medicinal products; does not damage the gastric mucosa
  • without caffeine in a composition that can have a direct stimulating effect on the heart muscle and increase the load on the heart

Advantages of the release form

• Combined multicomponent composition – the ability to buy one drug instead of several drugs;
• hot drink powder – a popular form of release among remedies used for flu and colds;
• In addition to the actual therapeutic effect, the prepared drink MAXICOLD® RINO maintains an optimal drinking regime and the level of water load during illness, reducing the severity of intoxication;
• ease of use – quick to prepare, drunk like tea;
• pleasant taste of the finished drink, you can choose from lemon, orange or raspberry;
• 2 packaging options: 5 and 10 sachets per package
• affordability – saving money and reducing treatment costs.

Indications for use

• symptomatic treatment of “colds”, acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, accompanied by:
  • high fever,
  • chills,
  • headache,
  • runny nose,
  • pain in the sinuses and sinuses
  • nasal congestion,
  • sneezing,
  • pain in muscles and joints.

Other forms of release

Useful information

How to cure a runny nose and cough without medication – Russian newspaper

grandmothers, great-grandmothers and great-great-grandmothers in those days when there were no pills, drops or newfangled sprays.And nothing, they were somehow treated and, thank God, recovered – otherwise there would be no you and me … So, maybe you and I should look into the old grandmother’s “pharmacy” for the lost recipes of health?

When a cold begins, it is useful to rub the palms of the hands and feet with garlic, put on woolen socks and go to bed, keeping your hands under the covers all night.

It is also recommended to rub your hands with apple cider vinegar overnight, after holding them in hot water for 10 minutes.

You can rub your feet with castor oil overnight and wear woolen socks.To enhance the therapeutic effect, turpentine (1 tablespoon) is added to heated castor oil (2 tablespoons) and rubbed with this mixture on the chest before bedtime.

To quickly get rid of unpleasant sensations in the throat will help such an original and at first glance rather ridiculous advice: try … to sing. At first it will be unusual and difficult, but after a while you will get so drunk that you will forget about the pain. After a few chants, the symptoms of the disease will completely disappear.

At the first sign of a cold, you should drink two cups of hot tea with raspberries, lime blossom and lemon or hot milk with honey and a little soda, apply pepper plaster to your heels or put on socks with dry mustard, go to bed, cover yourself with a warm blanket and try to fall asleep.After a good night’s sleep and profuse sweating, you will feel much better in the morning. Otherwise, the next day it is necessary to switch to more intensive methods of treatment.

Burial

If you have a runny nose, do not rush to buy galazolin, naphthyzin, sanorin at the pharmacy. It is much more effective to bury the nose with warm olive, peach, rosehip, sea buckthorn, menthol or sunflower oil, as well as an oil solution of vitamin A.

There are probably several heads of garlic in every home.Garlic drops can be made from it. To do this, peel 3 cloves of garlic, chop them, pour 50 ml of boiling water, leave for 2 hours and instill in the nose several times a day.

Onion juice is also suitable for this purpose. It can be obtained by rubbing the onion head on a fine grater and squeezing the onion gruel through cheesecloth. At 1 st. a spoonful of water will need only one drop of onion juice. This mixture should be instilled into the nose every hour.

If honey is available, prepare honey drops.Dilute honey (preferably lime) with warm water in a ratio of 1: 2 and instill 5-8 drops in each nostril 3-4 times a day.

Rinses

In case of perspiration and sore throat, start rinsing with decoctions of herbs, especially sage and chamomile, as soon as possible. These herbs are practically indispensable for their anti-inflammatory and softening action of the nasopharyngeal mucosa. The tricolor violet has a similar effect. Herbal decoctions for gargling are prepared at the rate of 1 tbsp.a spoonful of herbs in 1 glass of water. The herb is brewed with boiling water, infused for 15-20 minutes, and the solution for treating the throat is ready. During the day, you need to rinse your throat at least 4-5 times.

Can be diluted in a glass of water at room temperature 3 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and 2 teaspoons of honey. Gargle with this solution 3 times a day. Prepare a fresh solution before each rinse.

The juice of a black radish “rips up” the throat well. A glass of juice should be diluted with half a glass of water and gargled as often as possible.In case of a strong cough, it is recommended to take freshly squeezed black radish juice inside. It is an excellent anti-inflammatory and expectorant agent. To prepare it, you need to mix 1 part of black radish juice with 2 parts of honey and take 1 tbsp. spoon 3-4 times a day. You can do without honey. Cut 6-8 tubers of black radish into thin slices, sprinkle each slice with sugar, and leave in a saucepan, covered with a lid. After 10-12 hours, sweet juice is formed. Take it in 1 tbsp. spoon every hour.

A very simple recipe is to drink warmed beer at night. Not very tasty, but useful: it heals the throat, softens cough, eliminates perspiration and restores a hoarse voice.

With the onset of sore throat, slow chewing of raw lemon, especially the zest, or gargling with lemon juice helps. After that, it is advisable not to eat anything for an hour. Repeat the procedure every 3 hours.

Inhalation

Usually, steam inhalations are done for respiratory diseases 2 times a day – in the morning and in the evening.The duration of any inhalation should not exceed 15 minutes, as longer procedures can increase dry throat and irritate the already inflamed nasopharyngeal mucosa. With extreme caution, inhalation should be treated by people suffering from hypertension.

Inhalations are carried out no earlier than half an hour after eating and physical work. During inhalation, one should not be distracted – read, talk. With a predominant lesion of the nasopharynx, it is preferable to inhale through the nose, and exhale through the nose and mouth.With a predominant lesion of the bronchi, inhale through the mouth, and exhale through the mouth and nose. In any case, after inhaling, you must hold your breath for a few seconds, and then exhale slowly. Breathing should be infrequent, of medium depth, so as not to cause a cough.

To carry out inhalations at home, you must have a saucepan or kettle (sometimes a tin can) specially designed for these purposes, a red brick, a large thick towel that you will cover when inhaling the vapors, and the main active ingredient that will exude when brewed healing couples.

Another auxiliary device is a funnel made of thick paper, through which, in fact, the vapor will be inhaled. The funnel is either inserted with its narrow end into the spout of the teapot, or a pot or jar is covered with its wide end (the diameter of the wide end of the funnel should be slightly larger than the diameter of the pot or the neck of the jar).

Most often they breathe over potatoes. But there are many other much more effective inhalation formulations.

Here are some of them:

add 5-10 drops of iodine tincture or 1 teaspoon of onion juice to a kettle with boiling 4-5 glasses of water;

put 3 tbsp in a saucepan.spoons of pine buds, pour 0.5 liters of boiling water, heat for 3-5 minutes over low heat, remove the broth from the heat and put the pan on a hot brick;

put very hot stones on the bottom of the pan and sprinkle them every 2-3 minutes with a decoction of St. John’s wort or oak bark;

put a half of a red-hot brick in a saucepan, sprinkle finely chopped garlic on it, which soon begins to smoke;

in a teapot for 250 ml of boiling water, add 2-5 drops of eucalyptus, menthol (1-2% solution) or fir oil;

is poured into a tin can with 250 ml of boiling water and a small amount of the Golden Star Vietnamese balsam is added.

Garlic inhalation is used to quickly eliminate cold symptoms. To do this, rub 3-8 cloves of garlic on a fine grater and quickly, so that the phytoncides contained in it do not evaporate, apply this gruel to a bandage 10×40 cm in size. The bandage is immediately placed on the bottom of an empty teapot and closed with a lid. Put the spout of the teapot into your mouth, pinch your nostrils with your fingers and slowly inhale the garlic aroma for 8-10 minutes. Exhalation is done through the nose so that the exhaled air does not enter the kettle. If you are persistent and do 5-6 such inhalations per day, not only the incipient runny nose and cough will recede, but also much more serious diseases – tonsillitis, bronchitis and even pneumonia.

Rubbing

They are used for artificial warming of the skin, for which it is smeared with any medicinal agent and rubbed evenly into the skin with your hands. After rubbing in, the oiled areas of the skin are wrapped in a warm handkerchief or scarf. Most often, vodka or alcohol is used for rubbing. But you can use other means as well.

For example:

onion gruel is mixed in half with goose fat and rubbed on the chest with a strong cough;

2 st.tablespoons of sunflower oil are mixed with 0.3 tsp of ground red or black pepper;

in 0.5 cups of radish juice add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tbsp. a spoonful of honey;

mix alcohol and castor oil in a 1: 2 ratio;

melted pork interior fat is mixed with turpentine and the breast is rubbed dry with this mixture.

Sometimes, instead of rubbing, they draw a grid on the skin with iodine. To do this, a thin wooden stick is dipped in a tincture of iodine and parallel strips are drawn along the chest at a distance of 5-10 mm from each other: first, horizontal, and then vertical.The iodine net is also applied to the washed and dry-wiped feet from the sole to the ankles. Usually this procedure is done at night.

In the initial stage of a cold, a mixture of essential oils should help: eucalyptus (11 drops), ravansara oil (11 drops) and cinnamon leaf oil (2 drops). This mixture is combined with 30 g of vegetable or almond oil, mixed well, then applied to the throat and upper chest and rubbed.

Put on your old pajamas, which you are not afraid to get dirty, and repeat the treatment several times a day.Rub one last time before going to bed. In the morning you will feel that the cold has receded.

Compresses

The compress is used for quick resorption of local inflammatory processes. It is applied to a sore spot – throat, ear, chest, back, nape, soles, calves.

Compress should consist of 4 layers. The first layer is a piece of cloth folded in 2-3 layers and soaked in room temperature water or vodka: it is strongly squeezed out and applied to the body.The second layer is oilcloth, waxed paper or cellophane. The third layer is cotton wool. The fourth layer is a cloth or bandage, which is used to wrap, and thus the compress is firmly, but not tightly (so that the vessels are not squeezed) is fixed on the body. You can also tie a woolen shawl or scarf over this structure.

The size of the first layer should be slightly larger than the area of ​​the body to which the compress is applied. The size of each subsequent layer is 2-3 cm larger than the previous one. The duration of the compress is from 1 to 12 hours, depending on the age of the patient, the severity of the disease and the type of compress.

Traditional medicine has a rich selection of remedies that can be used to treat colds at home.

The fabric is impregnated with sunflower oil and kept on the body for 4 hours.

Make a compress overnight by mixing 50 ml of vinegar, 20 ml of camphor oil and 30 ml of vegetable oil.

Red pepper powder, mixed with a little squeezed gruel of grated potatoes, is applied to the neck, chest, calves, soles or behind the ears.

Horseradish gruel is placed in a thin layer on a cloth and applied to the back of the neck for 30 minutes in case of fever.

Crushed potatoes, boiled in their skins, are mixed with honey, vegetable oil, alcohol, mustard and applied to the back in the form of flat cakes.

Pumpkin pulp is rubbed on a coarse grater, mixed with warm milk and rye flour and applied in the form of flat cakes to the back, chest, neck.

The throat is wrapped with fresh cabbage leaves and tied on top with a warm handkerchief. Leaves are changed every 2 hours. To enhance the healing effect, a fresh cabbage leaf can be ironed with a hot iron or steamed in hot milk and applied like a compress to the throat.

A mixture of honey, alcohol and sunflower oil (all – a tablespoon) is spread on paper and applied to the sore spot, a layer of mustard is spread on top of the paper and covered first with cellophane, then cotton wool.

At high temperature, grate 2 raw potatoes with skin on a coarse grater, add 1 tbsp. a spoonful of vinegar, wrap the resulting mass in a clean cloth or gauze and apply to the forehead – the heat will subside within an hour.

Baths

Baths with medicinal plants give tangible results for colds, but you must remember that you cannot take a bath at high temperatures and when you feel unwell.The water temperature should be between 35-37 degrees, and the duration of the bath should not exceed 15 minutes. It is best to take baths at night or an hour before meals.

For the preparation of medicinal baths, it is recommended to add to the water such plants as chamomile (flowers), pine (needles and shoots), oak leaves, birch, grass mint, oregano, wormwood, sage, valerian, yarrow. At the same time, 300-400 g of raw materials are poured into a bucket of boiling water, infused for an hour, filtered and poured into a bath.You can use 1-2 plants, but decoctions from 4-5 plants give a stronger healing effect.

Mustard baths contribute to quick recovery from colds. They are prepared as follows: dilute 250-400 g of mustard powder in warm water to the consistency of sour cream and grind until a pungent mustard smell appears. Pour the resulting gruel into the bath and shake it well in water. The duration of such a bath is 5-6 minutes. After the bath, take a quick shower and go to bed wrapped in a warm blanket.

Garlic baths are very useful. It is necessary to crush 30 cloves of garlic, pour them with 10 liters of boiling water and leave to infuse for 6-8 hours. Heat the resulting infusion again, without boiling, pour into the bath and add plain hot water to the required volume.

If you want to take a full garlic bath, then the ratio of garlic broth to water should be 1: 6. If sitting – then 1: 3. If you need to steam only legs or arms, then 1: 7. Just keep in mind that hot and warm garlic baths are energizing, so be careful not to overdo it over time.It is better not to do this procedure at night.

Wraps

Hot chest wraps are performed for colds accompanied by coughing, but only at low body temperature. This procedure is performed as follows. A patient with a naked torso sits in bed. Behind him is a double-folded fleece blanket, over which a four-fold sheet is slung.

The one who wraps, putting on thick rubber gloves on his hands, immerses a terry towel, previously rolled with a roller, in water with a temperature of 65-67 degrees, then quickly and strongly squeezes it and puts it on the patient’s back.Immediately, a prepared blanket and a sheet are applied over the towel, and the patient, putting his hands behind his head, lies on his back.

A woolen cap is put on the patient’s head, covering his ears, and he is wrapped with a cotton blanket on top. Unraveling is done after 20 minutes. A warm sweatshirt with long sleeves is put on the body. A patient wrapped in a dry warm blanket should be under it for at least 2 hours. The cap is not removable.

There is a saying: “If you feel a cold, starve it to death.”If you feel unwell, you need to urgently change your diet. Try to avoid heavy, heavy food for 1-2 days. Switch to a cleansing diet. Eat mostly salads, vegetable soups, and fruits. Drink more. Sweat teas and freshly squeezed juices, especially pineapple, are very useful.

Diet-Net.Nm.Ru

The best medicines for flu and colds?

January 11, 2017

Photo author, Getty Images

It is almost impossible to avoid colds and flu.There are many treatments for these conditions, but not all of them are effective. It is necessary to choose a remedy only after it has been precisely determined whether you have a cold or the flu.

They have similar symptoms, but are treated differently.

The cold is accompanied by weakness, but without pronounced pain. Influenza always starts with lightning speed, literally immediately driving you to bed.

Photo author, Getty Images

Enhanced nutrition for colds and gentle – for flu.

Most of us have heard about this, but experts say that not everything is so simple.

Perhaps people think so because during a fever the appetite disappears.

But you actually need healthy food to keep you strong. If you are not hungry, do not force yourself.

Photo author, Getty Images

The disease can be transferred “on the legs”.

Listen to your body. Don’t force yourself to be physically active, get some rest.

How much time you need to rest will depend on how you feel.

A mild cold should not hinder your walk or work.

Honey and Lemon or Hot Punch?

There is no scientific evidence for the effectiveness of honey with lemon, but they work better than whiskey, especially if you drink several drinks in a row.

Photo by Getty Images

Doctors recommend drinking plenty of fluids, that is, water, and an extra cup of tea or coffee.

If you have a cold or flu, you may be sneezing, coughing, and sweating. Therefore, you will need more fluid than usual.

However, don’t overdo it. It has been scientifically proven that drinking too much can be dangerous and even fatal.

Paracetamol or ibuprofen?

They work. You can even take paracetamol and ibuprofen at the same time to relieve your condition.It is safe.

Watch the dosage, it should not exceed the recommended daily dose.

Ibuprofen is best taken with meals or on a full stomach.

Eucalyptus or Menthol?

Photo by Getty Images

There is no evidence that they are effective, but they may provide temporary relief.

Breast rubbing or inhalation can help “unblock” your nose.

Vitamin C and Zinc?

Vitamin C was proposed for the treatment of respiratory infections in the 1930s.

It became especially popular in the 1970s when Nobel laureate Linus Pauling concluded that vitamin C could prevent and relieve colds.

However, a recent study by the Cochrane Group found that increasing the dose of vitamin C had no effect on the incidence of the common cold.

However, vitamin C is not so dangerous and in case of excess it will simply leave the body.

Photo author, Getty Images

But an excess of zinc in the body can lead to undesirable consequences.

Absolute contraindications

Stay away from antibiotics. Influenza viruses are insensitive to antibiotics.

The only case when their use is justified is the development of a bacterial infection.

Scientists have found out what makes a person sneeze

https://ria.ru/20210616/chikhanie-1737205790.html

Scientists have found out what makes a person sneeze

Scientists have found out what makes a person sneeze – RIA Novosti, 16.06.2021

Scientists have found out what makes a person sneeze

American scientists have determined the neural mechanism of sneezing. It turned out that parts of the brain that are not associated with respiration are responsible for this process. Results … RIA Novosti, 16.06.2021

2021-06-16T12: 58

2021-06-16T12: 58

2021-06-16T12: 58

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MOSCOW, June 16 – RIA Novosti. American scientists have identified the neural mechanism of sneezing. It turned out that parts of the brain that are not associated with respiration are responsible for this process. The study, published in the journal Cell, first identified the area in the central nervous system that causes sneezing more than twenty years ago, but until now little was known about how the sneezing reflex works at the cellular and molecular level.Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified for the first time certain cells and proteins that control sneezing. “Sneezing is the most powerful and common way of spreading droplets from respiratory infections,” the executive said in a press release. Research by Dr. Qin Liu, Assistant Professor of Anesthesiology, University of Washington School of Medicine – Better understanding of what makes us sneeze, in particular how neurons behave in response to allergens and viruses, will help create treatments that can slow the spread of infectious respiratory diseases “.In a laboratory study, the authors exposed mice to aerosol droplets containing histamine or capsaicin, the pungent compounds derived from chili peppers that make both mice and humans sneeze. By observing the response of nerve cells to capsaicin, scientists first identified a small group of neurons associated with sneezing and then identified molecules, neuropeptides, that transmit sneezing signals to these nerve cells. It turned out that a molecule called neuromedin B (NMB) is required for sneezing.By removing NMD-sensitive neurons in mice in the part of the nervous system responsible for sneezing, the researchers blocked this reflex. “Interestingly, the neurons that cause sneezing are not in any of the known regions of the brain associated with respiration, but they are these areas through their axons, ”says Dr. Liu. The authors also found that they could stimulate the sneezing reflex by targeting a specific area of ​​the mouse brain with the NMB peptide. In this case, the animals began to sneeze in the absence of any external stimuli.“We’re exploring the neural mechanism behind sneezing as many people, including my family, suffer from problems such as seasonal allergies and viral infections. Our goal is to figure out how neurons behave in response to allergies and viral infections. , causing itchy eyes, sneezing and other symptoms “, – explains the scientist. Since many viruses, including the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, spread mainly aerosol, the authors propose to develop a drug that suppresses the production of the NMB molecule, which can be used by infected people to protect others.”When sneezing, about twenty thousand droplets containing the virus are released, which remain in the air for up to ten minutes. To prevent future viral outbreaks and help treat allergic sneezing, it is important to understand the pathways that trigger this reflex to block them,” Liu said.

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MOSCOW, June 16 – RIA Novosti. American scientists have identified the neural mechanism of sneezing. It turned out that parts of the brain that are not associated with respiration are responsible for this process. The results of the study are published in the journal Cell.

Scientists first identified the area in the central nervous system that causes sneezing more than twenty years ago, but until now little was known about how the sneezing reflex works at the cellular and molecular level.

Researchers at the University of Washington School of Medicine in St. Louis and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have identified for the first time certain cells and proteins that control sneezing.

“Sneezing is the most powerful and common way of spreading droplets from respiratory infections,” said study leader Dr. Qin Liu, associate professor of anesthesiology at the University of Washington School of Medicine, in a press release. in particular, how neurons behave in response to allergens and viruses will help create therapies that can slow the spread of infectious respiratory diseases. “

In a laboratory study, the authors exposed mice to aerosol droplets containing histamine or capsaicin, the pungent compounds derived from chili peppers that make both mice and humans sneeze. By observing the response of nerve cells to capsaicin, scientists first identified a small group of neurons associated with sneezing and then identified molecules, neuropeptides, that transmit sneezing signals to these nerve cells.

June 15, 16:56By removing NMD-sensitive neurons in the part of the nervous system responsible for sneezing in mice, the researchers blocked this reflex.

“Interestingly, the neurons that cause sneezing are not in any of the known areas of the brain associated with respiration, but they are connected to these areas through their axons,” says Dr. Liu.

The authors also found that they can stimulate the sneezing reflex by targeting a specific area of ​​the mouse brain with the NMB peptide.In this case, the animals began to sneeze in the absence of any external stimuli.

“We are exploring the neural mechanism behind sneezing as many people, including my family members, suffer from problems such as seasonal allergies and viral infections. Our goal is to understand how neurons behave in response to allergies and viral infections, causing itchy eyes, sneezing and other symptoms, “explains the scientist.

Since many viruses, including the new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, spread mainly by aerosol, the authors propose to develop a drug that suppresses the production of the NMB molecule that infected people can use to protect others.

“When sneezing, about twenty thousand droplets containing the virus are released, which remain in the air for up to ten minutes. To prevent future viral outbreaks and help treat allergic sneezing, it is important to understand the pathways that trigger this reflex to block them,” notes Liu.

June 9, 13:30 Science Scientists have named a remedy for superinfections available to everyone.