pacaveli

i always get one at this time of the year, usually when theres a dramatic change in weather patterms. All of this cold weather and sudden rain is really screwing with me. So anyways. What are sum good, NON DROWSY medicines. Or home remdies?

ickma

I've got a cold too and it sucks. I dunno my mom always went with the chicken noodle soup and vitamin C remedy. Not much you can do besides that 'cept rest I guess, which can be a good thing.

maleficent

You sure it's not allergies?

If it's a cold -
drink plenty of fluids
Get plenty of rest

None of the OTC stuff cure it, Sudafed isn't bad for drying up a runny nose, but that's about it.

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archpaladin

Apart from what's already been said, echinacea works too, if you like herbal stuff.

Willravel

Sorry you have a cold. Antioxidents, vitamin c and e, iron, liquids, and rest are all I know of. Hope you get better. Also wash your hands when the weather starts getting colder. It's the best prevention.

Rodney

Rest, plenty of fluids, all that, as Maleficent says. If your nose is blocked, instead of some nasal spray drink a big glass of warm water (16 oz or so) with 12 drops of tobasco or other strong red pepper sauce blended in. Dilates all the passages, makes you breathe easier.

While I prefer not to take over-the-counter cures, a good night's sleep is the best medicine for a cold. And if stuffiness or coughing keep you from sleeping well, go ahead and take one of those overnight cold remedies. Yes, they make you drowsy, but that's the point. And they also make you more comfortable, so you can sleep. If you can get a good night's sleep every night, you can shorten that cold by half. Just don't take such drowse inducing medications _during the day._

SparklingDot

Tobasco in soup is easier to take than tobasco in water. I like hot coffee or tea if my head is stuffy. Nighttime cold meds are good if you need help sleeping. Sleep and lots of water (clear liquids) helps. Hot drinks, showers and walking around to clear your head works for comfort. Take a few days off from life. Don't get others sick, and don't get more run down than you are.

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Mr Cassata

A good home remedy is to take a little bit of rice, and put in a lot of boiling water, with a little salt. Let the rice boil up till it's soggy, and drink it all up. Apparently, it helps restore some of the lost fluids and gives some energy. It may sound gross, but I like it.

intecel

I love my DayQuil.... Just cought a nasty cold about 4 days ago and it's keeping me sane.

Redlemon

Me, my wife, and my son are all in various stages of this damned cold/sinus problem. Not a happy household right now.

Redlemon

Just saw this link that wasabi increases congestion rather than clearing the sinuses; I would expect that the same would hold true for tabasco.

stonegrody

I feel your pain. I'm currently getting over a cold myself. I've been taking Sudafed Severe Cold (Non-drowsy), a ton of Vitamin C drops, and chicken soup. The Sudafed helps with a lot of the symptoms and I can definitely tell when it wears off. Get well soon!

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matteo101

Water
Vitamin C
Echinacea
Nyquil
Sleep
Hot soup
Green Tea

Do all that and it will cure what ails ya.

Cowman

neocitran before bed

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Rodney

Hasn't been my experience. I've used the tabasco remedy a lot; got it from a doctor.

One other thing that works, but mostly as a preventative: Airborne tablets. I work in schools, and popping an Airborne before going to school really does keep me well. They're very good to take at the very first sign of a cold as well: a scratchy throat, runny nose, etc. If you catch the cold early and take three or four tablets over a period of hours, the cold very often just backs off.

Only problem is that they're fairly expensive, and getting more so: I pay over $7 bucks for a tube of ten at the drugstore; last year I paid $5.50.

Anyway, you can find them at most drugstores, at least on the west coast. They're a mix of various herbs, vitamins, amino acids, etc. -- nothing ground-breaking or new, but a good combination of know remedies that really does the job.

Church

Echinacea is useless if you already have a cold. Its only good as a preventative measure.

I too, have a cold. Its strange though, I can be fine, and then within a hour, I can develop a full on cold. It just hits me like a brick in the face. But I am a firm believer in the opposite of getting plenty of rest. I think you should keep your daily routine as is. Get outsite, clear your nose, drink some fluids as you're running around, and forget about your cold. Just go to bed like 1 hr earlier than you uslually do.

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hokieian

I can't believe no one has mentioned Zicam.

At the first sign of a cold, start taking that stuff - it works miracles. It blocks the receptors on the cell surface that the virus uses to enter the cells. It isn't effective for all strains of colds, however, so if you try it once and it doesn't work, give it a few more chances before you throw it away for good.

combatmedicjen

There are three very important things you can do to beat your cold. They are:

1) hydrate
2) eat right
3) rest

Constantly be sipping on water everywhere you go, eat healthy foods that will give your body the energy it needs to fight the virus (chicken noodle soup!), and try to get more sleep than usual. This will keep your immune system working most effectively and, thus, get rid of your icky cold as fast as possible.

As far as drugs to relieve symptoms (since it's waaaaay too late to use vitamin C or echinacea), the most common and generally most effective decongestant is Sudafed. It will likely make you drowsy (that's the nature of pseudoephedrine) but will dry you out. If you have an unproductive cough where mucus is stuck in your throat, try Robitussin. It's an expectorant that will loosen up all that mucus and allow you to cough it up and out.

I hope you all feel better soon!