I have to have a decongestant that WORKS when I'm stuffy. I go to the counter and get something that has Pseudeophedrine.
If I drink Nyquil, I can't even get up the NEXT day.
If I drink Nyquil, I can't even get up the NEXT day.
Best suggestion yet.Originally Posted by Tari
A lot of what makes you feel so crummy when you have a cold is dehydration. That's why it's so important to drink a lot of fluids. I find that a vitamin product called Emergen-C also helps a lot. It's a little packet that you mix with water and drink. It contains a load of electrolytes, so it helps replace what your body loses from dehydration. It won't clear your stuff nose, but it helps me with the muscle aches and headaches.
From acetaminophen? It's toxic at lower doses then the NSAIDs (advil, aleve, etc) and if I recall correctly - some of those OTC cold meds have 650mg of acetaminophen per two tablet dose.Originally Posted by carrie640
I had it so badly one time that I ended up with some neucrosis to a kidney because of over-use of OTC meds! How bad is THAT!!
My record is 5.5 LARGE boxes (250 count) of Puffs, when I had the flu!Originally Posted by Wildflower79
I know what you mean. The amount of tissues that I go through when I get a cold is absolutely ridiculous!
As far as remedies go, I don't think I can be much help. I have yet to find anything that truly works. The OTC stuff does nothing for me. I swear my body is immune to all medicines.
Pseudoephederine was the only stuff I could take--I used to use Thera-Flu; but now the governement made those laws restricting it, and now Thera-Flu no longer has it in it, and I'm afraid to try it.Originally Posted by Pookie-poo
Phenylpropanolamine was taken off the market in about 2000. It has been linked to hemorrhagic stroke (although the risk is considered very low.)
I haven't been able to find ANYTHING that contains it for years. I'll tell ya what...if you can find it, get some for me.....I'd be happy to pay you for it!
I think that you are thinking of pseudoephederine...that is kept behind the counter now, because of the risk of people using it in the illegal production of methamphetamine.
http://www.fda.gov/CDER/drug/infopage/ppa/
http://www.fda.gov/CDER/drug/infopage/ppa/advisory.htm
Originally Posted by Pookie-poo
Personally, since they took phenylpropanolamine off the market several years ago, I haven't found any OTC cold medicine that works very well. I think Sudafed (pseudoephedrine) is laughable for cold medicine...a huge waste of money. I usually buy some Afrin nasal spray and a huge stock of tissues, and hope for the best. I think I went through about 5 or 6 big boxes of Kleenex with the cold that I'm just getting over. It's hard to believe that one nose could possibly produce that much snot, lol!!!
When I'm sick I swear by the Theraflu severe cold Night-time. I drink it before bed and it helps me to sleep. When I wake up the next morning I always feel better than the day before. I think it's because it helps me to get such a good night's rest.Originally Posted by MargeCat
Pseudoephederine was the only stuff I could take--I used to use Thera-Flu; but now the governement made those laws restricting it, and now Thera-Flu no longer has it in it, and I'm afraid to try it.
Acetaminophen is hepatotoxic - causes liver failure in high doses, not kidney failure. The other NSAIDs, like Advil, Aleve, ibuprophen, etc. are the ones that cause renal failure. I went into acute renal failure several years ago due to a prescription NSAID (Arthrotec.)Originally Posted by strange_wings
Best suggestion yet.From acetaminophen? It's toxic at lower doses then the NSAIDs (advil, aleve, etc) and if I recall correctly - some of those OTC cold meds have 650mg of acetaminophen per two tablet dose.
Afrin is a vasoconstrictor. It doesn't affect the kidneys at all. My NSAID induced renal failure also had renal papillary necrosis, proteinuria and extremely elevated serum creatinine. If you do a Google search on renal papillary necrosis, you will see that it is almost always caused by NSAID use. FWIW...IVP dye can also exacerbate elevated creatinine and papillary necrosis secondary to NSAID use. That's what happened to me. I was in ARF due to the NSAID use, pain from sloughing a renal papilla, they did an IVP in the E.R., and my kidneys shut down. Fun.Originally Posted by carrie640
Nope...from AFRIN!!!! That was the only thing I was taking for symptoms (I can live with just about everything EXCEPT for a stuffy nose). Found blood in my urine (I had a urinalysis because I was getting sick every two weeks)...from there, it was an IVP which found the papillary neucrosis! DANG! And I am only 35! Well, better yet...that was 7 years ago.
Fast forward to just this month: lithotripsy, same kidney: STONES. LOVELY.
It's a BIT** aging!! LOL!
Exactly. It takes a much lower dose of acetaminophen to cause liver failure than it takes for the other NSAIDs to cause renal failure. Renal failure from NSAID use is usually reversable....liver failure from Acetaminophen is often fatal because it is so very hard to neutralize. It takes longer for the toxic effects to show up, and by that time, the damage is done and can't be undone. As a nurse, Acetaminophen really scares me.Originally Posted by strange_wings
^ I thought it could do both? And have always read/been told that acetaminophen didn't take as much to reach it's toxic level. (ie a person can take 2000mgs of an NSAID, but that amount would be bad for acetaminophen)
I know I have come across at least one report of just a small dose causing necrosis. (boredom many months ago late at night, I'd likely never come across it again)
Either way it's good to warn people that OTC doesn't mean risk free, no matter how familiar we are with the product we're using.
Originally Posted by MargeCat
1. Celestial Seasonings Red Zinger tea.
2. Raw garlic in food. 1 or 2 cloves per person.
3. Tomato soup, with lemon pepper.
4. Lots of hot tea.
5. Lemon slices, in a cup of hot water.
6. LOTS of water.
7. Soup of any kind (except cream-based).
8. Drinking a glass of cold water, with 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar, preferably cider vinegar, mixed in. Yes, I know it tastes yucky, but I swear I feel better!
9. Sitting in a hot bath, with a few drops of oil of peppermint in the water, and in a steamy bathroom. Great for making you sleepy, too.
10. Swallowing a teaspoon of honey twice a day/or dissolving it in hot water/tea. Helps a sore throat, too. Honey has healing properties, both inside and outside of your body.
11. Orange juice several times a day. I can't do this, due to the sugar, but drinking even a 1/2 glass in the morning seems to help me.
12. Wrap up warm, lay on the sofa, with a blanket and the remote, and watch TV. Warning: watching the History Channel while sick and dozing off, may make you think you've gone delusional--you will notice that Hitler invaded Poland for the THIRD time that day. You are not crazy. They repeat the morning programs over again later in the day. It took a bad case of flu for me to realize this. Oh, and the infomercials, if you are awake at 3 AM. You'll learn how YOU can cure male pattern baldness--even if you're female. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT have access to your credit cards now. You'll find yourself buying junk, just because you're weak, half-asleep, and bored...no, you DON'T need that Ronco Spin-O-Matic ear-wax cleaning gadget. I said, PUT THE CREDIT CARD DOWN NOW!