How do you spell relief?
January 25, 2011 11:11 AM Subscribe
Cold-hacks: I have a stuffy nose and cough (from post-nasal drip). I'll do absolutely anything, but I need to hide the symptoms for a few hours during a crucial appointment tonight. What do I do?
Already doing:
Nasal irrigation 2x daily
Multivitamin
Extra Sleep
Extra Liquids
Hot showers
The only caveat is that I need to be alert, so the solution must be non-drowsy.
Make me a guinea pig! What are your experimental solutions to this situation?
Thanks!
Already doing:
Nasal irrigation 2x daily
Multivitamin
Extra Sleep
Extra Liquids
Hot showers
The only caveat is that I need to be alert, so the solution must be non-drowsy.
Make me a guinea pig! What are your experimental solutions to this situation?
Thanks!
I don't know if OTC medications count as "experimental." My experience is a combo of non-drowsy tussin and nose spray. The nose spray (you know, the kind they tell you not to use) will keep your nose clear for a few hours, then put you right back where you were. Don't continue using it after the appointment as it will dry things out and you can get "addicted" to it. The tussin is to knock out the cough.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 11:16 AM on January 25, 2011
posted by Mister Fabulous at 11:16 AM on January 25, 2011
Best answer: Assuming you're in the US:
Get some 12 hour Sudafed from behind the pharmacist's counter. IMPORTANT, it must be the stuff behind the counter that (in most states) you need to show an ID to get, even though you don't need a prescription for it. It should contain pseudoephedrine HCI. That's the good stuff. The stuff that you can get on the regular shelves without showing ID contains something else and does not work. Don't bother with that.
Take your Sudafed two hours before your appointment and your stuffiness and post-nasal drip should temporarily stop. Plus it will make you kind of hyper. yay?
posted by joan_holloway at 11:16 AM on January 25, 2011 [4 favorites]
Get some 12 hour Sudafed from behind the pharmacist's counter. IMPORTANT, it must be the stuff behind the counter that (in most states) you need to show an ID to get, even though you don't need a prescription for it. It should contain pseudoephedrine HCI. That's the good stuff. The stuff that you can get on the regular shelves without showing ID contains something else and does not work. Don't bother with that.
Take your Sudafed two hours before your appointment and your stuffiness and post-nasal drip should temporarily stop. Plus it will make you kind of hyper. yay?
posted by joan_holloway at 11:16 AM on January 25, 2011 [4 favorites]
I have been there and it sucks. I go the long hot shower and the practice speaking without using my nose. Excuse yourself to the bathroom and then hack and cough as much as you can before going back to the meeting. Having a runny nose is not a dead give away, but tawlking liuke thus is.
posted by Felex at 11:16 AM on January 25, 2011
posted by Felex at 11:16 AM on January 25, 2011
Best answer: Afrin nasal spray should do wonders for the stuffy nose.
The only useful over-the-counter cough medicine is Delsym. It tastes repulsive, but it is a better cough suppressant than any other over-the-counter cough suppressant. Add to that some Sucrets Maximum Strength throat lozenges (to get rid of the throat tickle), and you should be good.
Do you know which antihistamines make you drowsy and which do not? Zyrtec always works magnificently for me and non-drowsy, but I know other people whom it makes drowsy. So if this were me, I would take Zyrtec right off, then Afrin, then Delsym 2 hours before showtime, then the Sucrets right before and maybe during if possible.
Also, if it's a food-and-drink kind of appointment, hot green tea.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:16 AM on January 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
The only useful over-the-counter cough medicine is Delsym. It tastes repulsive, but it is a better cough suppressant than any other over-the-counter cough suppressant. Add to that some Sucrets Maximum Strength throat lozenges (to get rid of the throat tickle), and you should be good.
Do you know which antihistamines make you drowsy and which do not? Zyrtec always works magnificently for me and non-drowsy, but I know other people whom it makes drowsy. So if this were me, I would take Zyrtec right off, then Afrin, then Delsym 2 hours before showtime, then the Sucrets right before and maybe during if possible.
Also, if it's a food-and-drink kind of appointment, hot green tea.
posted by Sidhedevil at 11:16 AM on January 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
Seconding Sudafed. Make sure you get the one that contains pseudoephedrine and not Sudafed PE, which contains a different ingredient.
posted by rancidchickn at 11:18 AM on January 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
posted by rancidchickn at 11:18 AM on January 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Afrin is the answer. It absolutely works. It will take you from miserable head cold to minorly annoying sniffle in about 5 minutes, and the effect lasts about 12 hours. Just don't use it for more than 3 days in a row, because the rebound congestion can be miserable.
posted by decathecting at 11:19 AM on January 25, 2011
posted by decathecting at 11:19 AM on January 25, 2011
Can you postpone the appointment?
Barring that, pseudoephedrine.
posted by TheBones at 11:20 AM on January 25, 2011
Barring that, pseudoephedrine.
posted by TheBones at 11:20 AM on January 25, 2011
Best answer: Yeah, n-thing Afrin and the caveats about over-use. If you've never used it before, the rapidity of the effects can be sort of surprising. Non drowsy, and it's about the only thing I find myself reaching for with bad congestion.
posted by jquinby at 11:25 AM on January 25, 2011
posted by jquinby at 11:25 AM on January 25, 2011
I'm fond of Alca-Seltzer Plus Cold, which is my go-to when I have a runny nose.
Also, be careful with nasal irrigation when you have a nasal infection - you can spread the infection, making it worse.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:33 AM on January 25, 2011
Also, be careful with nasal irrigation when you have a nasal infection - you can spread the infection, making it worse.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:33 AM on January 25, 2011
An antihistamine will do nothing for a cold except put you to sleep (that's why it's in NyQuil.)
Pseudoephedrine and Afrin are the right answers. Neither will make you sleepy. Like decathecting said, beware the Afrin - use it only in emergencies and never for several days in a row. It's wildly habit-forming.
posted by fritley at 11:37 AM on January 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Pseudoephedrine and Afrin are the right answers. Neither will make you sleepy. Like decathecting said, beware the Afrin - use it only in emergencies and never for several days in a row. It's wildly habit-forming.
posted by fritley at 11:37 AM on January 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Get some 12 hour Sudafed from behind the pharmacist's counter.
I have very good luck using 12 hour Claritin (from behind the counter, not the shelf) for masking my cold symptoms. Basically it does the same thing with your cold as it does for your allergies - stops the stuffy nose symptoms cold in their tracks, thus also putting an end to the cough.
posted by anastasiav at 11:45 AM on January 25, 2011
I have very good luck using 12 hour Claritin (from behind the counter, not the shelf) for masking my cold symptoms. Basically it does the same thing with your cold as it does for your allergies - stops the stuffy nose symptoms cold in their tracks, thus also putting an end to the cough.
posted by anastasiav at 11:45 AM on January 25, 2011
totally nthing Afrin as well. Once, I was absolutely the most miserable I have ever been in my lifetime of having colds. Sudefed wouldn't even touch it but I still refused to take Afrin because of the reaction to using too much of it.
My doctor took one look at me and told me to just use the darned Afrin.
It's a miracle product as far as I am concerned.
Just use in moderation.
posted by royalsong at 11:45 AM on January 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
My doctor took one look at me and told me to just use the darned Afrin.
It's a miracle product as far as I am concerned.
Just use in moderation.
posted by royalsong at 11:45 AM on January 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
I recently discovered Mucinex DM, and it's amazing. I can't believe I've had to live a life with cold symptoms before that! No drowsiness, completely gets rid of any runny nose, cough, etc.
You can buy a generic equivalent for much cheaper, with the only downside (as far I as can tell) being that you have to take the generic once every 4 hours, rather than once every 12 hours. I suspect it's the quality of the slow-release technology, as the active ingredients (pro-rated per hour) are identical.
posted by partylarry at 12:04 PM on January 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
You can buy a generic equivalent for much cheaper, with the only downside (as far I as can tell) being that you have to take the generic once every 4 hours, rather than once every 12 hours. I suspect it's the quality of the slow-release technology, as the active ingredients (pro-rated per hour) are identical.
posted by partylarry at 12:04 PM on January 25, 2011 [1 favorite]
Here are some tips I found when I recently had a cold and was Googling for what (not) to drink and eat -- all of these seemed to be effective:
- drink orange juice
- eat garlic, ginger, horseradish, and cayenne pepper (I would add some of these to just about all my food)
- drink herbal or green tea and add lemon, honey, and/or ginger (but don't rely on tea in place of other fluids)
- gargle with warm salt water
- avoid coffee, soda, and alcohol
posted by John Cohen at 12:16 PM on January 25, 2011
- drink orange juice
- eat garlic, ginger, horseradish, and cayenne pepper (I would add some of these to just about all my food)
- drink herbal or green tea and add lemon, honey, and/or ginger (but don't rely on tea in place of other fluids)
- gargle with warm salt water
- avoid coffee, soda, and alcohol
posted by John Cohen at 12:16 PM on January 25, 2011
Drinking hot licorice tea will help to sooth your throat, or it always worked for me. It does taste ghastly, though.
posted by backwards compatible at 12:19 PM on January 25, 2011
posted by backwards compatible at 12:19 PM on January 25, 2011
eat garlic, ginger, horseradish, and cayenne pepper
During the day before your appointment, sure. But if there's food at your event, definitely avoid these things. Anything spicy will worsen the runny nose, and garlic breath is probably also a bad idea in a situation where cold symptoms are unwelcome.
Nth-ing the pseudoephedrine from behind the pharmacy counter. It's awesome.
If you are considering mixing medications, please be careful and check out the combos with a reliable source first. The pharmacist at the store where you're shopping should be able to give you good advice about what you can and cannot take together. Be especially careful if you're taking any medicines that have more than one active ingredient (like Dayquil, Tylenol Cold, etc.). You don't want to accidentally double your dose of something, especially not acetaminophen which is in many combo-formula cold-and-flu type drugs.
posted by vytae at 12:29 PM on January 25, 2011
During the day before your appointment, sure. But if there's food at your event, definitely avoid these things. Anything spicy will worsen the runny nose, and garlic breath is probably also a bad idea in a situation where cold symptoms are unwelcome.
Nth-ing the pseudoephedrine from behind the pharmacy counter. It's awesome.
If you are considering mixing medications, please be careful and check out the combos with a reliable source first. The pharmacist at the store where you're shopping should be able to give you good advice about what you can and cannot take together. Be especially careful if you're taking any medicines that have more than one active ingredient (like Dayquil, Tylenol Cold, etc.). You don't want to accidentally double your dose of something, especially not acetaminophen which is in many combo-formula cold-and-flu type drugs.
posted by vytae at 12:29 PM on January 25, 2011
Another convert to the wonders of Antihistamine + Pseudoephedrine here - I had the most god-awful head cold at the end of last week, completely unable to breathe through my nose and having to blow continuously.
One trip to the pharacist, one pack of generic-equivalent to Claritin D, and 95% of the symptoms disappeared. I'm on day 4 now, with a minor need to blow my nose every so often.
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 12:32 PM on January 25, 2011
One trip to the pharacist, one pack of generic-equivalent to Claritin D, and 95% of the symptoms disappeared. I'm on day 4 now, with a minor need to blow my nose every so often.
posted by Nice Guy Mike at 12:32 PM on January 25, 2011
An antihistamine will do nothing for a cold except put you to sleep
This is not my experience. An antihistamine will reduce your histamine load, and thus your sniffly nose. Most people have at least some degree of allergy to dust and other common indoor allergens, so taking an antihistamine when you have a cold will make your nose less sniffly because your baseline allergic sniffles will be out of the mix.
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:41 PM on January 25, 2011
This is not my experience. An antihistamine will reduce your histamine load, and thus your sniffly nose. Most people have at least some degree of allergy to dust and other common indoor allergens, so taking an antihistamine when you have a cold will make your nose less sniffly because your baseline allergic sniffles will be out of the mix.
posted by Sidhedevil at 12:41 PM on January 25, 2011
garlic breath is probably also a bad idea in a situation where cold symptoms are unwelcome.
Frankly, I would be more worried about the cold symptoms than your breath. But if you are worried about the latter, you could pick up some Binaca or something while you're at the pharmacy.
posted by John Cohen at 1:07 PM on January 25, 2011
Frankly, I would be more worried about the cold symptoms than your breath. But if you are worried about the latter, you could pick up some Binaca or something while you're at the pharmacy.
posted by John Cohen at 1:07 PM on January 25, 2011
Whatever drugs you elect to take, chase them with a cup of piping hot lemonade with honey. Microwave it, heat it on the stovetop, or when I worked at Starbucks years ago sick people would occasionally order this, so although it's not a menu item, you might be able to get it there if you're polite. It will make your face and throat completely forget about your cold for like half an hour. Drink it as hot as possible. It is magic stuff.
posted by milk white peacock at 1:16 PM on January 25, 2011
posted by milk white peacock at 1:16 PM on January 25, 2011
If you've never taken Pseudoephedrine before and this appointment is that crucial then you might want to give it a miss. Some people feel worse after taking it. (drugs have side-effects, btw.)
Also, even if you are one of those people who can take it without feeling any ill effect, if you're sinuses are very heavily blocked up pseudoephedrine won't do much.
posted by davidjohnfox at 1:35 PM on January 25, 2011
Also, even if you are one of those people who can take it without feeling any ill effect, if you're sinuses are very heavily blocked up pseudoephedrine won't do much.
posted by davidjohnfox at 1:35 PM on January 25, 2011
For the cough, guaifenisin and dextromethorphan. One brand is Mucinex DM, but try to find a generic because the brand name ones are crazy expensive and the generics work just as well.
The guaifenisin will help the stuffy nose somewhat, so if you're reluctant to go the pseudoephedrine route, this is another option.
posted by chez shoes at 1:41 PM on January 25, 2011
The guaifenisin will help the stuffy nose somewhat, so if you're reluctant to go the pseudoephedrine route, this is another option.
posted by chez shoes at 1:41 PM on January 25, 2011
Afrin! It is my miracle-worker when I need quick, complete, non-drowsy clearing.
posted by MorningPerson at 1:45 PM on January 25, 2011
posted by MorningPerson at 1:45 PM on January 25, 2011
Warm salt water gargle, every two hours between now and then.
posted by hermitosis at 2:02 PM on January 25, 2011
posted by hermitosis at 2:02 PM on January 25, 2011
Histamines play a crucial role in the function of our immune system, and many of the symptoms of a cold virus are actually just side-effects of increased histamine activity in our bodies to fight off the infection. So yes, antihistamines can in fact be very effective in treating cold symptoms like a runny nose and irritated sinuses. Broad-acting antihistamines like the kind found in Benadryl and Niquil cause sedation and disorientation in almost everyone.
Second-generation antihistamines like the ones found in Zyrtec, Clairitin, Clarinax or Allegra cause drowsiness in a much smaller percentage of people, but who feels sedated by which antihistamines is pretty much unpredictable. If you've used any of the above medications without experiencing drowsiness in the past, you're pretty much safe using a medication with the same antihistamine ingredient for tonight, in addition to the Afrin and pseudoephedrine that people have been recommending.
Two other medications that should definitely be part of your arsenal are guaifenesin and good old aspirin or ibuprofen. The former will help with cough productivity and sinus drip. Aspirin or Advil will help with the inflammation involved in just about every nasty cold symptom, including the irritated sinus cavities that make your eyes heavy and contribute to feeling "out of it." In fact, for this appointment, you should probably double up on non-steroidal anti-inflammatories by taking a dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol) two hours after aspirin or ibuprofen.
posted by patnasty at 2:07 PM on January 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
Second-generation antihistamines like the ones found in Zyrtec, Clairitin, Clarinax or Allegra cause drowsiness in a much smaller percentage of people, but who feels sedated by which antihistamines is pretty much unpredictable. If you've used any of the above medications without experiencing drowsiness in the past, you're pretty much safe using a medication with the same antihistamine ingredient for tonight, in addition to the Afrin and pseudoephedrine that people have been recommending.
Two other medications that should definitely be part of your arsenal are guaifenesin and good old aspirin or ibuprofen. The former will help with cough productivity and sinus drip. Aspirin or Advil will help with the inflammation involved in just about every nasty cold symptom, including the irritated sinus cavities that make your eyes heavy and contribute to feeling "out of it." In fact, for this appointment, you should probably double up on non-steroidal anti-inflammatories by taking a dose of acetaminophen (Tylenol) two hours after aspirin or ibuprofen.
posted by patnasty at 2:07 PM on January 25, 2011 [2 favorites]
If you've never tried anything with pseudoephedrine in it before, be careful. It can do weird things to your heart. It gave me a temporary arrhythmia which sent me to the ER. If you can find a Vicks nasal vapor inhaler (in a little tube that looks like a chapstick) it will also decongest your nose without the heart side effects.
posted by IndigoRain at 1:35 AM on January 26, 2011
posted by IndigoRain at 1:35 AM on January 26, 2011
Response by poster: Thanks everyone! I took the 12 hour sudafed and the afrin spray and have never felt better in my life.
The afrin was extremely effective. Thank you for the words of caution regarding long-term use.
posted by bradly at 3:21 PM on January 26, 2011
The afrin was extremely effective. Thank you for the words of caution regarding long-term use.
posted by bradly at 3:21 PM on January 26, 2011
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