Do any otc mess actually help with colds?

Tylenol cold and flu can make you feel better for a couple of hours

alka seltzer cold plus is actually pretty decent

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Do any otc mess actually help with colds? by prplhze2000

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they do nothing at all to cure the cold, but they do give me some symptom relief so I can get a little sleep.

Alka Seltzer Cold & Cough - not the gel caps or tablets, the old school plop-plop-fizz-fizz

Everything else is worthless and weak

When I have a cold, I take Aleve-D Cold and Sinus to alleviate symptoms during the day. You have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter. I take NyQuil at night. This combination seems to work pretty well until it runs its course.

Advil. Gypsy Cold Care tea.

Ibuprofen helps if you're really ill

Pretty much nothing shortens the duration. Every few years evidence points to this or that helping to shorten the duration, then it gets debunked a few years later.


You can get symptom relief for a lot of things with OTC meds. Flonase, 2nd generation h1 blockers (xyzal, Zyrtec, Claritin, Allegra), whichever throat lozenge your a fan of, possibly Sudafed for 3d max.


Otherwise, have a hot toddy, Bishop's Wine, or just a nice glass of tea with honey. You'll feel bad for a few days, get better with none of the above, and move on with your life like nothing happened.

Lasts longer than 10 days and isn't improving or starts to get worse after ~7 days? Head to your primary care doctor, maybe you need an antibiotic.

Zicam

Avoid colds and all manner of illness by taking mega-doses of vitamin c.
Or don't.
It has worked for me for years now.
If you want to hear my story just ask.