re: Do any otc mess actually help with colds?

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.