One common decongestant, phenylephrine, was found ineffective this fall. Doctors are skeptical about the rest of the over-the-counter cold cures lineup.

When you stroll down the cold and flu aisle in a drugstore, it’s easy to get lost in the dizzying array of products promising to clear sinus pressure, dry up sniffles and stop plaguing coughs. Some concoctions even offer it all in one magical pill.

But doctors say the science behind some of those claims is lackluster.

“There’s just not much that’s very effective for treating the common cold,” said Dr. Lauren Eggert, clinical assistant professor in the Pulmonary Allergy and Critical Care Division at Stanford University.

“Most of the things out there — antihistamines, decongestants, cough medicines — none of them have a lot of evidence that they’re super effective at improving cough or common cold symptoms.”

Headlines blasted that message in September when advisers to the FDA found oral phenylephrine, which is an active ingredient in some Sudafed, Mucinex, and Dayquil products, is simply not effective. The review was prompted by inquiries dating back nearly a decade.

  • @KISSmyOSEnglish
    15•11 months ago

    deleted by creator

    • JayEnglish
      11•1 year ago

      chill at home and get a slight buzz going

      Way ahead of you there. And I don’t even have a cold.

    • amio
      5•1 year ago

      There’s painkillers and pills against fever but they should be used only if absolutely necessary.

      They’re fine, at least if your pain or fever bothers you. If you’re thinking about “fever as natural defense”, it’s been shown IIRC that treating the fever with over the counter drugs does not harm you or prolong the course of the illness.

    • z3rOR0neEnglish
      2•1 year ago

      Sadly, that buzz may not be all that helpful, depending on what you’re imbibing, though it certainly can help distract you a bit depending on the severity of the cold and the level of buzz.

      Best thing is water, sleep, healthy food, maybe a doctor’s visit, and definitely just time for it to pass.

      • @EatYouWellEnglish
        10•1 year ago

        I wouldn’t recommend seeing a doctor unless you’ve been sick for over a week, have symptoms of a bacterial infection (like strep throat), are running a high fever that’s resistant to nsaids, or any severe symptoms like difficulty breathing.

        Otherwise you’re just paying to be told to get rest and drink plenty of fluids, and potentially infecting people at the clinic. Or they just throw unnecessary antibiotics at you which increase your risk of a c-diff infection (would not recommend).

        If your doctor is cool, you can probably call and talk to the nurse on staff and they’ll tell you to come in or not.