Hello everyone! I am in the midst of my first post-diagnosis cold. Ordinarily, I would just take sudafed for my stuffy/runny nose and sinus pressure. Now I don’t feel like that is an option. I am not feeling really open to spraying salt water up my nose, either (however, I am not desperate, yet.) What non-decongestant remedies have you guys tried, and how would you rate the effectiveness? Are there any OTC cold medicines that ARE okay?
Hi Marilyn, my GP recommended over the counter Mucinex Nasal Spray for me because the left side of my nose is always full . This is suppose to dry up the congestion. It has helped me and doesn’t seem to have any ill effects. Hope you feel better soon…d
My neurologist (although admittedly on the cautious side) said to call him before I take any OTC (or prescribed) medications.
I’ve had differing opinions between my neurologist and my neurosurgeon on the safety of aspirin and decongestants.
–Ben
My neurosurgeon said I could take whatever I wanted, but said if I had a bleed, aspirin/blood thinners would make it worse. I am erring on the side of caution.
Honestly, after all we’ve been through, I agree with you, Marilyn. Until they get this monster out of my head, I will not take an aspirin, blood thinner, or decongestant!
When I got a bad head cold ths past fall, the doctor told me to stick with Advil and then use vicks vapor humidifyer.
All I can add to that is any of the doctors I have spoken to in Dallas, Rochester, Mn., and Pittburgh, Pa. (Note all different parts of the country) say No to decongestants, and to ibuprofen.
I would think you wouldn’t want this to be a “buyer Beware” situation. Charlie stays away from both.
I would add when it took me over 8 hours to get Charlie’s fever down 2 degrees, I had to put him in a tub of water then use cool compresses consistently over that time. And for the congestion, I was also told to use a saline solution flush to clean out the nasal passages from any irritants.
-Nora~
Okay guys, last night I tried the saline for the first time, which, in my opinion, makes you hack and cough in such a way that you miss the congestion. I literally (sorry for the graphic description) coughed so hard I was gagging. I don’t drink, but by 3 am I was making MacGuyverish concoctions out of honey, lemon and E&J Brandy which was left over from a batch of sangria my husband made two years ago (which, for those of you who don’t know, is the cheapest, nastiest, gutter water of a skid row liquor–I still shudder to think of it.) By 4 am I was drinking NyQuil with no reservations, at which point I finally found relief. Today I bought the Mucinex. I am not coughing as bad, but we’ll see what happens when I lay down. I can’t believe that stuff is almost ten dollars.
HI Marilyn, Hope you are feeling better. Sounds like you have a nasty one ! happy you are trying the MUCINEX. It takes a few days but it drys up all that gunkie stuff. Feel better …girl…
ANGEL LIGHT AND LOVE TO U>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>D
I use sudafed/store brand equivilent both the nasal spray and 12 hr tabs. Just recovering from an epidose so I personally cannot blow my nose too hard. My doctor said these are fine for me. Lots of water…sorry, I am a mom 
Marilyn,
I hope you are feeling better by now. The Mucinex full force nasal spray is very good, I agree. If you don’t like something that drains, try Afrin-no drip, it also works very good and they have a night time as well. I have had no problems w/ either of these. My allergies have been so bad this winter that the Dr. is considering steroid shots for me. There last ditch effort was to have me try a Netty Pot, it is a saline nasal cleanse (very gross and made me gag and vomit), it worked but was not pleasant. Then I went to Mexico on my honeymoon and I cleared right up!! Now that I am back I am starting all over again. The big thing the Dr’s advise me to stay away from was Asprin because of the blood thinning qualities. I do take some Asprin on rare occasions for back pain because it is the only thing that works and I do not like strong pain meds and have had no problems but don’t recommend it unless it is a last resort. Decongestants can raise blood pressure, which we all know is not a good thing for us but I do take them at times when I have a cold or sinus. I am not a closterphobic kind of person but when I cannot breathe through my nose, I PANIC, I feel like I am suffocating and drowning, so I do medicate and the Mucinex & Afrin seem to be the best choices I have found but am looking into the shots. Steroids-not again!! They make me feel like I could eat myself to death but I may not have a choice. I really do hope this finds you better this week.
I take Advil cold. Once I had a seizure from Dayquil. Check it out below:
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Antihistamine&redirect=no