What is the best over- the-counter medicine for a cold?
480421
Something with pseudoephedrine in it.
451037
Drink a lot of orange juice.  They also have cold lozenges at the pharmacy that contain zinc, they are suppose to reduce the length and symptoms of a cold.  Good luck.  Also don't over due it on the vitamin C, it can upset your stomach.
800238
try medicine with zinc in it.....and drink alot of orange juice.....those two things help me get over colds really fast!!!!!!
1148636
Nyquil and Dayquil are awesome...usually when I get sick...I "OD" on that and drink a lot of green tea...\n\n...cold is gone after 3 days...
305918
alka-seltzer. it is generally in the cold medicine section. really great for cold and flu symptoms if you can handle the taste. you drop the little fizzy tablets into a cup of water and drink it FAST!
3162
There is no cure for the cold. You just have to ride it out. You can take over the counter med., get plenty of rest, chicken noodle soup,plenty of liquids (water and/or juice). Maybe a soothing bath and/or shower to help you relax and feel good. Listen to some Soothing music.
231461
Start taking a zinc supplement as soon as you realize you are getting a cold.  Drink lots of water and juice with vitamin c.  If you are congested, you can take decongestants in the form of cold pills and drink warm liquids like chicken broth to help break up the mucus.  Make sure you are washing your hands often (20 seconds of lathering and rinse under warm water) and after you blow your nose or cough - if you are constantly blowing you can use some Purell to sanitize your hands, but you should still wash them with good old soap and warm water before you touch your face/eyes/mouth or eat.  Get plenty of rest.  Once you are better, continue to wash your hands often -as this is the best defense against getting sick.  I hope you feel better soon.
55814
The thing about the common cold (rhinovirus) is that we have no natural immunity to its various strains, we simply need to fight each new strain as it comes along.  Over-the-counter medicines DO NOT FIGHT your cold, they simply make your symptoms easier to handle while your body does the work.  For me, I say, this takes too long and is unnecessary.  There must be a way to supplement our body's natural defenses, to aid our body in its fight against this virus.\n\nRecently, to prevent catching colds over and over again from my 350 kids at school, I started taking large doses of vitamin-C.  This is one of those "who knows if this really does anything" kind of preventions/cures, but I really think it's helpful.  I recommend Emergen-C which comes in little packets that you dissolve in water - it is jam-packed with vitamins and whatnot to help aid your immunity.\n\nAlso, I know homeopathic remedies get a lot of flak.  But I have to say - just because the FDA hasn't run a test on these drugs doesn't mean they're not effective.  A lot of homeopathic remedies come from herbs and plants, just as most medicines championed by the FDA (aspirin, for one, which is made from treebark) are also "herbal".\n\nLook for a remedy called "Umcka" made by the company Nature's Way.  (Check a nutrition or vitamin shop in the homeopathic section).  This is a liquid (drops) made of a plant found in South Africa, and I SWEAR it begins working instantly, as soon as you start dosing.  My school nurse recommended it to me and I soon learned that one of my seventh graders - who is NEVER out sick mind you - also swears by the stuff.\n\nI couldn't get rid of an upper respiratory infection (viral, basically a chest cold) and as soon as I started taking Umcka my cough cleared up and a couple days later I was perfect.  Now when I feel the colds creeping, I dose vitamin-C and start taking Umcka.  So far I've been cold free!  That's not easy in a school full of kids!\n\nGood luck.  Enjoy your trip.
516026
drinking plenty of liquids and sleep is very important for a cold.  drinking O.J. will help prevent colds
272738
There is no cure to the common cold, but Vitamin C (oranges, grapefruit, etc.) helps a lot and you should drink a lot of fluids and rest.
24709
First, I assume you meant "fignt a cold."  I've found Zicam products to be excellent in warding off a cold.  There are several kinds, but the Zicam brand is all good.  There's another product called "Airborne" that's great.  Both of the above are homeopathic, non-toxic, and no side effects.  Can't beat that.
239572
if the cold symptoms just started, use cold-eeze. it helps! if it's been haning on for a while, the old remedies are best. (lots of rest, liquids, and vitamins!!!) Unfortunately, a real cold just needs to run it's course.
1089651
Anything warm to drink will help open your nasal passages, like chicken soup. If you have a cough you could try some honey and lemon juice mixed together. You just sip it. It really does work for me. Good luck.
477218
NyQuil is meant to put you to sleep, DayQuil will keep you up.\n\nThe best way to get rid of a cold is to take vitamins, get lots of vitamin C and sleep as much as possible. Rest is important. \n\nYour sore throat is caused by (brace yourself, it's gross) snot running down the back of your throat and causing irritation. You need to blow your nose lots. To soothe it try a medicated lozenge. Some of them even have a numbing chemical in them. Talk to the pharmacist for recommendations I also find hot drinks work better than cold for easing a sore throat. Break out the hot chocolate and get well soon!
546664
Did you let your doctor know that you still have the cough? If you doctor is not addressing this than you need to see a different doctor. Your cough could be due to allergies, asthma, post nasal drip, etc...  You could try Claritin and Mucinex, which is over-the-counter medicine. These may help if the cough is due to allergies. Let your doctor know that the cough is not any better and if he can't help you find another one ASAP.
616490
I was talking to an eye, ear, nose, and throat doctor last winter. She says the course of the virus causing cold will normally be about ten to fourteen days. The best further preventative measures can actually keep a person from having the common cold turn into something else.\nAlthough zinc and vitamin C are good, they are absolutely worthless if a person smokes, drinks alcohol, or drinks liquids with caffeine.\nPreventive measures to ease the discomfort and maybe having a prolonged cold, it is important to get as much rest as possible and drink the eight glasses of water you should already be drinking.\nIf people don't take care of the common cold, it could lead to other infections that love a body with lowered resistance. You do not stay away from crowds to keep others from getting a cold; you stay away from crowds to prevent getting further infections that could very well lead to pneumonia or pleurisy; both which are serious.\nFollowing common sense will help you cure the cold quickly. However it still will run its course. As far as vitamin C and zinc, it is OK as long as you do not exceed the daily recommended dosage. If you exceed the dosage, you will be a person with a common cold that has taken too much vitamin C and zinc, which incidentally is not so good for the health.
422406
No scientifically proven cure exists for the common cold. Colds are caused by viruses and thus regular antibiotics do not work for it. Developing an anti-viral medication for colds is difficult as well since the "common cold" can be caused by hundreds of different kinds of viruses and those viruses may come in different strains. Research is being done on developing vaccinations and anti-viral medications, but nothing is quite so effective yet.\n\nStudies are also equivocal on whether vitamin C, zinc or ecchinacea actually help with reducing the severity or duration of colds. Some people swear by them while others don't feel they work. Anecdotally, I tend to take vitamin C and drink plenty of fluids if I feel a cold coming on. I do find that it seems to reduce the duration and severity of the cold. Of course, it may have been that the cold would have resolved in that same time on its own. Without a truly well developed study, it is hard to say whether they work or just provide a placebo effect.\n\nMany different medications exist in helping alleviate some of the symptoms of colds including coughs, nasal congestion, fevers and bodyaches. Tylenol or Motrin/Advil will help for the fevers and aches. Decongestants will help for the congestion. \n\nMost over the counter cough medications though (containing guainefesin and dextromethorphan) do not really help for the cough in the doses that are recommended. In fact, a recent study printed in the Journal of the American Medical Association (or was it in the New England Journal of Medicine - I don't quite remember) showed this. The doses of dextromethorphan that are required to really help with the cough are 2-3 times the recommended doses. Anecdotally speaking, it did help when I take those higher doses, but it does have a lot more side effects including dry mouth and a very dysphoric sensation (feeling drunk without the happiness). \n\nThere are prescription medications to help with the cough.\n\nThe best treatment for the cold, however, still remains prevention. Taking the necessary steps to prevent infection remains the best. This includes careful handwashing especially after using anything in public as well as phones, doorknobs and such. Obviously if someone coughs in your face, then washing your face would be of some benefit.\n\nOverall, there is no need to become neurotic though and develop obsessive handwashing behavior.