If on pain meds,what meds do you take for a bad cold?

[Diandra]

Hi All,
I have had a brutal cold and sore throat this week and have had to resort to benadryl or alka-seltzer plus just to be able to breath.
I generally don't like to mix these meds with my pains meds but had no choice this week but I am finding that I am unusually spaced out
from this combo, have not been able to drive and can barely think straight. I should also mention I got a UTI and am taking macrobid as well so perhaps that is what is knocking me out.

If you take opiates and other pain meds(I also take Lyrica), what do you take or do to help you breath when you have a bad cold or allergy?
Has anyone ever tried those nettie(sp?) pots?

Thanks, Diandra

[tic chick]

hey diandra!

i'm sorry you are feeling so poorly.

i have tried a neti pot, but i can't stand the feeling of water running through my nose!

i would ask the pharmacist and see if sudafed can be used with pain meds. it doesn't make you drowsy and it dries up your nose and sinuses.

the VERY BEST thing i have used, which takes away my congestion and sore throat is...vick's vapo-rub! yes. get the real thing, NOT a generic...for some reason, generics are not as potent in this rub. since this is a topical application, it doesn't interfere with meds at all. just rub it in your neck and down the front of your chest. put some under your nose, but avoid getting it on the mucous membrane. also wear an old tee shirt when you put vick's on, it keeps vick's from ruining nice sleepwear and it holds in heat, which activates the vapo-rub. best thing, you can use it as often as you want. i usually do 3x a day.

this has always helped me feel so much better! please remember to walk around when you feel up to it. opiates tend to slow down breathing and sometimes a cold can turn into pneumonia if you don't move around enough.

hope you soon feel better soon,
jeannie

[alex44]

Benadryl will put you out it is used it as a sleep aid - I think its dextromorphin(sp) and enhances narcotics at least for me - I am sorry you are feeling badly, i hate colds and i am a lousy patient. Lycra on its own made me "off" so that got D/c. I would check with my doctor or nurse or if you have available a nurse line as that is a bit of meds - nettie pots - heard of them, don't have a clue how to use one, sorry. I hope this pass's soon and you feel better.
Blessings
alex44
Skypilot

[Lil E]

This is what I do

I can't take decongestants so I use a product called Simply Saline. It irrigates your sinus with mist and you can blow your nose pretty good. Steam works real well too. I also gargle with warm salt water every three hours and use Hall's triple cherry, it's not too strong. I used to use Zicam a homeopathic brand, but it is now a chewable with a changed formula since they had people claim that they lost their sense of smell after using the nasal product. It worked well for me and I miss it. Give it a try it may work for you.

[tortoisegirl]

It could be the Beneadryl (which can cause sedation or loopiness), the Macrobid (which can cause dizziness), or the alka-seltzer (which includes Dextromethorphan, which can potentiate opiates). I don't think Benadryl is too likely to help with congestion. Maybe the alka-seltzer would, but the decongestant in it isn't the good stuff (pseudoephedrine, in Sudafed), and it adds aspirin (probably not necessary) and a cough suppressant (which most people actually don't need with a cold...you want to get the gunk out).

I agree with the opinion to ask your pharmacist if you can use Sudafed (the stuff sold behind the pharmacy counter, and not a combo cold product with the less helpful stuff and other ingredients you don't need). Personally I think Sudafed is safer than alka-seltzer (due to the Dextromethorphan), and more likely to help with congestion. I'm also quite against combo cold products unless you are sure you need all the ingredients in them...better to buy/take individually. Muccinex is another good otc option to ask a pharmacist about. If you are however truly having trouble breathing, I'd play it safe and go to Urgent Care. Have them take a listen to your lungs and ensure it hasn't gone past a cold.

By the way, my doctors haven't cautioned me with combining anything with pain meds except those that can cause sedation. Its always good to get a doctor/pharmacist opinion, as this can vary based on your medical conditions and what other meds you take too. I know there are some cold meds you don't want to take when you have heart problems for example. Hope you feel better soon. Best wishes.

[tic chick]

hi, all!

benadryl is an antihistamine. it is used mostly for allergies. your body produces a substance called "histamine" when you eat, breathe in or are bitten by anything you are allergic to. thus, an anti-histamine works against allergens by stopping or slowing down the production of histamines. antihistamines don't work on colds because a cold is a virus, although if you have allergies and get a cold, you prolly feel worse.

i agree with tortoisegirl about taking only what you need for a cold. if you get nyquil, for example, you're getting something for pain, congestion, cough plus a dose of alcohol to make you sleepy. if you're not in pain, you don't need the pain component of nyquil, etc. my 3 staples for a cold are motrin for muscle pain or sore throat, sudafed for a really runny nose and vick's vapo-rub, which really soothes your whole body when you breathe in the camphor and other herbal vapors, it also let's you sleep if you have a cough and it helps you bring up phlegm so you don't have that hurtful, dry cough in the morning. towards the end of a cold, i'm usually only on vick's. if you have a bad cough, which sometimes you get at the end of a cold, i would call the doctor and get a recommendation for a cough medicine or have him prescribe something if you really can't function or sleep from coughing.

jeannie

[joy]

i am on pain meds and when asking my nurse practioner what to take, she gave me an antibiotic becaue my cold was actually a sinus infection. so big anitbiotic which i needed but she added this -- she said to buy Musinex over the counter and take as instructed on box. i did and i recovered. musinex=good relief.

[Diandra]

Wow...I knew you all would be able to come up with some good ideas. Jeannie....Vicks Vaporub....I don't think I have used that since I was a child but will try it. Lil, I love to use homeopathic products or products that are not ingested so your suggestions were excellent. Alex, I forgot about the nurses line...I actually have one with my medical insurance and just completely forgot. Kate and Joy...I have heard of it Musinex but never tried it but I will. I am actually printing all this out so I will not forget. Thank you all so much for the info. It is sincerely appreciated. Sorry I have not responded sooner, I literally have been in bed for several days. Turns out the macrobid was the wrong antibiotic for my UTI infection so I get switched to another one(Levaquin). The UTI on top of the bad cold, on top of all my "usual" issues really knocked the stuffing out of me but things are getting better. On the plus side, I was so ill I did not eat much so I dropped some weight!
Again, Thanks, Diandra

[pain95]

I just saw this post for the first time and thought to myself, I wonder if she was checked for a sinus infection My pain doc . put me on Musinex once when it was indicated. Gargle with salt water and drink buillion to soothe the throat. Keep yourself well hydrated. I have problems with allergies that easily go into sinus infections. I stopped that when my primary recomended that I use a Nedi Pot in the shower. That flushes out the sinuses with saline solution and keeps the tissue soothed. No sinus infection in a year. That's a record for me. Be well.

[alex44]

Hope you are feeling better
Alex44
Skypilot

[august26]

zicam works well for me

[pain95]

BTW

For those who have tried the Neti Pot and given it up quickly because it is awkward or you don't care for the sensation, use it in the shower and let the saline wash down the drain. That irritating sensation will pass. It took about a week of daily use but I got accustomed to it. Now it is just another part of my shower routine. Often, if you have a killer sinus infection because you let it go on too long before seeing the doc (been there), it is REALLY important to deal with the inflamation as well as the infection. The Neti Pot helps as well as the salt gargles and drinking steaming boullion. The last time I waited too long before going to the doc, I went through two rounds of anti-bs and didn't heal. I would get better but four or five days after I had finished the round, the infection was back full force. I asked my patient doc if the inflamation was as much of the problem as the infection and if so, would a steroid help. I hate steroids and hate to play doctor but I was desperate. She scratched her head and said "could be" then wrote me another script for an anti-b and a short course of oral steroid. Bingo!!!!! For whatever reason, I got better. Best wishes to all.

[SheilaSchnauzies]

OK, Benadryl has a sedative effect. They use it in OTC sleep meds. (Look for diphenhydramine in the ingrediens). That's why you're "spacey." For the cough, I do MucinexDM Maximum Strengh extended release 12 hour tablets. It is an expectorant similar to Robitussin DM.

I have very good success with Sudafed 24 hour extended release for decongestion, and I take ColdEeze or Zicam at the first sign of a cold because a lot of times it will head it off and I won't get the cold. The stuff really works for me!

Hope you feel lots better soon!

[Fillmore]

don't laugh, it really helped = Echanacia.... and Vit . C {grams and grams of it} it seemed to work for me, good luck whatever you try!