subject: Cold and Flu Medications [print this page] Cold and Flu Medications Cold and Flu Medications
The thing about a cold or flu is that there is no medication to rid the actual infection itself. There are only medications which help relieve the symptoms and pain occurring from the flu or cold. The major symptoms with a cold or flu are fever, cough, and congestion.
Decongestants are great ways to treat and relieve the symptoms of congestion. A large variety of medications are available to clear up your head congestion and even sinus. Some famous and familiar decongestions are Sudafed and Alive Cold & Sinus. These usually contain have pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine as their main active ingredients as well as some ingredients to lessen a fever.
For minor congestions from viruses and other types of illnesses, decongestants are extremely effective. If the problem is due to an infection, then decongestions may not work as effectively and you may require antibiotics.
Expectorants are a type of cough medicine which helps rid the lungs of congestion. The main goal of them is to thin out the mucous so that it can travel from your lungs out as you cough more easily. Having thick congestion within the lungs prevents a person from coughing out mucus by themselves in which case, expectorants are helpful.
Another type of cough medicine is cough suppressants which help stop coughing. Although there has been some debate regarding the effectiveness of such suppressants, many doctors have the theory that they are not effective. The reason behind this is because they believe that most coughs are caused as a natural response to foreign substances appearing within the lungs, and coughing may aid in getting over a flu or cold faster.
Another type of medicine available is medicines which are used to reduce the fever as well as give relief from pain. The main medicine available is Tylenol which is a type of acetaminophen. The main goal of it is to relieve the pain and reduce the fever. Recently it has been proven that excessive use of Tylenol may cause liver damage.
Advil and Motrin are types of ibuprofens which are used to relieve the pain from sore muscles, sore throats, and also bringing down fevers. Other types of fever reducers are Aleve and Aspirin, both which are used to bring down the fever and relieve the pain.
