What remedies do you take when you have a heavy cold?

[olivo]

Usually when I have a cold, I use a nasal decongestant spray, and take paracetamol for a sore throat/achy feeling. This time, nothing seems to be working. I have had a stronger nasal spray, boots cold and flyu tablets and vit c with zinc, but I cannot breathe at all, and it seems no better than when it arrived on Friday. I've also tried steaming, saline spray and olbas inhaler stick.
I am officially fed up, and at this rate, will be going back to work more tired than when we finished as my sleep is so disrupted!

Just posted on a thread about this-hot coca cola and loads of ginger (peeled)-make up a jug and drink throughout day-amazing stuff.p

Chief sounds intriguing, might try it
Have tried Olbas oil/pastilles, 4Flu, Benylin 'Day & Night' - all good
Hope you feel better soon

New era 'coughs and colds' or ''catarah and sinus' tissue salts are great

Thanks. I have done steaming with olbas oil, even though I hate the stuff! I think the boots tablets I have are the equivalent of the day and night ones. May check out the tissue salts.

I'm intrigued by the coca cola thing, but (serious question!)does it work with diet coke? I don't think I could force the full fat stuff down!

Day five here and no better. Have been using otrivine spray at night to help sleep, but doesn't cure it....

Olivo For future ref. and comfort through yr cold, give up dairy and alcohol (both of which create a lot of mucous) some people do very badly with them. A good echinacea supplement is fantastic for anything viral.

IIWY i'd keep away from anything with high sugar and or additives (like any type of coke!!) very bad for yr immune system, though the ginger with lemon juice would be brilliant!

Hi dose vitamin c.

Go and see your gp, it may be a sinus problem or something instead.

I got a bad sinus blockage/temporary deafness off a cold once.

Menthol crystals are good, only a few at a time in the boiling cup of water though. More than that could be used as a method of torture, sod waterboarding, menthols crystals are hardcore.

I avoid anything dairy, drink hot lemon and honey, drink soluble echinaccea and make sure I have a lot of vit C.
I also make a really spicy chicken noodle soup with lots of fresh veg in, and the spices help a lot, also means you can actually taste it.

Oh and cold and flu tablets (caffeine free ones) and then night nurse as well to help me sleep.

OP you have my sympathies. I also have a bad cold but since I am pregnant I can't take anything really effective. Usually I use a nasal spray during the day and have an Actifed tablet at night. Actifed are much stronger than most other decongestant tablets but I find they wipe me out so only use them at night.

thank you all for your tips. I'd forgotten about the dairy thing.
I thought all decongestants would be stimulants, but will check out Actifed.

I think I am going to make a GP appt too as my left sinus/nostril has been almost fully blocked for months.

You will have to ask a pharmacist for Actifed

Watch out with actifed and sudafed tablets they are good at what they do but can keep you awake at night just my experience though doesnt with everyone !!

Vitamin C (1000mg) with manuka honey and a sauna/steam bath.

Cuts a cold in it's tracks.

i just discovered those cold and flu tablets....great big plastic choke a donkey size capsules, red and yellow for day time, blue for night time, take them two at a time as recommended.

they are chock full of paracetamol, decongestants and caffeine ...the blue ones have no caffeine.

I found they really helped to ease the pounding head and stuffed up feeling. Normally I'd struggle on with juice and vit c, but now I have these too! :D

I also take echinacea, but only in the winter, so I do usually manage at least one cold before the echinacea does its work.

When I lived in England there was this great medicine called Contact 400, does it still exist?
Otherwise, Actifed, steaming, hot drinks, orange juice, vit C + zinc are excellent to boost immune system.

I swear by Actifed TABLETS at bedtime and Sudafed tablets in the daytime with echinacea and vitamin C as well.

I hope you feel better soon.

I do lemsips,olbas oil inhaler,drinks of hot Ribena and Kleenex Balsam tissues (for my poor sore nose).I also try to remember to use my preventative asthma inhaler as I should (and never seem to ) in a vain,last minute attempt to head off a chest infection.Then when I get the said chest infection I scrat around in the medicine cupboard for manky old left over antibiotics......

Paracetamol and ibuprofen for the early stages, plus high dose vit c and lemon/honey tea. If cold deteriorates then an otc remedy for day and night nurse to help me sleep.

def echinacea for a cold and for the coughing stages put a damp towel on your radiator at night, raise your head, get a vapour plug that works during the night and have either a hot bath or shower before you go to bed and actifed

I forgot about Contact 400 - they are amazing, really dries out a cold but they do make your mouth feel dry as well.