The best cold remedies
What’s the worst thing about a cold? Most will answer – stuffy nose. Neither work nor sleep with him. Salvation can be found in a pharmacy if you know what you are looking for. What are the best cold remedies?

Runny nose, or rhinitis, can occur for various reasons. They caught a cold, overcooled, inhaled a virus, dust or an allergen, injured the skin in the nose – and here it is, a runny nose. The mucous membrane becomes inflamed, swells, the nasal passages narrow and it becomes impossible to breathe.

To choose the best remedy for a cold, you need to know how they all differ. We have compiled a list of five types of drugs that are most often found on the shelves of pharmacies.

1. Products with sea water

In the top of the best remedies for the common cold, it is first of all worth mentioning preparations based on sea water. Among those are Aqua Maris, Aqualor, Dolphin, Morenazal, Marimer, Physiomer and others.

Most often, they are sold as a solution for nasal irrigation, and not in the form of the usual drops or sprays. Such drugs literally wash away viruses and bacteria from the mucous membrane, help to increase local immunity due to the microelements contained in sea water and have a local anti-inflammatory effect. A hypertonic solution helps to relieve swelling and remove mucus, an isotonic one – conducts hygiene of the nasal cavity. However, you are unlikely to be able to breathe deeply immediately, the swelling subsides rather slowly.

With regular use, these products increase the resistance of the nasal mucosa to pathogenic bacteria and viruses, so this is an excellent option for the prevention of colds and flu.

They have almost no contraindications and side effects, but sometimes there are difficulties with their use. If you overdo it with washing, you can bring the solution into the middle ear and provoke otitis media.

Advantages:

  • natural composition;
  • almost no side effects and contraindications;
  • children are allowed;
  • dispensed without a prescription;
  • can be used to prevent the common cold.

Disadvantages:

  • the effect may be delayed;
  • there is a risk of rinsing the nose incorrectly and aggravating the condition.
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2. Vasoconstrictors for the common cold

These are probably the most popular drugs for the common cold. This includes drugs such as Snoop, Xilen, Otrivin, Naphthyzin, Xymelin, Tizin and others.

All of them act on the same principle – they narrow the vessels of the nasal mucosa, the blood flow drops, and with it the swelling also subsides. After taking a vasoconstrictor, the ability to breathe instantly returns to a person for 4-6 hours. But such drugs will not eliminate the cause of the common cold, their role is only to dull the symptoms of the disease.

There is another trick. Most of these funds should not be taken more often than prescribed in the instructions, and the course should not exceed 3-7 days. If you overdo it with vasoconstrictors, the opposite effect may develop, drug-induced rhinitis is a constant nasal congestion, and you will become dependent on these drugs.

Advantages:

  • the effect comes quickly and lasts for several hours;
  • can be taken by children;
  • released without a prescription.

Disadvantages:

  • limited in the number of uses;
  • can cause medicamentous rhinitis and addiction;
  • does not eliminate the cause of the common cold.
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3. Combined funds

This includes drugs such as Sinupret, Polydex, Sanorin-Analergin, Vibrocil and others. Such drugs work in several directions at once, for example, they relieve swelling, improve the outflow of nasal mucus, and eliminate the manifestations of allergies.

As part of the combined remedies for the common cold, vasoconstrictor components can coexist with antiallergic, antibiotics with hormonal agents.

Such drugs under strict control are prescribed by the attending physician. Self-medication with such drugs is not recommended. There are also drops with an antiseptic and menthol Evamenol Nazo that do not require a prescription from a doctor. They affect both viruses and bacteria.

Advantages:

  • act in several directions at once;
  • can be used by children.

Disadvantages:

  • have a number of side effects and contraindications;
  • may be incompatible with other drugs.
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4. Hormonal remedies for the common cold

In the list of the best remedies for a cold, one cannot fail to mention hormonal drugs. Among them are Nasonex, Avamys and others.

These funds can not be bought at a pharmacy without a prescription. They are designed to fight severe forms of the common cold, most often hormonal drugs are prescribed for various forms of allergic rhinitis, as well as for acute and chronic sinusitis.

These drugs have a pronounced anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic effect, as well as relieve swelling.

Unlike vasoconstrictors, hormonal drugs do not cause dependence, but they have a rather extensive list of side effects. Here and nosebleeds, and irritation of the nasopharyngeal mucosa, and headache, and problems with taste and smell, even bronchospasm. They should be used strictly under the supervision of the attending physician!

Advantages:

  • quickly relieve swelling of the nasal mucosa;
  • not addictive;
  • can be used by children.

Disadvantages:

  • many side effects and limitations;
  • not compatible with all drugs;
  • dispensed by prescription.
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5. Antibiotic sprays

If at the doctor’s appointment it turns out that a bacterial infection caused a runny nose, and not a virus or an allergy, then you may be prescribed antibiotics – Isofra or Polydex with phenylephrine. Like hormonal drugs, these drugs will not be sold to you without a prescription – self-medication with antibiotics is dangerous. They will cope with their task – the fight against a bacterial infection (although they will have to be combined with taking pills), but if the runny nose is of an allergic or viral nature, there will be no sense.

The best cold remedies with antibiotics should contain additional vasoconstrictor or hormonal components, only then they will relieve swelling and make breathing easier. Otherwise, you will have to sniff until the cause of the cold is eliminated.

Advantages:

  • eliminate the cause of the common cold, if it is bacteria;
  • can effectively relieve swelling;
  • allowed for children over 2,5 years old.

Disadvantages:

  • useless against the common cold caused by viruses;
  • can not be used by pregnant and lactating women;
  • sold exclusively by prescription;
  • can lead to the development of drug-resistant bacteria.

How to choose an effective cold remedy

When you enter a pharmacy, you sometimes feel confused: there are so many drugs on the shelves, but it is not clear how to choose the most effective one. To spend money wisely and for health benefits, you need to remember a few tips.

  1. The most sensible solution for any symptoms of a cold is to go to the doctor and find out where the runny nose came from and how to treat it: whether it is viral or bacterial in nature, whether it is an allergic runny nose or drug-induced rhinitis. So you save money by not buying funds at random, and you will not make complications.
  2. If you have a favorite drug that you trust, do not be lazy to periodically read its instructions. Sometimes the dosage of the funds changes and, using them from old memory, you may not get the desired effect.
  3. If a child sniffs, it is especially important to choose a drug that is allowed at his age. Many medicines are available for children from 3 years of age, but for those who are younger, the list is rather limited. As a rule, younger children are more likely to recommend drugs in the form of drops, rather than sprays.
  4. Don’t be lazy to read the ingredients. First, it makes it clear whether the medicine is suitable for your type of cold. After all, drops with antibiotics and remedies for allergic rhinitis are not the same thing. Secondly, the composition may contain components to which you are allergic. This is especially true for products with essential oils and other natural ingredients.
  5. Make sure you buy the drug in the right dosage form. Sprays, drops, tablets, rinsing solutions – there are many options. If the spray can be used anywhere, then the solution for rinsing the nose at the cinema or at a meeting is not available. In addition, some children are reluctant to rinse their nose, perhaps drops or sprays in this case will be the best choice.
  6. Many cold remedies work better if you rinse your nose first. Doctors advise doing this with a saline solution. It will mechanically wash away the mucus and help relieve swelling.

Expert Council

“If you have a stuffy nose, before you run to the pharmacy, you can try to solve the problem with home remedies, for example, make a saline solution and rinse your nose with it. You will need a glass of warm water (approximately 36,6 °, you need to focus on body temperature). Add 1/4 teaspoon of salt to it and taste the liquid, it should be lightly salted, ”explains doctor-therapist Alena Smirnova.

“When flushing, there is a risk that the solution will enter the Eustachian tube. This happens in the following cases:

  • with a sharp pressure on the bottle;
  • when trying to rinse the nose at a time when it is heavily blocked;
  • with perforation of the tympanic membrane.

Therefore, it is very important to slowly squeeze the bottle, smoothly adjusting the rate of solution supply to the nasal cavity, and also observe the correct inclination of the body and head – forward by 90 degrees. In this position, the solution cannot enter the middle ear cavity. Before starting the procedure, do not forget to open your mouth – you need to breathe through it. When you finish flushing through one nostril, gently blow your nose.

But you don’t need to warm up your nose in pairs of anything! Firstly, the risk of burning the mucous membrane is greater than the benefit. Secondly, if pus has accumulated in the sinuses, then warming up can only aggravate the situation. Herbal preparations are generally an increased risk of allergic reactions. You definitely don’t need to worry about it.

By the way, you should not get involved in vasoconstrictor drugs. They are best used in case of emergency, when nasal congestion is so severe that it leads to additional complaints: headache, ear congestion, sleep disturbance and others. Duration of application is no more than 3-5 days.

The longer you use, the more you need drugs, as the vessels become insensitive to the initial dosage and more and more drops are needed to achieve the effect. As a result, drug addiction occurs, which is then difficult to get rid of, ”the doctor recalls.

Popular questions and answers

Answered popular questions about cold remedies otorhinolaryngologist Boris Brokhovetsky.

What are the most effective cold remedies?

There is no such thing as “most efficient”. They can be used for different purposes, their effectiveness and need for a particular pathology should be evaluated by the doctor. Therefore, it is better to make an appointment with a specialist, find out the exact diagnosis and choose the right treatment.

When will nose drops be contraindicated?

All nasal drops have their own contraindications, which the doctor should inform you about. As a rule, contraindications for most nasal drops and sprays are pregnancy, serious cardiovascular problems, and atrophic forms of rhinitis.

Is it possible to treat a runny nose with folk remedies?

Of course, folk remedies can be used in the treatment of the common cold. But, like pharmaceuticals, folk remedies also have their own strict contraindications, and very often, not knowing about their consequences, patients are faced with the ineffectiveness of the procedures performed or even worsening of symptoms. Therefore, first of all, it is necessary to seek the advice of a specialist.

Is it possible to overdose drops?

Of course, as with most drugs, the effects are different. Most often, people who use vasoconstrictor drops are exposed to an overdose. The feeling of instant “healing” of nasal breathing leads to their uncontrolled and prolonged use, which flows into drug-induced rhinitis, nosebleeds, atrophic rhinitis.

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