Cold and Cough Medicine

How to choose Cold and Cough Medicine

The key to relief, say experts, is to figure out what symptoms you have and then find a product that tackles just those ills. You might be tempted to just grab a product that promises to treat everything, but if you don't have every single symptom, you'll just be overmedicating yourself and flirting with unnecessary side effects.

Congestion Medicine

When your immune system attacks the cold virus, it also increases mucus production and causes nasal membranes to swell. Decongestants such as pseudoephedrine and phenylpropanolamine relieve the stuffiness by shrinking blood vessels and reducing swelling, opening clogged passages.

Decongestants work well, but they can also cause side effects such as jitteriness, insomnia, and increased blood pressure, and should not be taken if you have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, glaucoma, or an irregular heartbeat. Pseudoephedrine is less likely than others to cause a rise in blood pressure.

Oxymetazoline and phenylephrine—decongestants found in nasal sprays and drops—also are less likely to boost blood pressure. They should not be used for more than three days, however. Overuse of nasal decongestants can cause a "rebound effect," allowing your stuffy nose to come back with a vengeance.

Sneeze relief

If you're sneezing, your nose is running, or your eyes are itchy, then an antihistamine may be what the doctor ordered. Antihistamines block the action of histamine—the main culprit behind allergy-like symptoms. Since histamines don't play any role in the common cold, antihistamines are a somewhat controversial ingredient in cold remedies.

So why are antihistamines in cold formulas? Because they also dry out mucous membranes, relieving runny noses and other problems. That's fine if your symptoms are unbearable, but keep in mind that antihistamines also thicken the mucus in your chest or sinuses, making it harder to cough up. This can set you up for a secondary infection.

Antihistamines also can have some unwelcome side effects, such as blurred vision. And they're the reason that some cold remedies make people drowsy. Common antihistamines in cold remedies include diphenhydramine, doxylamine, chlorpheniramine, triprolidine, and brompheniramine.

Cough Medicine

A cough can be a good thing. How so? It's the body's way to get rid of excess mucus and speed healing. The ingredient in cold medicines that loosens the mucus in your chest is called an expectorant. The most common expectorant is guaifenesin.

There are times, though—say, if you're trying to go to sleep—when you may want to suppress your cough instead of helping it along. When that's the case, choose an antitussive (cough suppressant) such as dextromethorphan or codeine. These turn off the brain's cough center. The antihistamine diphenhydramine is also sometimes used as a suppressant. Be careful, though: if you use a cough syrup and a cold pill with antihistamines, you'll get a double dose, which could have potentially troublesome side effects.