How to get rid of a cold?

Question

Have a cold coming, sniffy nose,body is a bit chilly.
2 weeks from now I'm writing my finals....i need help to get rid of it fast

Answer 1

Getting rid of a cold is an all too daunting endeavor for many of us. It’s hard enough to deal with the cold symptoms: sneezing, inflamed sinuses, hoarse coughs, sore throats,
fevers, headaches and muscle/joint pains. What else can we be expected to do besides lay in bed and hope to die—to be freed from the misery of a viral infection? We’ve all had that visit to the doctor that ends with “just get some rest and drink plenty of fluids.” Not that it’s bad advice, but we were hoping they’d either give us a shot or a pill, or at the very least, euthanize us. It’s true that the common cold is attributed to virus infections (rhinoviruses and Coronaviruses being the most common) that cannot be fought with antibiotics, but the causes of colds are too numerous to count: blame it on a lack of humidity, the temperature, and overcrowded schools. Medications like Tamiflu can’t help us; those are for the flu, an entirely different problem. But, since we’re here and you’re wondering how to get rid of a cold, I’ll give you some suggestions for do-it-yourself cold treatment

First, I’m going to tell you to see a doctor if you want to get rid of a cold.

I know, I know: the doctor can’t do anything for you—we’ve been over this. But, common cold symptoms aren’t very different from common flu symptoms. So, it might be important to know whether or not you have the flu, considering that almost 20,000 Americans die of the flu every year.

Antiviral medication won’t help you get rid of a cold, but acetaminophen will help ease your pain.

Pain medications like Tylenol, Panadol , and Dayquil are the most common treatments for colds because instead of using Aspirin to treat cold symptoms, they use acetaminophen. Some people say acetaminophen doesn’t work as well as Aspirin, but if you consider the consequences (Reye syndrome) of giving Aspirin to a child when they have the flu, you’ll understand why doctors prefer Tylenol.

Antihistamines are a good cold treatment if you’re having sinus pain and congestion.

Antihistamines like Benadryl, Allegra, and Claritin will help keep inflammation of the sinuses and other related cold symptoms down, while decongestants like Sudafed will keep your nose from plugging and dripping so much. There are combination medicines like Claritin D, Allegra D, and Sudafed Plus that contain both antihistamines and decongestants.

Expectorants and humidifiers can help you get rid of a cold.

Expectorants are medicines that help breakup the phlegm in your lungs so you can cough it up, and breath easier. Robitussin Severe Congestion Liqui-Gels, Vicks 44E, and Extra Action Cough Syrup are good over-the-counter expectorants. Couple these medicines with a humidifier and some eucalyptus oil and you should start to feel less of the cold in your lungs.

The single most important cold treatment to help you get rid of a cold is fluid intake.

Keep yourself hydrated with sports drinks. Every time I’ve been to the hospital or the clinic, the doctor has told me (and my father too) that sports drinks are the best hydrating formulas you can buy. Why? Because they have electrolytes like potassium, sodium, and chloride which help your body absorb the fluids. The sugars also help give your body energy it might be losing from a lack of food.

There are a whole ton of cold medicines on the market today. Go to any Target or Walmart and you’ll see entire shelves dedicated to cold medicines during the cold and flu season. But which cold medicine should you choose? Well, there are some things you should know about cold medicine to begin with. Most medicines contain antihistamines, which make you drowsy, but to counteract the drowsiness they also contain decongestants which tend to speed your heart rate and cause insomnia. Medications like Dayquil and Nyquil, which I recommend, are a good idea because the Dayquil contains more decongestants, which keep you up during the day, and Nyquil contains the antihistamines which put you to sleep.

Answer 2

The best thing for cold sores right now is a product called abreva. However, if you can find it, some hometown pharmacist carry a product called "Cure a Sore", it has ether in it and works very well. Stinks like crazy and taste very bad if you get it in your mouth, but works better than anything else that I have tried. If you keep abreva with you, then you can put it on as soon as you feel one coming and usually it won't come up. If it does come up it doesn't last long. I keep it for that reason. Although I haven't noticed much difference if I wait too long to use it. I also keep Lysin it helps with the puffieness and discomfort. Hope this helps.

Answer 3

I hardly ever get sick except for when I am getting close to big exams, especially finals. I think it must usually be brought on by stress for me. So, I can empathize with you! I'd say just to not stress out and worry about it. There isn't anything out there to prevent a cold from coming since it is a virus. Just get plenty of rest and fluids. Even though it's hard to relax and not worry about exams, you should take some time for yourself to do something relaxing. There are some meds out there to treat the symptoms which might help so it doesn't worsen. Probably not the answer you were looking for, but this is what I usually do and it helps. Good luck with finals........ I should be studying right now :)

Answer 4

Well to get rid of it you should take some cold medicine. Also try to stay as warm as you can. You might want to drink something hot like tea or some soup. Take some vitamin c drops too. This will probably help. Hope you feel better!

Answer 5

There's loads of cold medications out there, but I'm not one to pop pills. Some natural relievers of cold symptoms are spicy foods, which get musuc moving. The garlic, horseradish, and onions have agents in them similar to over-the-counter meds.
Another food that's been used for thousands of years is honey, which soothes soreness. Ginger has flu-fighting agents as well. Make a ginger tea and add some lemon juice, hot sauce, or honey depending on your taste preference.

Add get some rest as well as fresh air.

Answer 6

I suggest you don't try out all these remedies because all of them together could just make it worse, I think the best thing to do is just rest but occasionally get some fresh air and eat appropriate food :))

Answer 7

Go to bed early and take tyonol every day before bed. use a hot pad and put it on your chest to get all of that deconjestion out of your system. And blow your nose all the time

Answer 8

rest eat hot food and oranges help

Answer 9

have CN soup it helps a lot and gaterade is good to GO TO THE DOCTOR thay can help a lot to!!!!!

Answer 10

use of the products with zinc in them. they really work and fast.