Fighting a head cold here, as you hear in my typing. 
So, I was curious:
What cold medicine(s) do you feel really work for you? Now, my wife swears Sudafed doesn’t work for her at all. Often, she’ll do nothing and just live with it. But, I’m open to other suggestions…
Sudafed is just ok with me, but I was wondering about others on the market…preferably without making me zzzzzz.
Sorry, I dozed off! Thanks for all opinions,
I’m a recovering addict, so I can’t take most OTC medications – I use echinacea. I start taking it when I feel the first symptoms coming on (I can usually tell I’m getting a cold because I can feel my sinuses), and it really knocks back the symptoms. I also take vitamin C (don’t know if it makes a difference), and zinc tablets are also good for symptoms.
I tend to not take any medicine if I only have mild symptoms. If I’m really stuffed up, I’ll take Sudafed (or more likely the generic equivalent). But for a mild cold, I like to use this recipe that an ex-girlfriend taught me:
Fill a large glass or pint mug with hot water. Stir in 1 large spoonful of honey, the juice of 1 lemon (fresh squeezed), and a splash of brandy. Drink it down while it’s still hot. Mmm-mmm good.
Sudafed does nothing at all for me, either. So I’m not alone there. Interesting.
The only thing that lets me get any sleep when I have a cold is Afrin, or a store-brand knockoff thereof. I only use it for a couple of nights, normally. During the day, I suffer. A hot shower gets things moving for a couple of minutes but that’s about it.
If I’m feeling really crappy I’ll take a couple of Tylenol, but otherwise, I just wait. Fortunately my colds don’t seem to last more than about three days.
Actually the BEST thing to do is take any of the NON DROWSY Nyquil or Thera-flu products. THEN buy an Over The Counter Claritan D (generic version for money savings). You will get the benefits of Nyquil without the drowsiness.
THERA FLU! I think they make a version for colds. That stuff ROCKS. Not only does it work medicine wise, but it’s a hot lemony thing that you drink like tea. That alone is comforting IMO. Plus, did I mention the medicine part works wonders?
I LIVE on that stuff when I get sick.
Extra spicey chinese food.
I haven’t had to use any cold medicine since winter of last year (knock on wood!). But whenever I do, it’s Contac C. Nothing like it. I take two first, and within half an hour my nose and eyes have stopped running. After that, I take one according to the directions.
Alka Seltzer Plus Cold - The Orange flavor that’s dissolved in water as opposed to caplets.
Everyone I’ve recommended it to says it works better than any other OTC.
What JohnBckWLD said. AS+ CM works faster and better for me than anything and if you’ll sniff the bubbles just before drinking it it seems to help clear your congestion as well.
My guidelines are thus:
[ol]
[li]Treat only the symptoms you have. If you have a sore throat, get something for that; if you have congestion, get something for that. Don’t use the combination drugs, since you paying for (and taking) medicine you don’t need.[/li]
[li]Antihistimines are useless for a cold (allergies are something else). Worse, they make you drowsy. Even worse, you sleep drugged, but not refreshed.[/li]
[li]Learn the names of the drugs. You want pseudoephedrine, not Sudafed; acetomenophin, not Tylenol. This lets you compare and really understand what you’re getting.[/li]
[li]What you take depends on a lot of factors. Say I’m congested. If it’s during the day, I’ll take pseudoephedrine. If it’s before bed, I’ll take it IF I took some earlier. If not, I won’t take it, since it will keep me up all night. In that case, I use Vicks VapORub (camphor/menthol/eucalyptus) – a very underrated form of relief. Occasionally I use nasal spray – sparingly (see #5). I’ve been experimenting with nasal strips for minor congestion.[/li]
[li]Use nasal spray sparingly. I never use it more than once in every 24 hours. It can make you congestion worse if you use too much.[/li]
[li]For coughs, it’s the sugar that soothes. However, I do like menthol/eucalyptus to help clear my sinuses.[/ol][/li]
Basically, I use pseudoephedrine for congestion (except if I start feeling it at night), a cough syrup with dextromethorphan for a cough (It’s hard to get that alone, so you’re usually stuck with guanifinesin at the very least), and asprin (if I’ve eaten)/acetomenophen (if I haven’t) for aches/fever.
I’m thirding Alkaseltzer Plus Cold. (I like the cherry!) I swear by it but my husband prefers TheraFlu. I like that if you’re just getting or just getting over the cold and your symptoms aren’t full blown you can just halve the dose and still feel a ton better.
Nothing, but nothing, beats sleeping off a cold in a Nyquil-induced coma.
-lv
One shot of the green death (Nyquil), then sleep til I feel better.
Jack Daniels. Green label.
For sinus congestion, pseudoephedrine. For coughs and general malaise, a cup of chamomile tea with honey, a splash of lemon, and a shot of tequila. Soothes the cough, clears up chest congestion, and pops me right off to sleep. I generally feel much, much better after a good night’s sleep.
Hot whiskey.
Whiskey, hot water, honey, lemon with cloves stuck into it.
I deal with my (very rare) colds in a similar fashion as my allergies:
Hot. Spicy. Food.
Wasabi? Bring it on! Chili sauce? Pour it on until the bottle is empty! 
(This is because most decongestants do diddly-squat for me, or do so little it isn’t worth taking them. Spicy food is cheaper and has the added ‘benefit’ of being more amusing to my Mom, as she gets to see steam coming out of my ears.)
The only difference between how I treat my allergies and my rare colds is that I’ll spend a lot more time sleeping when I have a cold.
<< Dum-de-dum-dum. >>