[To Be Quite Honest]

Originally Posted by Street Pharmacist

Above. That and the NetiPot is what I recommend. Pseudophedrine is a great decongestant, but is a stimulant, so don't take it within 6 hours of bedtime, or alternativey get the day/night combo packs which add a first gen antihistamine to help you sleep. Topical decongestants (Otrivin, Dristan, etc) aren't as good and if you use it more than five days in a row you can get rebound congestion.

Pretty much all decongestants these days use pseudophedrine in doses of 30 to 120mg, so don't read what symptoms a medication treats as pseudophedrine does the same thing regardless which brand you use. Try reading the medicinal ingredients and that will help you decide much bette and save money.

Dextromethorphan: Cough Suppressant. Only one on the market. Mildly effective

Pseudophedrine: Decongestant. Most products now use this, phenylephrine is hardly used anymore. Really the only two decongestants used.

Acetaminophen/Ibuprofen: analgesics. These are the only two fever/aches/pain medications used in cold products

Diphenhydramine/brompheniramine/chlorpheniramine/doxylamine: Antihistamines. Probably the most effective cold ingredients. They make you tired, dry up runny noses and mucous. This is what makes NyQuil, NeoCitran, etc make you sleep.

Guafenisin: Expectorant. Probably the least effective ingredient. This is what is supposed to help you get rid of phlegm/mucous. Doesn't work. It's wht is in anything that says phlegm/mucous on it.


All cold products contain some combo of these. If you look at the ingredients on the package instead of the listed symptoms you will make a better choice for your symptoms and your wallet. For example, Tylenol Cold is the same as Tylenol Flu, but they aren't the same price

But what about the diddling yourself?