The above pic of the SinusRinse is the newer, easier version of the NetiPot (same makers). I use it when I get congestion and it helps, but nothing works better than any drug with pseudoephedrine HCl.
Its the active ingredient in Sinutab/Sudafed and most Advil C&S. I believe some formulations of Tylenol Flu use phenylephrine, which became popular when anything with pseudophedrine was put behind the counter due to trying to stop meth production. Ever since it was put back over the counter, you're looney if you use anything else. As long as what you're buying has pseudophedrine in it, difference in brands is just which pain killer (ibu/acet), cough suppressant, or antihistamines are mixed in. I usually stick with something with psuedo and ibuprofen (cuts pain and inflammation).
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
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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
is there anything that helps with excessive mucous? when i had strep throat, the worst part aside from the razor blades in my esophagus was hacking up gobs of phlegm every 5 minutes. i kept an empty Gatorade bottle next to me as a spitoon, and filled it up in a day. and hacking up massive mucous balls in the shower after waking up to the point of almost vomiting was not fun either
is there anything that helps with excessive mucous? when i had strep throat, the worst part aside from the razor blades in my esophagus was hacking up gobs of phlegm every 5 minutes. i kept an empty Gatorade bottle next to me as a spitoon, and filled it up in a day. and hacking up massive mucous balls in the shower after waking up to the point of almost vomiting was not fun either
Acetylcysteine by nebulizer. Not much else. Trouble is swallowing sonething down your esophagus is not going to affect your bronchioles where the mucous is being produced.
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
It's just a sustained release tablet with 120mg of pseudophedrine
Hard to find too many stand-alone decongestant without acet/ibuprof/anti histamine, DM mixture, etc. in it. Entex was the closest to straight decongestant on the market now. I find phenylephrine inferior to pseudoephrine.
Phenylephrine is inferior imo too. All single ingredient pseudophedrine products are behind the counter, that's likely why you haven't found them. Eltor (same as Entex I think), sudafed, generics, etc.
Thanks everyone for your responses. Advil Cold and Sinus was definitely better than the Tylenol Cold and Sinus I was using before. I was still feeling pretty terrible today despite the medicine, so I ended up going to the clinic and the doctor figured I was getting a sinus infection and prescribed me some anti-biotics.
Which seems quite similar. I tried it last summer when my sinuses were going totally haywire, but man...did it ever work like a charm. Thank you CP!
I use this. Works especially great for allergies. Gets rid of that buildup in polen in your sinuses.
This won't totally relieve a cold, but it will help a lot. A lot of congestion, from my experience, is just snot that gets stuck there and later infected. This clears it all out, but if you have a nasty cold it'll come back. Doing this twice a day though, makes a world of difference.
And yes, this is just an easier to use Neti-pot. Made by the same people. The pouchces are basically just salt, but they come in the perfect concentration.
If your insurer covers it id use Flonase I think they call it FLUTICASONE. I recommended it to a coworker and a few weeks later he was breathing through his nose for the first time in months.
If your insurer covers it id use Flonase I think they call it FLUTICASONE. I recommended it to a coworker and a few weeks later he was breathing through his nose for the first time in months.
This is a way better option than antibiotics. Some studies have shown less than 2% of cases of acute sinusitis are bacterial (some show as high as 30%) and even then, antibiotics often don't help. Nasal corticosteroids are quite effective depending on the condition.
I was given a script for Avamys in January, and it worked amazingly! I had headaches and couldn't breathe through one nostril for about a month, and after about a week of spraying it into my nose before bed, I was great. Used it for about two months in total (IIRC)
Hard to find too many stand-alone decongestant without acet/ibuprof/anti histamine, DM mixture, etc. in it. Entex was the closest to straight decongestant on the market now.
Sometimes even when there is no painkiller needed, the low dose of Ibuprofen that comes with most pseudoephedrine is just going to help reduce inflamation/swelling in that area too, which is always a plus.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vtec260
I find phenylephrine inferior to pseudoephrine.
So does pretty much everyone (aside from those who can't take pseudo or don't react to it). Since pseudo became openly "available" again, I believe Tylenol Cold and Tylenol Flu are the only two namebrand OTC drugs with phenylephrine as the decongestant. Even Tylenol Cold & Sinus has pseudo.
I guess im one of the first to return.
