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I took an OTC decongestant one time many years ago..... I was speeding like a FREAK and was absolutely miserable until it FINALLY wore off....
Are decongestants today any less obnoxious??
I have been battling some sort of phlegm manufacturing disorder or illness or SOMETHING for the last 8 - 10 weeks..... It comes on strong for a couple or three days and makes me think I might be getting a cold, but then goes away in a far shorter time frame than a cold does..... but then it reappears again a couple or three weeks later for a repeat performance.....
No rhyme or reason about what I am exposed to or breathing or anything else.... it just randomly comes and goes.....
This time it has lasted a week or more and I am SICK TO DEATH of the sinus and chest congestion.....
any ideas??
I have this too. Only worse and more frequently. Every day. And it lasts a few hours.
WRONG!!!!!!! glyceryl guaiacolate the original name for guaifenesin, the active ingredient in Mucinex was already available when I was in Pharmacy School in the 60s
Actifed is still around? Is it a prescription? I used to take that when I was much younger and it worked well.
I've been taking the CVS version of Sudafed for years and it works well for me. Last year I read it can be damaging to your liver and decided not to take it once I ran out. But a month ago I had an allergy attack like I haven't had in 10+ years. I had to break down and buy more, simply because everything else out there is listed as 24 hours! Why is that? If a 4 hour med doesn't do anything you don't have to wait long to try something else. If a 24 hour one doesn't work you're stuck!!
I decided to try a nasal spray (also 24 hours) but I only took half a dose and it did seem to work.
Benadryl also works well for me but puts me to sleep so it's nighttime only.
Still around: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Actifed-C...-24ct/10294038 and it is non-prescription. Like I said before it is the only decongestant that did not alter my sleep patterns while driving truck. I think that I had tried just about everything on the market that claimed it did not cause drowsiness and I also avoided those that kept me awake. Sitting behind a wheel for 11 hours you want to be at your peak; it's too dangerous if you are not.
I took an OTC decongestant one time many years ago..... I was speeding like a FREAK and was absolutely miserable until it FINALLY wore off....
Are decongestants today any less obnoxious??
I have been battling some sort of phlegm manufacturing disorder or illness or SOMETHING for the last 8 - 10 weeks..... It comes on strong for a couple or three days and makes me think I might be getting a cold, but then goes away in a far shorter time frame than a cold does..... but then it reappears again a couple or three weeks later for a repeat performance.....
No rhyme or reason about what I am exposed to or breathing or anything else.... it just randomly comes and goes.....
This time it has lasted a week or more and I am SICK TO DEATH of the sinus and chest congestion.....
any ideas??
I find that since they removed the pseudoephedrin from cold medicine it is considerably less effective than it once was. I always go to the counter and as for the "real stuff". It might make you a little hinky but it will clear up the problem.
This is THE ONE that I am allergic to...seriously and every decongestant I’ve seen OTC has it. I’ve recently tried an herbal syrup that worked the first time, but this time it didn’t. Recently I caught a cold from a student and the accompanying congestion lasted for such a long time as I was at a loss as to what to use. Maybe I really should have gone the old Vick’s Vaporub route...
It's an expectorant, not a decongestant.
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I took an OTC decongestant one time many years ago..... I was speeding like a FREAK and was absolutely miserable until it FINALLY wore off....
Are decongestants today any less obnoxious??
I have been battling some sort of phlegm manufacturing disorder or illness or SOMETHING for the last 8 - 10 weeks..... It comes on strong for a couple or three days and makes me think I might be getting a cold, but then goes away in a far shorter time frame than a cold does..... but then it reappears again a couple or three weeks later for a repeat performance.....
No rhyme or reason about what I am exposed to or breathing or anything else.... it just randomly comes and goes.....
This time it has lasted a week or more and I am SICK TO DEATH of the sinus and chest congestion.....
any ideas??
Way past time to see a doctor or health clinic. 8-10 weeks, you probably have bronchitus. Don't wait any longer, next step is pnemonia and hospitalization. Your body is trying to fight it, that is why you get better than worse.
I find that since they removed the pseudoephedrin from cold medicine it is considerably less effective than it once was. I always go to the counter and as for the "real stuff". It might make you a little hinky but it will clear up the problem.
Yea they replaced it with phenylephrine - which is about as good as a placebo.
Decongestants can become habit forming and create more serious problems down the line. I'd suggest you have an evaluation with an ENT doctor.
Given that OP has avoided them at all costs for the last decade, it doesn't seem like that's a huge concern. If OP had said, "The sudafed just ain't working anymore" that would be different.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaminhealth
My thoughts, of course, get non drug products.
If you can find super powerful horseradish or peppermint that can help, temporarily at least.
Of course, you need to figure out what you're dealing with too. An allergy vs a virus, I would go to a doctor if I were OP.
Mucinex is pretty mild and made from the Guaiac tree anyway, which was known to have expectorant properties going back to the 16th century.
I can't use decongestants or any of those multi-symptom relieving cold meds, they just drain everything into my chest and then it takes weeks to clear it out.
I haven't been sick for years, but when I get something, I'll use Vicks Vapor Rub so I can breathe and an expectorant if necessary.
Its likely pseudoephedrine - it is a very effective decongestant but certainly causes jitters in some. Most decongestants that don't contain pseudoephedrine contain phenylephrine instead. But as most will tell you - that's as good as useless. Its taking a drug for basically no benefit at all - so is pointless.
If you are one of those people very sensitive to pseudoephedrine then I'd try to find something not at the pharmacy. Some people find eating curries or hot sauce will get things feel like they've opened up - also running, or time in a steam sauna. Coffee helps some people.
However - this is just decongestants. You sound like you have a recurring infection or an allergy. Is it green/yellow phlegm or is it clearish?
clear most of the time until yesterday..... With the headaches I have been having, I am beginning to suspect a sinus infection, although that doesn't explain the concurrent chest congestion.... I don't have time for a doctor today or tomorrow, but if it doesn't abate by Monday, I will be first in line when his office opens Monday morning.....
Only good thing is that I have not been running a fever.... I do NOT do fever well and turn into a big ol' baby.....
As to all of those "cold remedies" at the pharmacy, I have found over the years that they make me feel worse than the actual cold..... so I get by with Tylenol a couple of times a day and the store brand, 4 hour Mucinex.....
I am planning to do as little as humanly possible and just rest all day Sunday..... maybe have someone bring me some chicken soup......
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