by A.F., Survival Blog:
(Continued from Part 1. This concludes the article.)
COLD, FLU, AND ALLERGY
Sudafed (pseudoephedrine hydrochloride 30 mg) is an oral tablet that is a nasal decongestant. Sudafed reduces sinus pressure by narrowing the blood vessels to decrease inflammation in nasal and sinus passages. It treats a symptom of the cold, allergies or flu. As a result of its misuse as a precursor for meth production, it is no longer available directly off the shelf and requires one to ask for it at a pharmacy counter. Sudafed elevates blood pressure–so don’t use if you already have high blood pressure. As a personal aside, although the recommended adult dose is two tablets or 60 mg, the full dose causes me to feel jittery/anxious and dries out my nasal passage to an uncomfortable extent.
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There are several decongestant nasal sprays available that contain active ingredients similar to Sudafed (e.g., oxymetazoline hydrochloride). But we do not keep one because the dose cannot be accurately regulated and receiving an excessive dose can easily occur. If you do choose to use nasal decongestant spray, keep in mind it is designated for short-term use and immediate treatment of symptom onset. Overuse can cause damage to the sinus passages even if you believe the medication is helping you breathe better. As a young man, I had a bad experience with this phenomenon myself.
Mucinex (guaifenesin 600 mg) extended release for relief of chest congestion. This is an expectorant that helps loosen the mucus in your chest making it easier to cough up. It is important to take the extended-release tablet without chewing or crushing, because failing to follow directions will impact the drug release rate. For best results, one should drink lots of water while taking guaifenesin.
Vicks VapoRub or Mentholatum are both old standby remedies for congestion and cough suppression. Typically, ointments such as these have camphor, menthol or eucalyptus as the active ingredient.
Zinc. In recent years, limited research has implied that that zinc shortens the duration or reduces the severity of cold symptoms. For our OTC kit, my wife selected Zicam oral mist and zinc lozenges.
Elderberry. Evidence is beginning to mount suggesting that elderberry syrup provides some extent of cold and flu symptom relief.
ANTIHISTAMINES (H1 BLOCKERS)
Antihistamines differ from decongestants in that they block the body’s production of histamine, which is the compound our bodies produce resulting in allergic reactions such as runny nose, runny eyes or itching. Decongestants and antihistamines are often confused with one another but they do not perform the same function. An analogy using the earlier GI OTC selections, Tums versus Prilosec, helped me understand the difference: Tums brings quick heartburn relief by neutralizing the acid present in your stomach whereas Prilosec reduces the production of stomach acid over time, eventually eliminating the occurrence of heartburn.
In terms of allergy relief, decongestants such as Sudafed can open airways relatively quickly (45 to 60 minutes for example) whereas regular use of an antihistamine such as Zyrtec works by blocking the production of histamine which is responsible for causing the symptom – nasal congestion.
Any newer less drowsy antihistamine such as Claritin (loratadine), Allegra (fexofenadine), Zyrtec (cetirizine), Xyzal (levocetirizine), etc. can be kept on hand for general treatment of cold and allergies. Anecdotally, we’ve heard that people may prefer one antihistamine or think one works better than another. They’re all very similar in their effectiveness, so you can keep whichever one you prefer on hand. We keep the Sams Club version of Zyrtec (cetirizine hydrochloride 10mg) as our regular use allergy treatment.
Benadryl (diphenhydramine HCl 25 mg). My wife believes that everyone should have tablets or liquid on hand for emergency treatment of severe allergic reactions. (Recall from earlier that it was her only contribution to my OTC stockpile in the initial three years. She keeps close to 1,000 tablets on hand as well as oral liquid and topical spray versions). She emphasized that Benadryl is for occasional use and not to be taken daily as we do with Zyrtec. It is important not to mix and match multiple formulations at the same time, i.e., don’t take a tablet and spray the sting/bite within the dosing window (timeframe of the drugs effect/action) because the dosages are cumulative.
Astepro nasal spray (azelastine HCl 205.5 mcg per spray). An antihistamine nasal spray for temporary relief of runny or itchy nose. While under a physician’s care, my wife once used this to combat dizziness caused by a sinus infection.
For chronic allergies, there are corticoid steroid nasal sprays such as, Nasacort, Nasonex and Flonase. These reduce nasal and sinus symptoms associated with chronic allergies. They typically require daily use for two weeks to achieve full benefit followed by continuous use during the allergy season to maintain effect. These products are not related to the nasal decongestant sprays mentioned earlier and absolutely should not be confused with one another.
