• BurgerBaron@quokk.au
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        1 day ago

        There’s a lot of that bullshit going on for cold/flu meds getting lumped into allergy medication which is confusing the hell out of everyone. Then there’s useless fucking NyQuil which is an expensive scam.

        The few things that work on a cold or flu :

        Decongestant: sudafed

        Pain, fever, aches: ibuprofen

        Cough: Dextromethorphan, kinda. Middling evidence.

        Runny nose/sneezing: antihistamines… Here’s where it’s related to OP. Only the older, sedating ones (diphenhydramine/Benadryl, chlorpheniramine) help cold symptoms. The non-drowsy ones like loratadine (Claritin) DO NOTHING.

        Less days spent sick: Take zinc, cells use it to combat infections.

        Preventative to be sick for less time: Vitamin C supplement. Does not work if you only start taking it when already sick.

        • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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          24 hours ago

          Lortadine does help my like allergy level runny nose if I make sure to take it daily. Whatever’s in NyQuil dries me out regardless of if it’s a cold or allergies but it also knocks me on my ass too hard to be functional.

          • BurgerBaron@quokk.au
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            23 hours ago

            It could help for actual allergies yeah. It’s just useless against a viral infection as I understand it.

            • Zorcron@lemmy.zip
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              20 hours ago

              The non-drowsy antihistamines work okay for runny nose/sneezing with colds as well; it doesn’t have to be just Benadryl. You could at least start with a non-drowsy one, and see if that cuts it for you.

              Personally I think the main benefit of something like Benadryl when you have a cold is that it puts you to sleep, not necessarily that it works better on the cold symptoms.

              Source: I’m a pharmacist.

            • lightnsfw@reddthat.com
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              23 hours ago

              Makes sense to me. I wish there was something in the middle to take in that week or so after the cold that would keep my nose under control without fucking me up so bad.

    • Walters, Fern@bookwyr.me
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      1 day ago

      some allergy meds, like Loratadine here, keep people up. so when going to siesta/sleep, some take antihistamine to sleep. the dosage varies on patients, so some take stronger doses depending on the amount of allergy medicine they take, and type of sleep they need.

      • FiskFisk33@startrek.website
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        15 hours ago

        I’m confused. Claritins active substance is loratadine, which is an antihistamine.
        Youre saying it keeps people up but they take it to sleep?

          • dohpaz42@lemmy.worldM
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            1 day ago

            I used to go to sleep the moment my head hit the pillow (no drugs needed). But, I had a difficult time motivating myself to do anything during the day. Now, I need help to sleep and I’m super motivated. 🤷‍♂️

            ~Honestly, I’ll gladly suffer the insomnia for the motivation.~

            • Duranie@leminal.space
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              1 day ago

              I’ve been perimenopausal for several years now and the worst symptom I’ve experienced is the sleep disruption. Last week I basically stopped sleeping, so I’m on hormones now. There’s a slight relief, but at least I’m getting 6 very interrupted hours which is better than last week!

              • dohpaz42@lemmy.worldM
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                1 day ago

                Is there something similar for men? I feel like things have been up and down for the psst ten years (I’m turning 50 next summer).

          • dohpaz42@lemmy.worldM
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            1 day ago

            I knew that Tylenol will wreck the liver, but not my boy Benadryl?

            ~I feel betrayed. 😥~

            • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
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              24 hours ago

              A good rule of thumb is that any drug that says “don’t drink alcohol with this” is going to absolutely wreck your liver if you take it too much. Consider supplementing with melatonin at bedtime, but talk to your doctor about it instead of a stranger on the internet lol.

              • dohpaz42@lemmy.worldM
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                22 hours ago

                But a stranger on the internet suggested going to my doctor, then said not to trust them! 🤔

                ~/s of course!~

                • ayyy@sh.itjust.works
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                  18 hours ago

                  Also, to be upfront with you, the withdrawal process from the regimen you described is going to suck. If you don’t have other support for your situation I guess I will try to help if you DM and I will try to shittily talk you through it.

  • ramble81@lemmy.zip
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    1 day ago

    Non-drowsy when you need to actually function. Eternal sleep for everything else and you just want the shit knocked out of you.

  • Catoblepas@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 day ago

    Ignore the marketing bullshit and check the active ingredients, then buy the cheapest one with the ingredient you need. If you’re stuffy and guaifenesin (Mucinex) isn’t taking care of it, get a SPRAY (not pill, they’re useless) of phenylephrine or oxymetazoline. That shit is powerful and will clear your sinuses in seconds, but you can’t use it for more than 3 days in a row or it’ll fuck your sinuses up.

    Warnings for the brain dead: don’t take shit you’re allergic to and talk to a pharmacist to make sure it doesn’t interact with your meds.

    • Zorcron@lemmy.zip
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      20 hours ago

      Guaifenesin is basically a placebo, but those nasal sprays work great; I prefer them over Sudafed since they work faster and don’t cause as many side effects.

    • Walters, Fern@bookwyr.me
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      1 day ago

      get a SPRAY

      ⚠️⚠️⚠️check allergies⚠️⚠️⚠️

      consult your doctors. claritin®=Loratadine. so don’t give medical advice you’re not willing to get manslaughter charged for.

  • jordanlund@lemmy.world
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    1 day ago

    Same with NyQuil / PainQuil.

    “The sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, OMG I woke up on the bathroom floor again medicine.”

  • Etterra@discuss.online
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    19 hours ago

    Ooh, can I get 8 oz of internal sleep please? I don’t know what a recommended dose is but I really don’t want to underdose myself.

  • crenquis@lemmy.today
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    1 day ago

    Just give me that children’s Dimetapp from before the 2000s… Self-roofied with a weird grape aftertaste.

  • Walters, Fern@bookwyr.me
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    1 day ago

    white⬜ labels b raik:
    Loratadine
    Loratadine + antihistamine
    Loratadine + antihistamine++
    Loratadine + antihistamine+++☣️