Saturday, November 6, 2010

to take or not to take? drugs for a common cold.

The entire suite and I have been sick this week, to varying degrees. I have been stubbornly fighting off taking medicine because well, my immunology class seems to point to the fact that it's better to let your body fight it out to full extent and emerge victorious, than to downregulate inflammation, lower body temperature, and tamper with the immune system.

For the common cold, many of the medicines mask the symptoms, rather than battling the cause. The common cold is caused by a virus and is characterized by congestion, fever, headache, and sore throat. Antibiotics will not help you, and no effective antiviral drugs have been developed yet.

But I am so miserable!

I finally walked over to the health services center to pick up a cold kit. I got a zip-lock bag with various different meds:

  • Cepacol, for relief of sore throat. Active ingredients: benzocaine- local anesthetic used as pain reliever, menthol-also a local anesthetic.
  • Sudanyl, as nasal decongestant. Active ingredient: phenylephrine- the most common over-the-counter decongestant, acts as a vasoconstrictor.
  • Advil, pain reliever with ibuprofen , a fever reducer by inhibiting inflammation responses.
  • Tylenol, acetaminophen, pain reliever and fever reducer.
  • Cough drops, with menthol. A definite must if you decide to attend class, for your classmates' sakes.
Here comes the obvious question: advil and tylenol are both pain relievers... what is better? The answer is complicated: ibuprofen acts to reduce fevers by acting to reduce swelling and inflammation on site. Take ibuprofen for bodily injuries and sores. Acetaminophen works with the nerves in the brain to decrease pain, making it a better choice for headaches and fever.

As for me, I'm taking minimal medicine combined with lots of naps & ice cream/cookies. Times like these, I am so thankful that I am usually healthy and well. Ughhh. 

No comments:

Post a Comment