Is There Medication For The Flu
The CDC recommends prompt medical attention for people who get the flu and are at high risk of developing complications, such as adults who are 65 and older, pregnant women, and people with chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, HIV, and cancer. People taking immunosuppressive medications are also at a higher risk for flu complications.
For people in these groups, treatment may include antiviral medications these prescription drugs are used to battle influenza viruses.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the following antivirals to treat flu:
- Tamiflu is available as a liquid or a capsule, and it can be prescribed for infants who are least 14 days old, children, and adults.
- Relenza is available as a powder that is inhaled, and it can be prescribed for people who are 7 and older.
- Rapivab is given intravenously, and it can be prescribed for people who are 2 and older.
- Xofluza is available as a single-dose pill that can be prescribed for people who are 12 and older.
Antiviral medications might shorten the duration of symptoms somewhat, but in order for them to be effective, they need to be started in the first two days of illness, says Dr. Ohl.
The CDC stresses that these drugs are a second line of defense against the flu: A flu vaccine remains the best way to stay healthy.
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Can Having A Cold Or The Flu While Pregnant Hurt The Baby
Catching a cold wont affect your unborn baby, said Olga Tusheva, M.D., Inspira Medical Group OB/GYN. Theyre protected by the placenta, your immune system and their own immune system, ensuring they dont experience symptoms. However, more severe infections like the flu can be dangerous and cause complications that may affect fetal development. The flu shot can be a safe effective precaution for expecting parents. If you suspect you have the flu, talk to your doctor to learn about pregnancy-safe treatments that can help reduce symptoms and get you on the path to recovery.
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What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Elderberry
Get emergency medical help if you have signs of an allergic reaction:hives difficult breathing swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Although not all side effects are known, elderberry is thought to be possibly safe when taken as directed for a short period of time.
Elderberry is possibly unsafe when uncooked leaves, stems, or fruit are consumed. The elderberry plant contains a chemical that produces cyanide in the leaves or other plant parts and in the unripe green fruit. This can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea, or more serious side effects if consumed in large quantities.
Stop using elderberry and call your doctor at once if you have:
Common side effects may include:
- nausea, vomiting
This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.
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Ibuprofen For Pain And Fever
Ibuprofen can be given for pain and symptoms of fever in adults and children of 3 months and over, according to their weight. Make sure youve got the right strength for your childs age and weight as overdosing can be dangerous.
Read and follow the directions on the label carefully. If you are not sure check with your doctor or pharmacist. Avoid ibuprofen if your child has asthma, unless advised by your doctor.
How Can I Avoid Getting Sick While Pregnant

One of the best ways to avoid getting sick while pregnant is to wash your hands thoroughly with warm, soapy water. Make sure youre up to date on your vaccines, including your flu shot, and talk to your doctor about other ways to stay healthy.
Inspira womens health specialists provide personalized maternity care to pregnant people throughout South Jersey. Learn more about our treatments and services or schedule an appointment.
Inspira Health is a high reliability organization , which means safety is the top priority for patients and staff. To make an appointment, call .
In a recent study, researchers discovered a steady increase in stage 4 cervical cancer cases in the United States from 2001 to 2018, even though the disease has declined over the past 20 years. Understanding this surprising trend can help ensure you take the appropriate steps to protect yourself from this often fatal disease.
Inspira’s President & CEO Amy Mansue sits down with Kathleen Noonan, President & CEO of the Camden Coalition, to discuss maternal health in South Jersey and a new initiative that works to improve the health and well-being of pregnant women and their families throughout the region.
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How Is This Medicine Best Taken
Use Vicks DayQuil Severe Cold/Flu as ordered by your doctor. Read all information given to you. Follow all instructions closely.
- Take with or without food. Take with food if it causes an upset stomach.
- Drink lots of noncaffeine liquids unless told to drink less liquid by your doctor.
What do I do if I miss a dose?
- If you take Vicks DayQuil Severe Cold/Flu on a regular basis, take a missed dose as soon as you think about it.
- If it is close to the time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and go back to your normal time.
- Do not take 2 doses at the same time or extra doses.
- Many times Vicks DayQuil Severe Cold/Flu is taken on an as needed basis. Do not take more often than told by the doctor.
Best Cold Medicine For Sore Throat And Coughing
If your coughing is making your throat sore, look for a medication that contains dextromethorphan. Dextromethorphan helps control your brains signal to your body that you need to cough. This can decrease your coughing symptoms enough to promote healing of a sore throat, but it doesnt treat the cause of your coughing.
Some medications that contain dextromethorphan also contain an ingredient called guaifenesin. This ingredient is an expectorant, which thins out mucus and helps your cough to be productive, meaning that youre coughing out mucus that could be aggravating your throat and chest.
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We will dispatch most orders within 1 business day from Monday to Friday, assuming all items are in stock. All other orders will be dispatched as quickly as possible thereafter.
For Orders containing prescription items please see the prescription processing procedure.
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Cold & Flu 101 And How To Get Symptom Relief Withvicks Dayquil And Nyquil
The common cold and the flu are both respiratory illnesses with similar symptoms, but they are caused by different viruses. While the flu is caused only by the influenza virus, colds are caused by rhinovirus and a number of other viruses. The three things that distinguish cold and flu symptoms are severity, speed of onset, and type of symptoms.
A cold typically comes with a stuffy nose, sore throat, and/or sneezing and symptoms develop gradually. Flu symptoms are typically more severe than cold symptoms and tend to come on more quickly. Symptoms more common with the flu include fever, fatigue, and/or aches. Cold and flu symptoms are very similar, though, so itâs best to confirm which respiratory virus you have with a flu test when symptoms arise. Talk to your healthcare provider if you think you need to take a flu test.
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Sambucol Cold And Flu Relief
Out of scope Out of scope for RxNorm and will not receive RxNorm normal forms. Out of scope information includes radiopharmaceuticals, contrast media, herbals, homeopathics, and food. Drug names that are ambiguous or not compatible with the RxNorm system, such as multivitamins with more than 4,000 characters in their names, are also out of scope.
The Risks Of Taking Nsaids For Pain Relief
NSAIDs are safe for most people when taken at the right dose for a short period. However, they can increase risk for serious stomach bleeding. NSAIDs may also increase the chance for heart attack and stroke.
Ask a doctor before using NSAIDS if:
- You have a history of stomach problems such as heartburn
- You have high blood pressure, heart disease, liver disease, or kidney disease
- You have asthma
Combining NSAIDs with more than two to three alcoholic drinks a day for women or three to four for men increases the risk for stomach bleeding. Taking NSAIDs along with blood-thinning medications can also increase the risk for bleeding, including serious stomach bleeding. Talk to your doctor if you drink alcohol or take and blood-thinning medicines before using an NSAID. Others factors that increase risk for stomach bleeding include:
- Having a previous history of stomach bleeding
- Being over age 60
- Taking steroid medications, or other NSAID medications
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What Symptoms Does It Relieve
Diphenhydramine can help provide relief for the following symptoms caused by allergies, hay fever, or the common cold:2
- Red, itchy, water, or irritated eyes
- Runny, itchy nose
Diphenhydramine may also help relieve cough due to minor airway or throat irritation.2 Its important to note that while diphenhydramine can help provide relief for the above symptoms, it is not intended to treat the cause of the symptoms.2
Cold Medicine Ingredients And Flu Medicine Ingredients

Cold and flu medicines come in all shapes and sizes, with many different ingredients.
When youre in the over-the-counter medications aisle looking for cold and flu relief, you generally reach for a product because of the symptoms it treats. But when you only have a minute, you may not have time to really understand the list of ingredients in that product. Each ingredient treats a specific symptom so its important to understand what they are and what they do. Using various Theraflu products, lets examine some of the main symptom relieving ingredients youll find in over-the-counter cold and flu medication.
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How Should I Take Sambucol
When considering the use of herbal supplements, seek the advice of your doctor. You may also consider consulting a practitioner who is trained in the use of herbal/health supplements.
If you choose to use Sambucol, use it as directed on the package or as directed by your doctor, pharmacist, or other healthcare provider. Do not use more of this product than is recommended on the label.
Do not use different forms of elderberry at the same time or you could have an overdose.
Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your healthcare provider.
Sambucol is used to relieve cold & flu symptoms such as stuffy nose, runny nose, sneezing, sore throat, cough, fever, and chills. Take at the the first sign of cold or flu symptoms.
If desired, you may mix Sambucol liquid with water, fruit juice, yogurt, or a smoothie.
Call your doctor if the condition you are treating with Sambucol does not improve, or if you have a fever for more than 3 days or cold symptoms for more than 7 days.
Store your Sambucol product as directed away from moisture, heat, and light.
What Other Drugs Will Affect Elderberry
Do not take elderberry without medical advice if you are using any of the following medications:
- medicine to prevent organ transplant rejection
- medicine to treat multiple sclerosis
- medicine to treat psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, or other autoimmune disorders
- medicine to treat ulcerative colitis or Crohns disease or
- steroid medicine.
This list is not complete. Other drugs may affect elderberry, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal products. Not all possible drug interactions are listed here.
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How To Stop Cold And Flu Symptoms From Getting Worse
Though there are limited options to treat a cold or flu, you donât need to suffer through the symptoms. Vicks has plenty of over-the-counter multi-symptom relief medicines that can provide relief from even your worst cold and flu symptoms. The key is to identify what combination of symptoms you are experiencing, so you can pick products with the active ingredients that relieve those symptoms. Check out the Vicks Product Recommender for help finding the best product for your symptoms.
DayQuil SEVERE, for example, relieves headache, fever, sore throat, minor aches & pains, chest congestion, nasal congestion, sinus pressure, and cough. Acetaminophen reduces fever, and relieves headache, sore throat, and minor aches & pains. Guaifenesin relieves chest congestion by thinning and loosening mucus. Phenylephrine is a decongestant for nasal and sinus congestion. Last, Dextromethorphan decreases the urge to cough by acting on the cough reflex center in the brain.
NyQuil SEVERE relieves headache, fever, sore throat, minor aches & pains, nasal congestion, sinus pressure, sneezing, runny nose, and cough. To relieve sneezing and runny nose, NyQuil has the antihistamine Doxylamine Succinate.
DayQuil & NyQuil have plenty of variations based on symptoms, flavors, and desired sensory experience. Be sure to read each label and use as directed.
Side Effects Of Sambucol
Sambucol is a brand of standardized black elderberry extract marketed for cold and flu relief. Its available in the form of syrup and tablets. Traditionally, elderberry has been used topically to treat wounds, as well as taken orally for cold and flu symptoms. The elder plant may possess beneficial anti-inflammatory, antiviral, and anti-cancer effects, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Elderberry contains antioxidants that may help protect your cells from damage also.
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Sambucol Black Elderberry Cold & Flu Relief Tablets 30 Ct
- Contains box of quick dissolve tablets of Sambucol Black Elderberry Cold & Flu Relief
- Sambucol Black Elderberry Cold & Flu Relief provides fast, temporary, homeopathic relief from cold & flu symptoms like nasal and sinus congestion, runny nose, sore throat, coughing, sneezing, chills & fever Take at the first sign of cold and flu symptoms
- Recommended for the whole family, Sambucol Cold and Flu Relief can be used by ages 4+ & works best when taken at the first sign of cold or flu like symptoms The great tasting Sambucol Cold & Flu Relief tablets quickly dissolve in the mouth without water
- Sambucol Black Elderberry Cold & Flu Relief is suitable for vegetarians, non drowsy, and non habit forming It has no known drug interactions or side effects and provides temporary, quick relief from nasal & sinus congestion, coughing, chills, and fever
-
Active Ingredients Zinc gluconate 2x,6x, Sambucus nigra 3x,6x, Gelsemium sempervirens 6x,12x,30x, Bryonia alba 6x, Sulphur 12xActive ingredients are monographed and micro-diluted in accordance with the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States and are non-toxic and have no known side effects
Inactive Ingredients
How Much Melatonin Should I Take
Melatonin is available in many different doses, usually ranging from one mg to 10 mg. These doses are all available at Walgreens, and can be taken in tablet, gummy, capsule, or liquid form to suit your needs and preferences. Its best to start with a small dose of melatonin, and speak with your healthcare provider if youre interested in increasing your dose of melatonin. If a healthcare provider approves melatonin for a child, optimal doses are between one and five mg depending on age. Melatonin usually works best if taken about two hours before bedtime.
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Boiron Oscillococcinum Flu Remedy 6 Doses
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Product Details
Get the relief you need quickly withOscillococcinum Six Dose Flu-like Symptom Relief. Its safe, natural and easy to take. Oscillococcinum flu like symptom relief is shown in clinical studies to help reduce both the duration and the severity of your discomfort.
Take it to lessen body ache, fever, headache, chills and more. It works naturally with your body to help make you feel better. Boiron Oscillococcinum comes in a dissolving pellet that has a nice taste.
Plus, it doesnt make you drowsy, so you have clarity during the day. Its suitable to take for ages 2 and older. *Claims based on traditional homeopathic practice, not accepted medical evidence. Not FDA evaluated.
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Experience temporary relief from fever, sore throat, headache, nasal congestion, cough, and other cold and flu symptoms with Tylenol Cold + Flu Severe Caplets. This powerful pain reliever and fever reducer medicine tackles cold and flu symptoms by clearing congestion, quieting coughs, and relieving head and body aches.
They also temporarily reduce fever and help loosen phlegm and thin bronchial secretions to make coughs more productive. Each caplet contains 325 milligrams of the pain reliever and fever reducer acetaminophen and 10 milligrams of the cough suppressant dextromethorphan HBr.