Cold And Allergy Medicine Safe For Breastfeeding
The following medicines are considered safe for nursing parents, but it’s always a good idea to check with a healthcare provider or pediatrician before taking any new medications. Some medications can reduce your milk supply.
Pain relievers and fever reducers that are safe to take while breastfeeding include:
- Advil, Motrin
Allergy medicines and decongestants generally reduce symptoms such as itchy eyes, sneezing, and a runny nose. Safe options to take while breastfeeding include:
- Claritin : Claritin is safe to use based on supporting data but may have a negative effect on your milk supply when combined with a decongestant such as Sudafed .
- Zyrtec : Zyrtec is safe in occasional, small doses, but in large doses, it can reduce milk supply.
- Allegra Allergy : Allegra is safe in occasional, small doses, but it may have a negative effect on milk supply when combined with a decongestant such as Sudafed.
- Mucinex : Mucinex is most likely safe in occasional small doses, but more studies are needed.
- Afrin : This decongestant is sprayed into the nose and is not likely to enter the milk supply. Anyone taking this medicine should only use it for three days at most, because your body can become dependent on it. Oxymetazoline should be avoided if the infant has cardiac symptoms or high blood pressure.
What Is The Best Medicine For The Flu
The best flu medicine would be to rest and get plenty of fluids. Most symptoms of flu such as a fever, a runny nose, and blocked sinuses can be managed by acetaminophen and antihistamine medications. However, if the patient has a severe infection or is at a higher risk of complications, the physician may prescribe the following antivirals:
- Peramivir
- Baloxavir
Antiviral drugs can shorten the patients illness by about a day. They also prevent severe complications of flu such as pneumonia. However, these have a higher incidence of side effects than other antibiotics. Therefore, take them only if really required.
Antiviral drugs should be started within 2 days of getting sick to be effective.
Benefits of taking antiviral drugs include:
- Antiviral drugs shorten the time of being sick by about 1 day if a patient takes them within 2 days.
- They reduce the risk of ear infection, respiratory complications, and hospitalization.
- They reduce the risk of severe flu complications such as pneumonia.
- Early antiviral treatment can reduce the risk of death in a patient who is hospitalized.
Should I Still Get A Flu Vaccine
Yes. Antiviral drugs are not a substitute for getting a flu vaccine. While flu vaccine can vary in how well it works, a flu vaccine is best way to help prevent seasonal flu and its potentially serious complications. Everyone 6 months and older should receive a flu vaccine every year. Antiviral drugs are a second line of defense that can be used to treat flu if you get sick.
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How Are Antivirals Used In Preventing Flu
Your doctor may prescribe an antiviral if you come in close contact with family members or others who have the flu and you want to try to avoid getting sick. However, the CDC discourages this as a routine practice, as it can lead to drug-resistant strains of the virus. Instead, the CDC recommends that people at risk of severe flu — such as pregnant women or people with asthma, diabetes, or heart disease — begin antiviral treatment as soon as flu symptoms appear. Others at high risk for complications from the flu include infants, the elderly, those with chronic illness, Native Americans and Alaskan Natives
It’s important, however, to remember that vaccination is the most effective way to prevent flu.
Antiviral Pills To Treat Covid
To treat the coronavirus itself, two newly-authorized antiviral pills from Pfizer and Merck will be available in Illinois “in coming weeks,” according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.
The pills, known as Paxlovid and Molnupiravir, will be available by prescription only “for those with mild-to-moderate COVID-19 who are at high risk for becoming severely ill, including hospitalization or death,” the department said.
U.S. regulators authorized Pfizer’s pill, Paxlovid, and Mercks molnupiravir last month. In high-risk patients, both were shown to reduce the chances of hospitalization or death from COVID-19, although Pfizer’s was much more effective.
IDPH reported Paxlovid is expected to reduce the risk of hospitalizations by 89% and Molnupiravir by about 30%.
The antiviral pills arent for everyone who gets a positive test. The pills are intended for those with mild or moderate COVID-19 who are more likely to become seriously ill. That includes older people and those with other health conditions like heart disease, cancer or diabetes that make them more vulnerable.
Both pills were OK’d for adults while Paxlovid is authorized for children ages 12 and older.
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What Are The Possible Side Effects Of Antiviral Drugs
Side effects vary for each medication. The most common side effects for oseltamivir are nausea and vomiting. Zanamivir can cause bronchospasm, and peramivir can cause diarrhea. Other less common side effects also have been reported. Your health care provider can give you more information about these drugs or you can check the Food and Drug Administration websiteexternal icon for specific information about antiviral drugs, including the manufacturers package insert.
Parents, if your child gets sick with flu, antiviral drugs offer a safe and effective treatment option. For treatment, influenza antiviral drugs should ideally be started within 2 days after becoming sick and taken according to your doctors instructions .
What Are Other Ways To Treat And Prevent The Flu
Antiviral prescription medicines and an annual flu vaccine are available for treating and preventing the flu.
Prescription anti-flu medicines include amantadine , rimantadine , zanamivir and oseltamivir . These drugs do not cure the flu, but they can make the symptoms milder and make you feel better more quickly. They are only effective when used in the first 48 hours of flu-like symptoms.
These drugs are not needed for healthy people who get the flu. They are usually reserved for people who are very sick with the flu or those who are at risk of complications from the flu, such as people with long-term chronic medical conditions or older age.
Flu vaccine . Although there is currently no vaccine against the common cold, there is a vaccine to prevent the flu. The vaccine is available by both shot and nasal spray. It works by exposing the immune system to the viruses. The body responds by building antibodies against the flu. The flu shot contains dead flu viruses. The nasal spray contains live, but weakened, flu viruses. The nasal spray is only approved for healthy children and adults two to 49 years old and who are not pregnant.
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Resources For Drug Product Information
Information about expanded access regulations, other aspects of drug development and review, and resources about the approval status of drugs and formulations can be found at:
- Electronic Orange Book: This resource can be searched for holders of approved or discontinued marketing applications, especially for drugs that may have more than one source of generic preparations.
- : This resource can be searched for approval history and labeling information for approved drugs.
- ClinicalTrials.gov: This website is maintained by the National Institutes of Health as a resource for locating information about clinical trials. Posting a trial on this website does not constitute government endorsement of the trial or the product under study.
Can Antibiotics Help My Flu Symptoms
Antibiotics cannot help flu symptoms. The flu is caused by a virus, and antibiotics only treat bacterial infections. Taking antibiotics needlessly may increase your risk of getting an infection later that resists antibiotic treatment. If you get a secondary bacterial infection with the flu virus, your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic to treat the secondary infection.
For more information, see Flu Treatment: Antibiotics or Not?
Show Sources
National Jewish Medical and Research Center: “Getting Well When You Have a Cold or the Flu.”Ã
CDC: “2011-2012 Influenza Season: Disease Activity ” “If You Have a Cold or Flu, Antibiotics Won’t Work For You! ” and “Seasonal Influenza: What You Should Know about Flu Antiviral Drugs.”
American Academy of Family Physicians: “Flu Facts ” “Antibiotics: When They Can and Can’t Help” and “Cough Medicine: Understanding Your OTC Options.”
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: “Common Cold: Treatment.”
WebMD Medical Reference: “Kids’ Cold Medicines: New Guidelines.”
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Your Body On A Cold Or Flu
First things first: what’s actually happening in your body when you’ve got a lurgy?
Colds are caused by one of hundreds of strains of virus, usually rhinovirus or respiratory syncytial virus.
“There’s quite a constellation of viruses that cause them,” said Jill Thistlethwaite, a Sydney GP and spokesperson for NPS Medicinewise.
Viruses spread when droplets of moisture from a sick person’s nose or mouth find their way into yournose or mouth, where the virus takes up residence and begins to multiply.
Those unpleasantly familiar symptoms runny nose, sore throat, coughing and sneezing are caused when the virus invades the tissues of your nose and throat, triggering your body’s immune system to fight back.
The resulting blood flow to those areas causes swelling and nasal discharge and can also contribute to the headache that sometimes comes with a stuffed-up nose.
But while being sick with a cold can be deeply unpleasant, they’re not usually a severe illness, and generally last a few days. The average Australian adult gets between two and four colds per year.
Flu, on the other hand, is a different, more dangerous beast.
Similar to a cold, it occurs when a strain of influenza virus infects your respiratory system, but it can last a week or two and has more severe symptoms, including fevers, chills and muscle aches.
One of the most effective things you can do to avoid getting colds and flu is to practice good hygiene.
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Additional Info :
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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
- Sneezing
- 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
What Treatment Options Are Safe During Pregnancy
According to the Cleveland Clinic, natural remedies like saline nasal drops and warm salt-water gargling are ideal cold and flu treatments during pregnancy.
Vicks VapoRub and cough drops are also considered safe during pregnancy.
Women who are pregnant or trying to get pregnant should check with their healthcare provider before taking any drug. While no medication can be considered 100 percent safe for pregnant women, the Cleveland Clinic lists the following as among those generally considered to be okay:
- Acetaminophen
- Guaifenesin
Note: Do not take the sustained action or multisymptom forms of these drugs.
As for the decongestant pseudoephedrine, the Cleveland Clinic recommends that pregnant women avoid it in the first trimester , while a review published in the journal American Family Physician concluded that women should use it only sparingly later in pregnancy.
For pregnant women with the flu, oseltamivir is the preferred medication because it has the best safety and efficacy record, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends that pregnant women with a fever take acetominophen and contact their doctors immediately.
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Is The Flu Curable
Over-the-counter medications can help with symptom relief, but not even prescription antiviral medications can cure the flu.
The above medications can decrease the duration and severity of influenza, but it isnt a cure, says James Wilk, MD, internal medicine physician at UCHealth Primary Care Steele Street in Denver. Fortunately, influenza runs its course within a week or two.
Pharmacy Cough Cold & Flu Medicine
Were here when you need us most with cough, cold and flu treatments. When youre experiencing a common cold, you’ll want cold remedies and medicines fast so shop our range of flu tablets, suspensions and throat sprays to help relieve pain, fever and coughs. Ask our pharmacist for advice. Always read the label.
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Whats The Best Flu Medicine
Since the flu is a virus, rest and fluids are usually the first line of defensenot antibiotics. The flu is not curable however, available medications can shorten the duration of symptoms, says Elizabeth Bald, Pharm.D., an assistant professor in the department of pharmacotherapy at the University of Utah.
If youre diagnosed with the flu, chances are that your healthcare providers treatment plan will only recommend that you drink plenty of water and stay in bed. However, some over-the-counter and prescription medications can alleviate symptoms.
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Where To Buy The Cheapest Painkillers And What You’ll Save
Our pricing research shows the supermarkets and discounters that have the cheapest painkillers.
Typical branded cost:
- Nurofen 200mg ibuprofen, £2.66 for 16
- Panadol Advance 500mg paracetamol, £1.65 for 16
Cheapest own-brand or generic options:
Find out more about which painkiller to choose for different types of aches and pains in our full painkillers guide
Vitamin D supplements – what you need to know and where to get them cheapest
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Ways To Treat Flu Symptoms And Feel Better
If youâre searching the web for flu treatment, you probably arenât feeling too well right about now. Hereâs the bad news: thereâs no cure for it and it usually lasts for one to two weeks. And just because you have the flu doesnât mean you wonât get it again, since there are many different strains of the flu virus. The good news? Just because there is no cure does not mean there is no way to feel better when you have the flu. There are several over-the-counter medicines available to you to help you combat the symptoms you feel while you are sick with the flu. And some medicines treat multiple symptoms in a single product.
Hereâs 10 ways to treat flu symptoms at home so you can get relief while your body fights the virus.
When you first come down with the flu, rest is what will help give your body the energy it needs to fight the flu virus and flu symptoms, which is why rest is one of the go-to recommendations for people suffering from the flu.1
Stay at home and rest, especially during the first 24 hours after becoming ill.
Consuming enough fluids is another regularly recommended practice for people who have the flu.1 Fever, a common flu symptom, is associated with dehydration, so it is important to get adequate amounts of water or other fluids to ensure that you stay hydrated while you have the flu.2
What About Vapour Rubs
Vapour rubs, such as Vicks, work slightly differently.
The active ingredients give a cooling effect when applied to the chest or back, or inhaled in steam.
This makes it feel like there’s more air flowing through, which can alleviate your symptoms and make you feel more comfortable.
Typical branded price:
- Vicks VapoRub
Cheapest generic:
Bells Healthcare Vapour Rub – available at B& M
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Should You Bother With Cold And Flu Drugs
While medicines can give you some relief, they’re only masking your symptoms and won’t make you get better more quickly or stop you from being contagious.
You can infect other people before you even start having symptoms, Dr Thistlethwaite warned, so even if your nose isn’t running because you’re taking a decongestant, you’re still shedding the virus everywhere you go. So think about staying home from work.
That doesn’t mean drugs are useless, however. Dr Moses suggests being selective about what you really need.
“It can help support you to get through that week of having a cold but understand it’s not going to reduce the duration of the cold or magically make it go away.
“What we often encourage is taking these medicines in separate tablets and not just racing out and getting a thing called a cough and cold remedy and hoping that all the right drugs will be in one tablet.”
And if you’re thinking of stocking up on vitamins or supplements when you’re at the pharmacy, you’re probably better off saving your money.
There’s little to no evidence that vitamin C, zinc, echinacea or garlic protect you from getting infected, or ease symptoms. At best, some of them may reduce the duration of those symptoms by about a day.
What’s more, some herbal remedies can interact with conventional medicines and cause adverse reactions, Dr Moses warned, so be sure to talk to your doctor or pharmacist.