9 Best Cold, Flu & Cough Medicines for Daytime: Pharmacist Picks 2023
Could My Child's Cold Actually Be Winter Allergies?
If it's winter and your child's cold symptoms have been hanging on for more than a month, it might not be a cold at all. Your child might actually have winter allergies in disguise.
Winter allergies are just as common as allergies in other seasons. Most parents simply don't realize their child may have them. Many parents simply think that their child is getting a cold over and over and over again. And that might be the case. Don't forget, kids get six to eight colds a year.
And the most confusing part about figuring out if your child has a cold or allergies is that the symptoms are so similar. Airborne allergies and common colds, both have coughs, sneezing, and a stuffy, runny nose. But there are a few key differences.
Allergies Can Last the Entire SeasonThe worst part of a cold should last less than 7 to 10 days. And your child should actually have a cold linger for 3 weeks. But after the first week, they should start to have some improvement.
Allergies, on the other hand, tend to last through the entire season and don't ever seem to get better. The allergy will usually start at the onset of a season while a cold could begin at any other time.
Colds Can Have Sore Throats, Fevers, and Body AchesOther ways to tell them apart would be that your child's cold may start with a sore throat, fever, or body aches. And recurrent colds that don't have a fever could be allergies. Itchy eyes or an itchy nose or both would also be hints that your child has an allergy, especially if they keep using their hands to swipe their nose upward. That's called the allergic salute. And if they do it long enough, they'll actually develop a little crease on the bridge of their nose. Your child will also have thin, stringy mucous rather than liquid, drippy mucous.
When to See Your Child's PediatricianWe know that allergies change and develop over time because they're driven by exposure. So you have to be exposed to that allergen more them once to have that allergy. In winter, allergies tend to be mold, dust, dust mites, and animal dander. These flare in winter because people spend more time inside in small spaces where those things like to be. If you aren't sure what your child has, let their doctor have a peek up their nose to find out the answer.
updated: December 18, 2023originally published: February 5, 2018
Is It COVID, Flu, Or Allergies? How To Protect Yourself And Loved Ones This Season
Flu season is here once again. And many questions have formed over the last couple of years about how you can stay safe from both the influenza (flu) and COVID-19 viruses, as well as how to tell if your symptoms may be caused by seasonal allergies or a different virus instead.
UChicago Medicine infectious diseases experts are here to help address your concerns and offer up some key advice on how to stay safe this season.
Below, Allison Bartlett, professor at University of Chicago Medicine and associate medical director of pediatric infection control, answers commonly asked questions.
Does COVID-19 or influenza pose a greater risk for people this season?Either virus can make you very sick or lead to death, which is why it's essential to get vaccinated and also to avoid close contact with others when sick. There are definitely populations that are more at risk for severe complications from each infection. Older adults and people with chronic underlying health conditions seem to be much more likely to get severely ill with COVID-19. And kids, especially infants under 1, and pregnant women are more likely to have severe infections with influenza.
Does having COVID-19 give you any antibodies against a respiratory virus like the flu?Unfortunately not. Having one virus does not protect you from the other.
How can you tell if you have the flu, COVID-19, seasonal allergies or a different virus?The best way to tell what kind of respiratory virus you have is to get tested. Symptoms can be nearly impossible to tell apart. This is especially true between COVID-19 and the flu, with the notable exception that some people with COVID-19 lose their sense of taste and smell. Add in the fact that people can have one of these two viruses without symptoms, and it's basically impossible to tell one from the other on your own.
Testing determines the best treatment for your symptoms and how long you should stay home from work or school. The good news is that many health care providers who are doing coronavirus tests should be able to test you for the flu at the same time. There are many other viruses that can cause respiratory symptoms, so even if you test negative for COVID and flu, you should practice good respiratory hygiene: cover your cough, throw tissues away after use, wash your hands frequently.
What steps can you take to avoid getting COVID-19 and the flu?Many of the steps we take to protect ourselves from the coronavirus are the same things we need to do to keep us safe from influenza. The most important thing you can do to keep yourself and those around you safe from both viruses is to stay up-to-date on your COVID-19 and flu vaccinations.
You should get a flu shot even if you've already had the flu this season. The vaccine prevents against four different strains of the virus and we expect at least one more (Flu B) to be circulating later this season.
Practicing these good habits is also a great way to stay healthy:
The flu shot can help prevent people from becoming sick from influenza but won't provide specific protection against COVID-19. And the COVID-19 vaccine alone will not prevent you from getting the flu. It is strongly recommended that you receive both vaccines for maximum protection.
Can Tamiflu or the flu shot treat COVID-19?Tamiflu or a flu shot will not directly treat or lessen the symptoms of COVID-19. But you can get vaccinated against the flu and COVID-19, which can help prevent an infection and lessen severity. And if you get sick with influenza or have been exposed to it, you can take antiviral medication like oseltamivir (Tamiflu) to prevent getting sick.
COVID-19 treatment options are available and vary depending on the severity of your symptoms and health history. Antiviral treatments can help prevent the virus from spreading and avoid serious illness.
What should you do if you develop influenza or COVID-19 symptoms?If you have any symptoms, stay home, stay away from other people and try to isolate yourself to prevent the spread to others. Try to get tested within 48 hours of the start of your symptoms.
If it's influenza, your health care provider can prescribe medication to help your symptoms improve faster.
If it's COVID-19, your health care provider may recommend one of the treatment options referenced above.
Will the pneumonia vaccine protect me against the flu or COVID-19?The pneumonia vaccine helps protect against a variety of bacteria that can cause bacterial pneumonia. The pneumonia vaccine won't prevent flu or COVID-19, but it can help prevent complications that may come after.
Can I boost my immune systems to protect against flu or COVID-19?We wish there were a list of things we could do to help our immune systems prevent us from getting sick with the flu or the coronavirus. But there's no magic immune-boosting drug — only vaccination. Instead, focus on eating a healthy, varied diet and getting enough sleep. Also, make sure you've got any chronic medical conditions under control.
Can I do anything to decrease my chance of getting very sick if I've been exposed?Once an exposure to COVID-19 has happened, there's not a lot we can do to modify who gets sick from it. If you have been exposed to influenza, your physician may give you some medication like Relenza (zanamivir), Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Rapivab (peramivir) within 48 hours of exposure. However, the best thing you can do is focus on avoiding exposure.
Are there new RSV vaccines available for adults?In 2023, there are finally ways to protect infants and loved ones from RSV during virus season. Nirsevimab is a newly-approved, one-time injection that provides immediate protection to infants 0 to 8 months old and reduces risk of RSV-related hospitalization significantly. All infants born at Comer Children's and Ingalls Memorial during RSV season will be offered this injection. Infants less that 8 months old at the start of RSV season can receive nirsevimab from their pediatrician and it can be given along with other routine immunizations.
UChicago Medicine is also offering two newly approved RSV vaccinations to eligible adults. A vaccine known as Abrysvo is available to pregnant individuals between their 32nd and 36th weeks. UChicago Medicine patients over 60 can also receive an RSV vaccine known as Arexvy. These adult vaccinations are available during physician office visits and both provide key protection for those at highest risk of severe RSV symptoms.
Embarrassed By Your Cough At The Office? 'Sick Shaming' Leads To Overuse Of Cold Medicine
Breadcrumb Trail Links
Pressure to show up for work and social gatherings while masking illness driving boom in medication sales
Author of the article:
Bloomberg News
Cailley LaPara and Kristen V. Brown
Published Dec 27, 2023 • Last updated 2 days ago • 4 minute read
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Cold and flu medicine sits on a store shelf in Miami. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images Article content At the height of the pandemic, Meg McNamara's employer sent her home with symptoms that looked a lot like COVID-19, but she knew better.
A negative COVID test proved that the 37-year-old's coughs and red eyes were just her usual allergies. Determined to not be wrongly accused again, the New York-based physician's assistant turned to over-the-counter medication. She started popping Benadryl every morning to mask her symptoms, but that caused other problems.
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"It was a nasty experience," said McNamara who often suffered from drowsiness — a side-effect of Benadryl. "I'm always tired. For me to have a little bit more fatigue in my life is not acceptable."
As the pandemic has receded, McNamara is emblematic of the dilemma facing Americans. They're under pressure to show up for work and social gatherings, yet even the hint of a sniffle can be enough to brand someone an outcast. To cope with these duelling obligations, they're using more cold and allergy meds to cope — and potentially over treating themselves in the process.
In the United States, sales of upper respiratory over-the-counter medications rose 23 per cent to US$11.8 billion in the 52 weeks through early December from the same period in 2019 before the pandemic, according to researcher NIQ. Cold and flu treatments, which make up about a quarter of the category, grew faster with a 30 per cent gain — much to the benefit of OTC producers like Reckitt Benckiser PLC, maker of Mucinex, and Procter & Gamble Co., which owns the Vicks and DayQuil brands.
At Kenvue Inc., which was spun off from Johnson & Johnson earlier this year, over-the-counter drugs such as allergy treatments Zyrtec and Benadryl and decongestant Sudafed generate about 40 per cent of revenue. Sales at the division housing those brands rose 10 per cent to US$4.9 billion in the first nine months of the year, by far the company's top-performing unit.
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Brands have at times encouraged consumers to load up on over-the-counter meds and carry on — potentially spreading germs. A spot for DayQuil has touted how "life doesn't stop for a cold." And one for Robitussin, owned by Haleon PLC, shows a woman downing the cough syrup so she can get back to the office.
In response to a request for comment, Haleon said it encourages staying home from work when sick and returning when symptoms improve, which is what the Robitussin ad is intended to show. P&G said in a statement that it's best for a person to remain at home if they have a cold or the flu.
Meanwhile, consumers may be harming their health. Taking too much of any medication is generally frowned upon by doctors, and doing so increases the risk of side-effects, such as high blood pressure from nasal decongestants and the fatigue McNamara experienced from allergy medication.
'Knee-jerk' reactionIt also isn't good to ignore symptoms or try to suppress them entirely because that can prolong an illness by impacting its natural course, according to Jennifer Bourgeois, a clinical pharmacist at SingleCare, an online pharmacy platform.
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"These cough and cold symptoms — because there's so much overlap with symptoms of COVID — there's this kind of fear," Bourgeois said. That leads to a "knee-jerk" reaction to use them, which ups the risk of side-effects, she said.
Simon Williams, a psychology researcher at Swansea University in Wales, has studied the pandemic's impact on social behaviours since 2020. He found that people felt an increasing sense of being judged for coughs and sniffles. And while some of that scrutiny has waned, it's likely to remain for some time, he said.
The increase in remote work since the pandemic may also be adding to over treatment. Companies usually guide employees to stay home if ill. But COVID normalized working while sick for many because it could be done in isolation at home without any judgment. And to get through a workday while sick — even from bed — likely takes more meds than just sleeping it off.
Recent data also suggests that all workers, whether remote or in-person, are calling in sick less often as employers push for more time in the office. A report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that fewer people this fall have missed work because of illness than in the previous two years.
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Take Courtney Berentsen, a product manager in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has asthma that turns a regular cold into a hacking, but non-contagious, cough that lasts months. Well-meaning co-workers encourage her to work from home in order to set an example for others to stay home when sick.
"It feels like I'm setting a bad precedent by coming to work sick, but it will be like a month before I come back if I have to wait until I have no cough," she said. Her job's return-to-work policy won't allow for that. So she uses Mucinex to help control her symptoms. "I don't know what would happen if I didn't take it."
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