Getting the Common Cold When You're Pregnant

20 Pharmacist- And Dermatologist-recommended Health Products

On March 28, U.S. News & World Report released its latest over-the-counter medicine and health products ranking.

For the ranking, U.S. News partnered with The Harris Poll, surveying 354 pharmacists and 122 dermatologists. These medical experts scored more than 900 brands across 132 OTC categories. See more about the methodology here. 

Here are 20 No. 1 products, according to pharmacists and dermatologists:

1. Allergy eye drops: Pataday2. Allergy medicines, oral: Zyrtec3. Antibacterial soaps: Hibiclens4. Anti-inflammatory products, oral: Advil5. Arthritis pain relief: Aleve6. Baby formula: Similac7. Back pain relief: Motrin8. Blood pressure monitors: Omron9. Burn treatments: Neosporin10. Cold medicines and treatments: Sudafed (pseudoephedrine)11. Cold and flu medicines: Mucinex (Cold & Flu)12. Ear pain relief: Hyland's Naturals13. Children's allergy medicines: Children's Zyrtec14. Children's multivitamins: Flintstones15. Cold sore treatments: Abreva16. Face moisturizers: CeraVe17. Gas relief medicines: Gas-X18. Multivitamins for men: Centrum19. Multivitamins for women: One A Day20. Sunscreen: Neutrogena  

Find the full list here. 

Cold And Flu Meds For Kids Are Scarce In Charlotte. What To Do If You Can't Find Them

As flu cases in North Carolina continue to rise, over-the-counter children's medications are in short supply at Charlotte pharmacies.

Popular brands like Motrin, Mucinex and Tylenol are limited or out of stock at many Target, Walmart, and CVS stores across the Charlotte area, according to their websites.

Jennifer Keller, a pharmacist at Pike's Pharmacy in Charlotte, said the stock of medications for all ages has been limited for a while.

"This is not just children's items that are in short supply," Keller said. "Any given night, when I go to place an order, there are going to be a handful of things that are not in stock from any supplier. And that's been going on for months."

"I think this is perhaps the first time I've seen it in children's medications," she added.

As stores struggle to keep children's medications in stock, some have set purchase limits to preserve their supply.

Walgreens set an online purchase limit of six over-the-counter pediatric fever-reducing products, a spokesperson for the company told The Charlotte Observer in an email. CVS has placed a two-product limit on all children's pain relief products in stores and online, The Associated Press reported.

Here's what to know about flu cases in North Carolina, and what to do if you can't find medications for your kids.

North Carolina flu cases

There were nearly 4,800 flu cases reported by hospitals in North Carolina from Nov. 27-Dec. 10, according to data from the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.

For comparison, there were roughly 840 hospitalizations for acute respiratory illness reported during December 2019, according to data from NCDHHS. Data was not available for the 2020-21 flu season.

Dr. Usha Balmuri, a family medicine physician at Atrium Health Ballantyne who predicted a "big flu season" in November, said young children are especially susceptible to serious illness from the flu.

A second pediatric flu death in North Carolina was confirmed this month, according to NCDHHS.

RELATED: Charlotte doctor warns of 'big flu season' after cases triple in North Carolina

Alternatives to children's OTC medications

Lukewarm baths and cool washcloths on the chest and neck are often successful in reducing fevers in children with flu symptoms, Keller said.

"It brings their temperature down really quickly, and it's really effective at doing that, " said Keller.

Fevers can also go away on their own, but significantly high temperatures can increase the risk of seizures in children, Keller said, adding that other "alarm symptoms" like difficulty breathing and lethargy should not be ignored.

Keller advised parents not to give their children adult medications since they come in higher doses that can cause dangerous side effects.

Overuse of acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol, can cause stomach irritation and liver damage, according to Mayo Clinic.

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that parents consider using a humidifier to soothe an irritated or sore throat. Other treatment options include:

Drinking extra water and fluids

Use a cool mist vaporizer or saline nasal spray to relieve congestion

For sore throats, suck on ice chips, popsicles, or lozenges.

Use honey to relieve cough for adults and children at least 12 months old or older.

RELATED: Charlotte hospitals see 'higher volumes' of RSV, respiratory illness as viruses surge

CVS Health Professional Addresses Accessible Ways Patients Can Treat Seasonal Allergies Ahead Of Increasing Pollen Uptick

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — As many start to experience more sneezing and sniffling with the arrival of increased pollen and springtime allergies, a health professional at CVS is laying out some of the many symptoms and treatments to look out for as the season gets in full swing.

A registered pharmacist and Pharmacy District Leader at CVS Health, Sarah Matichak told MetroNews that West Virginia is reporting high pollen activity this year as we make the transition from winter to spring. She said as tree pollen count is high, particularly for Maple trees, Juniper, and Elm, this in turn causes histamines to be high in people who have a history of allergies.

However, Matichak said health professionals are currently recommending patients to pre-treat the problem in order to help alleviate the allergy-inducing pollen uptick.

"It's as simple as doing a non-medicated solution such as a saline eye drop or a nasal spray to essentially just flush that pollen and those allergens out of the eye and the nasal canal," Matichak told MetroNews.

She said patients can actually start taking any one kind of over-the-counter medication about two to four weeks prior to the high-level of pollen exposure. These medications include antihistamines, corticosteroids, and decongestants.

Matichak said antihistamines are notable in helping with symptoms of runny noses and watery eyes.

She said there are two generations of antihistamines, however, one that causes drowsiness and one that doesn't. The first generation includes medications such as Benadryl which has been known to cause significant drowsiness, Matichak said, and recommends patients who operate on heavy machinery to take the second generation non-drowsy antihistamines to treat their allergy symptoms.

She said all of the second generation antihistamines are also very accessible for patients to get.

"Those include anything from Allegra, Zyrtec, Claritin," she said. "Those can be found over-the-counter and you do not need a prescription, they also come in a generic brand, for instance, if you were to take our CVS Health brand it's a little bit less expensive but still the same great quality that you would get in the brand name medication," Matichak said.

Matichak said the second class of allergy medication they recommend is corticosteroids, or nasal sprays such as Flonase which can also be purchased over-the-counter now. She said these types of medications help patients dealing with a stuffy nose and who is having trouble smelling and tasting.

Somewhat similar to the second class, Matichak said the third class of allergy medications are decongestants, which are for those who may experience more severe symptoms of stuffy noses and congestion.

She said specific medications for this class include Sudafed, which while can be purchased over-the-counter, most states require people to show their drivers license upon obtaining it.

Matichak said on the opposite side from those antihistamines that make one drowsy, a side-effect medical professionals look out for in patients taking decongestants is the tendency to keep them awake and potentially cause insomnia.

Currently, symptoms of allergies, Covid-19, and the flu, among other infections are very similar Matichak said. However, she said there are some telltale signs which are very distinct when it comes to other infections that aren't allergy-related.

"If somebody reports to the pharmacy or comes to one of our CVS Minute Clinics and sees a nurse practitioner, if they're having those body aches, fever, chills, headaches, those are symptoms more of flu or Covid versus the symptoms of allergies," she said.

Matichak added, however, that allergy symptoms hit somewhat differently.

"Some of the main symptoms of allergies could include again like I said, the watery eyes, the runny nose, also itchy eyes, congestion, those symptoms are more common in allergies," said Matichak.

According to CVS Health, one in four Americans experience seasonal allergies.

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