do you take medicines when you catch a cold?

@rose66 (378)
China
January 23, 2010 6:05am CST
i caught a cold last week and i didn't take any medicines, so it was worse and worse day by day. i was coughing every night and my throat was hurt and i even couldn't speak .but i insist on not taking mediicines , instead i droke a lot of water and some citron tea. and now it's better. how about you? if you catch a cold, will you take medicines?
12 people like this
77 responses
• India
24 Jan 10
I normally do not take medicine.If it becomes severe then I consult a doctor and on his advice I take medicine. Vitamin c rich food will help to reduce the cold.
1 person likes this
• India
30 Jan 10
In India in olden days, we take all precautions before we get any disease. Also,medicated plants we used to take. we used to take Castor oil every two months in the olden times. That will clear our stomach and will keep us healthy. Now, we do not take such thing, we are advised to consult a doctor to avoid complication in later days.
@rose66 (378)
• China
30 Jan 10
as your foreigners like americans or indians or englishmen have a private doctor ? i usually heard that "go and ask my doctor" . is that very common that everyone have a certain doctor?
@ckyera (17332)
• Philippines
24 Jan 10
hello rose! just like you..i don't usually take medicines when i got colds...haha the usual that i do is just drink a lot of water and eat lots of fruits...hehe sometimes some hot calamansi or lemon juice...hehe as long as i can tolerate the colds, i will not take medicines...i don't know i just don't like. but when the colds get worst or stay with me over a week, that will be the time that i will take some medicines coz my husband actually gets angry on me because of my being stubborn...hehe
1 person likes this
@ckyera (17332)
• Philippines
30 Jan 10
calamsi juice mixed with hot water...calamansi is some kind of a citrus fruit, some called it calamondin. rich in vitamin c...
@rose66 (378)
• China
30 Jan 10
what is hot calamansi? i know the fruit are good for health and when i get a cold and don't take medicines my husband support me. usually i take the citron tea.
@williamjisir (22819)
• China
24 Jan 10
Once I find that I have caught a cold, I have to take some medicine, otherwise it would get worse, especially when I have a headache. I find that it is very effective for me to take the medicine in the first time without delaying.
1 person likes this
@rose66 (378)
• China
30 Jan 10
headache is hard to bear, taking medicines is a good choice.
@writersedge (22563)
• United States
25 Jan 10
I often try to go without medicine if I can. Tea with honey and lemon often work. But one time I was sooo sick, that didn't even touch it. So I went to the Dr. got some worthless medicine and that didn't even touch it. I made chili and I felt better, so every day, I used chili powder and that worked way better than the medicine. So often medicine isn't that useful.
@walijo2008 (4644)
• United States
24 Jan 10
I don't like catching colds, but when I do, I have to take medicines because with my medical history its not good for me to be sick, so I have to take whatever I can to try to get rid of it. I don't like taking medicines because I take so many already, but sometimes I can't help it.
1 person likes this
@rose66 (378)
• China
31 Jan 10
hi, nobody likes catching colds and nobody likes eating medicines either. but someone can get rid of it without medicines while the others need the medicines. it really depends!
• China
25 Jan 10
when i get a cold i usually drink a lot water that can help speed up metabolism and soaking feet in warm water or some skin scrapping therapy ,i think that's all better than take medicines .i wish you getting better now!take care of yourself.
1 person likes this
@secretbear (19448)
• Philippines
25 Jan 10
hi rose!^^ i usually do water therapy if i have a cold. i don't like taking medicines. and i have this allergy to some medicines like ibuprofen. even with a cough, i don't take medicines. i just drink lots of water, eat lots of fruits and take a lot of rest. and because i don't know anymore which medicines I can take that I am not allergic to.^^;; i hope you are feeling better now.^^
1 person likes this
@betlynfrnds (4060)
• United States
24 Jan 10
Hi rose, I'm a lot like you. I don't take any medications for anything unless I have to be on an antibiotic, and that won't happen with a cold. I basically let the cold run it's course. I get plenty of rest, I stay home, I take hot tea with honey and I use plenty of fluids. I don't talk to people especially if I have a sore throat. I've found, over the years that if I take a medication for a cold, it still willl have to run it's course through my system, so I choose not to polute my system with chemicals.
• United States
2 Feb 10
I'm glad you agree. You're much better off dealing with a cold the old fashioned way - fluids and quiet rest.
@rose66 (378)
• China
30 Jan 10
that's funny that you say "not polute your system with medicines" i really agree with you. cold can go by itself.
@anujain75 (1059)
• India
23 Jan 10
If I attacked by cold I usually protect myself taking home made medicines like basil leaf juice with honey or ginger juice with honey . If i have sore throat then I gargle with hot water before bed.If it become severe then only I visit doctor place other wise not.
@esjosh (912)
• India
23 Jan 10
Perfect medicines for cold, technically speaking there are not medicines for COLS It get infected stays for 3 or 4 or 5 days and then leaves itself. But what medicines you have suggested are herbals. And purely effective for the resistance against the COLD.
@rose66 (378)
• China
24 Jan 10
how about if you cannot ask for leave? maybe medicine can make you fell better quickly. and i don't know your basil leaf juice and ginger juice. is that resistating against the cold?
@anujain75 (1059)
• India
24 Jan 10
Yes they have power to fight against cold. Infact I use to give my Kid Basil leaf juice with honey immediately after he woke up.it protects him from getting cold and cough.In Aurveda there is use of Basil and Ginger.
@jdyrj777 (6530)
• United States
24 Jan 10
Im one of thoses people that dont like taking meds either. I prefer seeking natural remedies.
1 person likes this
@salonga (27775)
• Philippines
24 Jan 10
You don't need to take synthetic medication when you catch cold actually. All you have to do is take plenty of warm water, plenty of citrus fruits and some good back massage.At the first sign of cold, take hot chicken soup and inhale Vicks vaporub. If anyone in the family knows reflexology they can do that to you. It will also help if you avoid drinking cold water and bathing in cold water too. Cold will soon pass without even giving you so much trouble for as long as you know how to treat yourself by natural method.
1 person likes this
• China
25 Jan 10
if i catch a cold, i wont take medicines. but luckily, i seldom catch a cold. my sister-in-law caught a cold some days ago, cause she's pregnant, so she couldnt take medicines. the doctor advised her to cook pear with water and then drank the water. and now, she's much better and better.
1 person likes this
@suesan35 (478)
• Sri Lanka
25 Jan 10
I don't thnk there are is medicine for a cold. You just have to drink lots of fluid, herbal teas and take bed rest. If you get high fever which lasts for more than 3 days, then you better see a doctor. I'd rather not take medicine for a common cold and certainly not any antibiotics which do not work for a cold
@pob558 (18)
• Australia
25 Jan 10
Hello fellow-lot, Not so sure whether you'll believe this or not. However, I do practice doing this whenever I got a cold, cough or even having sleepless night. The remedy to these uninvited guests is: Fresh lemon mix with honey and warm/hot water. Sip them hot as it will vaporize your inner lung and throat. I did it quite often and never have to take medicine before, but I think it would also depend on the individual. If you often get cold easily, then I suggests to see a doctor. If you only get cold once in a blue moon, then take up my best remedy. By the way, if you can't sleep because of your cold, drink a bit of ginger mix with honey and warm/hot water. This will also help as ginger heats your body and you drowse to sleep easily. It works for me so far, but again, it will all depend on each individual. Wish you luck on that!
1 person likes this
• Philippines
23 Jan 10
i used to but nowadays i don't have to. there is no direct cure for a common cold. colds is the way our system combats the virus/bacteria in the body. most common preventive measures or relief are: drinking lots of water, herbal tea, vitamin c enriched fruits and supplements, hot soups. i used to have colds every week for as long as i can remember. i have asthma so even a little change in weather can give me an asthma attack and sneezing and colds and cough. the longest i had colds and cough after an asthma attack was 3 weeks. my chest and throat would be very sore because of the persistent coughing. however since i started taking herbal beverages four months ago, i never had colds since. i like my hot choco. it has agaricus blazei murill, a mushroom known for its immune system booster effects. good to know you got better already. take care.
• Philippines
24 Jan 10
taking herbal supplements are more preventive than curative, although i must say that it can provide relief, but more importantly it's the immune system that is becoming healthier so that the next onslaught of sickness it would be milder, not worse. the way to prevent and cure the common colds is to strengthen our immune system. herbal tea along with other supplements can aid. try to check on agaricus blazei murill. several products on the market has it. in my case i like hot chocolate with agaricus a lot. 1-2 cups a day is suggested to keep our body healthy. we also have coffee and tea, both with agaricus. plain beverages are not as effective.
@rose66 (378)
• China
24 Jan 10
do you have herbal tea for cold? i don't know that for i seldom go to the hospital or medicine shop. i only know that herbal can cure some illness such as gastritis or abortion but i never know that it can cure cold.
@derek_a (10874)
24 Jan 10
I always take natural remedies if I catch a cold, but it something that rarely happens as I make sure I get plenty of Vitamin D every day. In the summer I get it from the sun, in the winter I take a supplement. If I do catch I cold, I will also chew a fresh clover of raw garlic straight away and then the cold is normally gone by the next day. - Derek
@derek_a (10874)
26 Jan 10
Sorry I made a typo-error there. I meant to type in Garlic Clove not clover! I don't think there is any such things as garlic clover! - I chew on one garlic glove if I detect I am getting a cold. It's quite a hot thing to chew on, but I have found it always works, as garlic kills a lot of bacteria and has been used for thousands of years. They have dicovered it was used frequently by the ancient Egyptians. _Derek
@rose66 (378)
• China
26 Jan 10
hi, derek, you just chew raw garlic or fresh clover instead of medicines? does that work well? but i don't know where can buy the clover here
1 person likes this
@liquorice (3887)
23 Jan 10
I'm like you in that I don't like taking any cold medicines and I don't believe that they work in making the cold better, they just relieve the symptoms for a while. So I don't usually take medicine for a cough or a cold, although I do occasionally take paracetamol if I get a fever with it or a bad head that's stopping me from sleeping. If I get no sleep then my illness gets worse, so I feel that taking the tablets is the best option in this case! I'm glad that you're feeling better. Actually I've got that cold and bad throat now, lol! I haven't taken anything, but I have started taking my multivitamins (I'm usually bad at remembering!) and I'm using saline drops in my nose and gargling salt water. I'm also drinking lots of hot things. I'm not sure if that's helping, but I'd rather use things like this than eat lots of chemicals!
@liquorice (3887)
27 Jan 10
Thanks! I'm still ill unfortunately, but I'm hoping it will go soon! I'm not sure if gargling salt water is especially common in the UK, but I think it's quite a well-known 'non-chemical' remedy for helping to soothe throats when they're sore. It's effective because salt is good for cleansing, and it also helps to reduce the swelling that causes a sore throat, by draining out some of the fluid.
@rose66 (378)
• China
25 Jan 10
i am sorry that you got cold an dhope that you could be better soon. is the gargling salt water a common way you use in your country? i never heard of that before.
1 person likes this
• Estonia
23 Jan 10
If I catch some light cold, I try to get rid of it with natural means. I drink a lot of herb tea, or ordinary one with lemon. I try to avoid those chemical medicines as much as I can, because they can have negative side effects and it's way more healthier to cure yourself with natural medicine. Of course if there is risk of complications, I use some special medicines to stop the illness.
• Estonia
25 Jan 10
Yea, I would prefer to drink something hot too, if it's winter.
@rose66 (378)
• China
25 Jan 10
i know lemon juice and ice water and a kind of some tablet works good for coughing. my philipine friends give me a cup of that thing, but i don't know how does that work. for i only drink one cup, but i think that thing is very cold to drink in winter.
@allknowing (130088)
• India
24 Jan 10
I believe in homoeopathy and I keep a stock of general medicines that include something for cold as well. Homoeopathy does not aggravate the cold and sometimes with just one dose the cold disappears. The same applies to fever and body ache. These minor ailments respond well to homoeopathy.
@rose66 (378)
• China
26 Jan 10
homoeopathy is a new words in china in recent years and most of the common people don't know that and they also think the such homoeopathy products are too expensive here to buy. are the homoeopathy products very common in your country?
@allknowing (130088)
• India
26 Jan 10
Homoeopathy is not expensive and it has no side effects and therefore safe. Please visit the site: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy which will give you a lot of information about this alternative therapy. You can also visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homeopathy which will guide you to pick your medicine.
@RobtheRock (2433)
• United States
23 Jan 10
I don't take any medicine. If my throat is sore, I take cough drops or peppermint certs. I like orange flavored vitamin C drops. Ricola used to have some good orange flavord mint drops, but I haven't found any of those in years. I also drink Seven Up for my throat. But mainly, I take my vitamins and drink my Cranberry grape juice.
@rose66 (378)
• China
25 Jan 10
does Seven Up also works for coughing? but i have a question, don't you think that juice is too cold in winter? you know in china, we usually don't drink cold things in winter.
• United States
25 Jan 10
I think any drink would be good for coughing. I like Seven Up's bubbly feeling on my throat. You're inside the house so juice would not be too cold for the winter, plus it has vitamin C in it. I think drinking Cranberry grape juice and taking my multivitamin has helped me to not catch a cold. I haven't had a cold in over a year -- probably once in three years. It doesn't hurt that I don't go out much and am not around a lot of people. But I do have to go out and buy food and have had to endure cab drivers and store clerks who have been sick -- and yet have avoided the cold bug. I feel fortunate because I haven't had a flu shot even though folks my age should. And I've been drinking cold drinks all my life. But if you think that's something, you ought to see the folks I've seen who eat "ice cream cones" -- "outside" in the winter! LOL