Flu treatment.

Taking flu medicine will not cure the desease, but it can relieve or shorten the time of some flu symptoms, such as congestion, fever, aches.

If you have itchy eyes, postnasal drip or runny nose - antihistamine can help to relieve these symptoms. Antihistamines treat such symptoms as nasal discharge, congestion and sneezing.

If you have sinus or nasal congestion then you need decongestant. It comes in form of tablets, pills or syrups. Decongestants help to open the mucous membranes in your nose and make them drain. They should not be used for more than 3-4 days.
Decongestant nasal spray, like phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine) or oxymetazoline (Afrin) help if you need immediate effect for congested nasal passages.

Some decongestants may keep you awake and antihistamines can make feel drowsy. Before you take other medicine with decongestants or antihistamines you need to talk to your doctor, because flu medicine can interact other drugs.

What if you have high blood pressure?
Some decongestants may increase heart rate and blood pressure, so there's higher risk of stroke or heart attack. If your blood pressure is regulated with medicines, then decongestants usually don't cause troubles. But it depends on type of blood pressure drugs. You should check with your doctor in that case.

What medicine you should take for your cough?
You can find a lot of different cough medicines in drug store. They come in combinations with antihistamines, decongestants, cough suppressants and analgesics/antipyretics. Since occasional cough helps to clear respiratory tract of pollutants, persistent cough need to be treated with medicines. Talk to yuor pharmacist what drugs can help.

What medicine you should take if you have fever?
Actually, fever is not a bad thing. It means that your immune system fights infection and it's better to let your body to do it's job. But if you don't feel very good then you may take medications. If you are under 20 - don't take aspirin. Medicines like ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (like Tylenol) will help.

What to do in case of sore throat?
All you need is a cup of warm salted water - use it to gargle. Also, drink a lot of water. Medications, like Tylenol, may help to ease pain in sore throat.

Remember that antibiotics don't treat flu symptoms, because the reason of flu is a virus and antibiotics help only in case of bacterial infection. Antibiotics can be taken if you have bacterial infection as a result of the flu virus.

Here is the list of over-the-counter drugs that may help to treat flu symptoms:

Decongestants
Sudafed - recommended in case of pressure in nose, head and congestion. Side effects: nervousness, wakefulness, lightheadedness, increased heart rate and blood pressure.

Antihistamines
Tavist, claritin, dimetane, zyrtec, allegra, benadryl, chlor-trimeton - treat runny nose and eyes, itchy throat, sneezing. Side effects: impaired coordination, dry mouth, upset stomach, drowsiness, oss of appetite, urinary retention.

Antihistamine/decongestant
Claritin D, drixoral, Tavist D, dimetapp, actifed, Allegra D, Chlor-Trimeton D - for symptoms like sneezing, congestion itchy, runny nose and eyes.

Decongestant nose spray
Neo-Synephrine, sinex, afrin, dristan nasal spray - in case of nasal stuffiness. Don't use for more that 3 days.

Saline nose sprays
Ayr Saline Ocean - if you have nasal stuffiness. It has no side effects.