Questions I Probably Shouldn't Share, #001

[athelind]

How much of this amazing green color I'm coughing up is because I'm drinking GatorAde of exactly the same hue?

I tried an experiment last night.

Normally, when I have a cold, I take a minimalist approach to medication, preferring to let my body dispose of the invaders in its own tried-and-true way. Most cold meds just mask the symptoms -- and the symptoms are, by and large, your body trying to Get Rid Of Nasty Crap.

If I have to work or be somewhere, I take generic DayQuil, strictly to be functional. If I'm around people, I want to mask the symptoms, since, of course, coughing and sneezing are also how Happy Mister Virus makes his merry rounds. If I'm sick on a day off, though, I just let things roll. I take Aspirin or Acetaminophen (or alternating between the two) to minimize the worst discomfort. If the coughing is so bad that it makes sleeping difficult, I'll take a tablespoon of honey, which has been showen to be more effective than most OTC cough syrups.

I have discovered the utility and effectiveness of generic Mucinex in Getting Stuff Moving; judicious use of that stuff seems to have reduced the "I'm not sick but I'm still coughing" time by several days.

Last night, I took generic NyQuil liquicaps.

I slept soundly and solidly, but the morning ... mildly crappy. I haven't quite decided if I actually feel worse than I would have otherwise; the sinus headache, mild dehydration, and gummy phlegm seem pretty much equivalent to what I get with Nothing But Aspirin Before Bed. Usually, I need a quart or two of GatorAde and a cup or two of Hot Liquid (caffeinated or otherwise). I'm lagged, mentally, but again, that's pretty typical.

I will note that the liquicaps produce a Morning After that's far, far less harsh than the alcohol-and-corn-syrup concoction of traditional liquid NyQuil.



Hey, I put it behind a cut! I even put "tmi" in the tags!

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Comments

[porsupah.livejournal.com]

I can't help but feel a nice 21-year old Port could work wonders in this situation. ^_^

[lyttlebyrd.livejournal.com]

I like the tablespoon of honey treatment, too. Usually I add it to a large mug of very hot pure peppermint tea. This got me throught the flu a few weeks ago.

[araquan.livejournal.com]

Yeah, mint tea and honey is awesome when I have a cold.

...or even just when it's cold out.

[lyttlebyrd.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking I might go make myself some right now, actually...

[silussa.livejournal.com]

My experience with NyQuil liquid(generic or name brand) is six very solid asleep hours, followed by six hours of groggy, but can't sleep.

I had better experience with the gelcaps, I must admit, although they're pricey. I think the difference in end effect is the alcohol; originally, liquid NyQuil was about 50% alcohol...I believe it's down to 35% these days.

Hopefully you're doing better.

Ze drugs, zey do nuffink!

[ab3nd.livejournal.com]

Don't take 24-hour non-drowsy sudafed unless being non-drowsy for 24 hours is your idea of a good time.

[pen-umbra.livejournal.com]

Cough syrup will always be my utter last resort, as it makes me feel awful (but knocks me out when the physical misery would otherwise be too distracting for good sleep).

This past week I have been sitting here eating honey because I was craving it. I had no idea it was an actual folk-curative. o.o I guess my body knows what it's about better than I do.

If you've got what I got at the con, I hope it lessens its grip post-haste. It's pretty awful.

[mocha-mephooki.livejournal.com]

The only thing that sure-fire works for me is to wrap myself up in two layers of sweat-clothes, thick blankets, and plant myself in bed for 24 hours, over-heating the infection out of my system.

... unfortunately, this means I need a day off, which rarely happens. I take a lot of the DayQuil generic to get through work.