'Tis the Season of Colds: Stay Healthy and Colds-Free With Any of These Products

Make a decision is possible when choosing from dozens of over-the-counter cold and flu medications. When the cold virus catches you off guard, there are plenty of options to alleviate your worst symptoms, from aches and pains to stubborn coughs.

The best cold medicines offer relief for your worst symptom without side-effects. Doctors and pharmacists' recommendations were unanimous: Go after the symptom that's ailing you most, rather than seeking relief from an underpowered multi-symptom formula. 

Millions of Americans get a cold every year and what we refer to as the "common cold" is usually one of 200 strains of rhinoviruses. Fortunately, over-the-counter (OTC) medications can ease your symptoms and lessen the impact the cold has on your day-to-day activities.

1. Afrin 12 Hour (Click the link to check the price)

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Decongestants don't cure the common cold but over-the-counter decongestants by shrinking the blood vessels that stop up the nose.

Make sure that your product contains contains pseudoephedrine. But you will have to ask for it at the pharmacy counter. The drug is considered safe for most people and among the most effective head cold remedies available.

According to According to Ally Dering-Anderson, clinical assistant professor of pharmacy practice at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, "The quick rule of thumb is if you can buy it without showing an ID, don't bother. It's not going to work."

2. Tylenol Cold + Head Congestion Severe (Click the link to check the price)

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With the pressure of a head cold, relief can't come fast enough. Tylenol Cold + Head is designed to deliver relief.

Tylenol caplets promise to clear out congestion, and it contains acetaminophen to provide relief from aches and pains, including sore throats and headaches. It contains guaifenesin, an ingredient to make coughs more productive, and phenylephrine HCl which acts as a nasal decongestant.

3. Dextromethorphan (Click the link to check the price)

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You can try an OTC cough suppressant if honey isn't cutting it for you as a cough suppressant. Alex Luli, Pharm.D, a board-certified ambulatory care pharmacist and assistant clinical professor at the University of California San Diego, recommends to use dextromethorphan if you have a cough due to a common cold. He suggests to look for brand names like Delsym.

4. Advil (Click the link to check the price)

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The immune system responds to the cold virus by turning up the heat and bombarding the virus with chemicals in an effort to weaken it. Most of our worst cold symptoms happen, such as fever and aches.

Acetaminophen and ibuprofen both work by blocking the production of prostaglandins. Ibuprofen affects both the central and peripheral nervous systems, while acetaminophen barely influences the peripheral nervous system, so it doesn't have much anti-inflammatory power. This makes ibuprofen a better choice for sore throat and sinusitis.

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