Lingering Cold

[FoxLee2]

I've had a cold that just won't clear up.  I feel I'm drowning in mucus but can't take a decongestant as I'm on tablets for bp.  Is there anything I can do/take to 'dry up'?

[Tilly2]

Steam inhalations will help.

[FoxLee2]

Thanks, I'll try that

[Vagus]

There are some decongestants that you could take Foxy, even with high BP so I'd ask your pharmacist what he/she could recommend.

[Canary42]

I'm on BP meds (copidrogel, Amlodipine) and I asked the pharmacist for decongestant medicine and they recommended one.  I suggest you ask your pharmacist.

[MargoTester]

My doctor prescribed NACSYS 600mg and I take BP medication . It maybe worth checking with yours

[FoxLee2]

I was going to Tesco tomorrow and planning to have a word with the pharmacist. It's just driving me mad now, like a factory in my nose producing non-stop mucus.

[Patsy33]

Hope you can get some decongestants that will suit. Steam is good. Also, I would say avoid dairy products. Good luck.

[pastafreak]

You could try Sterimar decongestant...its basically a saline solution and safe to use with highbloodpressure. It comes in several types...allergy, colds etc.

Or, there's the neti pot...a deep clean sinus rinse. My brother recommended it to me as he's always had sinus problems. I went for the Sterimar instead.

[FoxLee2]

Lots to consider, thanks for all your replies.

[Robert1984]

Firstly is it a cold? It could potentially be a bacterial infection like H. Influenzae. If so you might need antibiotics. H. Influenzae infection usually begins with flu like symptoms like fever and chills, aches and pains, and then later feels more like a cold, but you might develop a chesty cough with it or sinusitis.

 

One very good antibacterial and antiviral treatment is raw garlic. It tastes absolutely disgusting, but the more you can take without making yourself vomit it back: the better. 

 

Try pressing the raw garlic or putting it in a food bender, and add it to warm milk with honey. That way it is more easy to drink up to half a full bulb or garlic. Try to do this twice a day if you can.

Supplements can help with the immune system too. Vitamin C deficiency is quite rare and taking high dose Vitamin C supplements are not as effective as some think. Instead consider vitamin D, magnesium and zinc. If you do not eat meat you might also be low on selenium. Also indulge in plenty of rest.

[FoxLee2]

I haven't had flu, it was just a cold which has left me with continual mucus.  I think, I know, I prefer to go with a legitimate decongestant that is compatible with bp tablets rather than eating raw garlic.

[Robert1984]

OK I understand. I have not researched raw garlic and blood pressure tablets together and if there is an interaction between them. I suppose care is needed. I take raw garlic when I'm ill and it seems to help me every time. However I'm not taking any medications. It is used in a lot of traditional medicine to help with infections, but might not be the best thing to get rid of the congestion left behind after an infection. I hope you find something which works for you.

[pastafreak]

When I was a child,my mother gave me onion syrup. Sliced onions in a mesh strainer, covered in sugar. Left over night. I loved it.

[Canary42]

That sounds delicious Pasta, I must try it 😋

[pastafreak]

Lol...you've got to like onions 🌰 

[Hopkirk]

I'm on blood pressure tablets (amlodipine) and no one has ever suggested I couldn't take decongestants.

[FoxLee2]

Many, many years ago I used to take Contac after a cold which would 'dry me up' in no time.  A few years ago I remembered this and asked in the pharmacy whether it was still available and when told I was on bp tablets, was informed I couldn't take Contac as well.  No alternative was suggested.

This morning I googled the problem and it said that decongestants affected the efficiency of bp tablets which was why I then asked on here if there was some other solution. I'll have a word with the Pharmacist in the morning, well later today.

 

[barry1010]

You can still buy Contac and there is nothing in the warnings about BP medication 

https://lloydspharmacy.com/products/contac-non-drowsy-dual-relief-tablets-x-18

 

[10ClarionSt]

Go to your local health products store and ask for some menthol crystals. Put just one in a small bowl of boiling water, cover your head with a towel, over the bowl, and inhale the scent. That will clear your nose. It works. Trust me.

[FoxLee2]

I just finished typing my last post when we had a power cut - computer off, lights off, house in darkness and stumbling around for torch (that didn't work). It came back on at 5.30 a.m and then went off again until a few minutes ago.

Just wanted to add that I got some pills in TEsco (Loratadine) and hopefully they will do the trick.  Thanks again to everyone who took the trouble to reply to me.