Migraines and the common cold

So not only am I in M mode (stupid weather) I'm coming down with a cold. Anyone know of safe meds to take to combat the symptoms? I'm guessing certain things are no-nos but without having to bug the pharmacist, just wondered if anyone knew of things that were okay. I'm guessing no sudafed or anything with a pain reliever in it. My nose is running and I can feel drainage down my throat (sorry) and would like it to stop if possible (where the sudafed would come in). These 2 are the ones that make me the most miserable although running hot n' cold too - that's called blankie-no blankie though.

Hmm...guess no one has insights. I suppose it does depend on what medicines you are on as to what's safe.

How about just things to do to make you feel better? I've given up on the medicating part as most of it has settled in my chest - with a few residuals in my head but not really congested (thank goodness - that's all I'd need). It's been quite a while since I had a virus that I'm rather in the dark...

Any suggestions are welcome....

I know a lot of decongestants are no-no's if you are on topamax. I stay away from all of them but have used afrin with success. I have always had a bad reaction to OTC decongestant pills, I get shakey and feel like I'm going to jump out of my skin!

Vitamin C might help..........so orange juice and of course I have to recommend chicken soup. My husband has had a cold for the last month and using a neti pot really helped clear up his nasal congestion. I stay away from all meds but find that hot, steamy showers help also..........

Becky,

How about Vicks vaporub on your chest, bottoms of your feet, and just a dab under your nose.

Also there is an herbal tea called "Momma Bear's Cold Care" which I think is made by Celestial Seasonings. My son used to get a lot of relief from it.

Hope you're feeling better soon. Please take care.

Becky

We use Echinacea. Vitamin C and for sinus, saline spray.
I cant take decongestants either. We also use steam which is good for sinus and chest.
Stay away from dairy and hope you feel better soon.

Really LG? No decongestants with Topamax? Yikes.

I've had a doozie of a sneezing fit for a week or two & I'm finally dragging myself to my GP tonight. I think it's weather related. Hubby, of course, thinks it's Stadol related. I want to go to the GP to get it all figured out (and maybe get more Stadol).

Rachel

Sorry, HL, I was lucky this winter and didn't get sick, knock on wood. But I'd second what everyone here says. I usually take dayquil, but last year I wasn't taking topomax, and this year I am, so this year, its a no-no.
I always take echinecea when I feel as if I might be getting sick, or if someone in the house is getting sick. Nathaniel at 3 years old is always bringing home colds and bugs, and I feel really fortunate that I did not catch anything this winter. I feel that's due to getting a flu shot.

When I get congested I use Afrin. Before Afrin, I used to use the old standby of a bowl of steam, with drops of eucalyptus essential oil in it, which opened my sinuses nicely and never aggravated my head. I love the smell of eucalyptus. I use lavender essential oil now too though, it's very soothing.

I also use a bit of Vicks now and then, it has eucalyptus in it too.
Hope that helps!

Rachel, Hubby might be right. I have bad sneezing fits when I use Stadol sometimes. Not that I would EVER tell my dr. that.

Bubbs & all - I'm now reading that congestion can be a side effect of Topamax. Hmmmm....

Thanks for the input ladies.

I just found a list of all the drugs that interact with Depakote - just about everything OTC you can imagine and a lot of Rx too. I didn't check what the reactions were (I'd be reading for days) but pretty much any cold/allergy relief interacts. Darn. Yet another reason to stop this one - I found more side-effects of depakote too. Seems the neuro is bent on giving it a good trial but I'm ready to add it to the bag of crap that doesn't work. Sorry, getting a rager of an M and calling it good for the day.

I probably will be calling the Nurse-On-Call. I know this is most likely a garden variety cold but it's moving into my chest (and my back is aching). Since there really isn't anything I can take, see if she thinks I should go to an Urgent care....just don't want this to turn into something nasty.

HL, I'm so sorry. That's such a disappointment, another preventative you'll have to scrap. What a bummer. I hope you can shake the cold.

Rachel, really? That sucks. I didn't know that. Darn topomax's side effects! There are so many. I just found out from LG that being cold/chilled is another one, and I'm ALWAYS cold. Even know, I feel like I could wear mittens while I type, my hands are so frozen. Ugh.

Colds are such a drag..hope your better soon. I go for the chicken soup when I have one.

For what it's worth here's some drug info sites, two from Uncle Sam and one private.
Side effects by drug name...
National Institute of Health
FDA - Drug Safety
Drug interaction lookup...
Drug Interactions

For colds:

• Vitamin C @ 1,000 mg (1 gram) / hour until bowl tolerance (loose stools) is reached, then reduce dosage slightly.
• Sambucus (Black Elderberry) Syrup from healthfood store
• Echinacea - Golden Seal capsuls and/or tea.
• Zinc Lozenges.
• Cayenne capsuls.

Lesser amounts of Vitamin C are not nearly as effective. Make sure to drink plenty of water. Soups seasoned with lots of Black Pepper, Parsely, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme are helpful. As are soups seasoned with Ginger and Cayenne.

I have gallons of hot tea/milk with honey. Honey is great for cold and mucus.
Also, you could try inhalations with natural things (they are sold in the pharmacy).
Bye

My GP looked up Topamax & decongestants & said they were ok.... so, I'm on a garden variety pseudoephedrine. We'll see what happens. I swear, he looked in the room & laughed when he saw me. I said, "yes, I know, I'm a pain in the a$$ but with all the medical drama and drugs going on, I figured you were down the block & a 10 minute visit, so what the heck." He laughed again. Hey, it's business, what's his problem??

And, he gave me a new script for Stadol (3 bottles) with a refill. WAHOO!

Rachel

I guess I have little faith in my doctor. I did a check of half the meds I've been on at the same time as another and sure enough they interact - no wonder I've been miserable. Frustrating beyond words.

As for cold medication, looks like anything with more than 1 ingredient in it could be a problem. I'm heading out of town this weekend and don't want to mess with it. I've had enough interactions to last a life time. Hot showers seem to be very helpful and pushing the fluids.

I always use tea tree oil in an oil vapouriser - gets rid of any decongestion I have, especially if it's left going over night.

Jewishmother wrote:Vitamin C might help..........so orange juice and of course I have to recommend chicken soup. My husband has had a cold for the last month and using a neti pot really helped clear up his nasal congestion. I stay away from all meds but find that hot, steamy showers help also..........

I hope I'm not being insensitive, but your screen name suggests that you might have an outstanding recipe for Matzo ball Chicken Soup. I used to have a roommate who made it for us when we had colds. Wow, was that good and it did help considerably. So, if you do have a recipe you don't mind posting on the misc side, I would be very grateful.

I wish I had some right now! I'm coughing and am congested.

"Western" medicine has finally agreed that chicken soup does have medicinal properties.

Chris

damn, Rachel, I wish I could get my dr. to give me a script for 3 vials at a time with a refill. Want to give me phsyician referral?