Cold and upper respiratory virus tips

January 13, 2008

Hi all -

This past week, I came down with a cold -- sore throat moving into

chest congestion. Luckily, no nasal congestion (yet). My body's

tried-and-true way of reacting to colds is a wickedly violent cough

that sometimes lasts for a week or more, severely impacting my

ability to sleep. Before, SCD, my only salvation was a prescription

cough syrup called phenergan.

A couple days into the sore throat, I started coughing. I was

freaking out because I KNEW my old standby cough syrup is hugely

illegal. So I called my local pharmacy and they recommended a sugar-

free, dye-free cough syrup called vi-q-tuss (apparently prescriped

for diabetics). I went into the pharmacy and read the label on their

bottle and didn't see anything in the ingredients that set off

my " illegal " bells. It uses saccharin for sweetness (yuck), so it

tastes terrible IMHO, but it seems to be doing the trick. It has

guaifenisen (an expectorant) and hydrocodone (the narcotic that

knocks down the cough).

Also, just as I started to detect cold symptoms, I started using

Zicam - the nasal gel. I believe it has some zinc in it and I

figured it's probably okay to use since it's applied in your nose

and you don't ingest it. I've also been taking an SCD-legal

ecinachea. So far (knock on wood), my cold seems to be milder than

previous bouts and my digestive system is behaving (aside from some

slight constipation, which is typical when I have a lot of phlegm).

I just thought I would share these tips in case others find

themselves fighting a cold or cough and still want to maintain

fanatical adherence.

I also discovered a Medicine Shoppe pharmacy nearby and understand

that they are a compounding pharmacy. This might help others in

California. I haven't contacted them yet, but it's nice to know the

option exists.

Kathy

UC since 11/05

SCD since 7/07

sulfasalazine (azulfidine) 3 pills a day (down from 6 a day before

SCD)

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