Kindly suggest me a better and effective medicine for cold.

Question

Hello doctor,

I have been suffering from a cold for the past two to three days. It includes sneezing, a runny nose, etc. The basic Cetirizine tablets never work for me.

By the way, I have not had any chronic cold issues till now. It just pops up once in a while (once in three or four months). I depend on Cheston Cold or Allercet Cold tablets for two to three days, and the issue gets resolved, but my situation is different now. Even these tablets are not helping me now.

Previously, I used to take Avil 50 once whenever I had a cold, and it used to work like a miracle. So, I thought it would be wise to take an ENT specialist's advice in this case rather than depending on a general physician. I do not have a fever.

So I request you to let me know if you could suggest to me a better and much, much more effective medicine which I can use anytime I get a cold. I am currently taking Allercet Cold (thrice a day for a cold), Azithral 500 (once a day, for two days for a minor throat infection), and Bepozic (antihistamine) (once a day for acute urticaria on my body, which is almost recovering).

Please advise.

Thank you.

Answer 1

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I would like to know a few details regarding your symptoms.

Do you have phlegm, which trickles down from your nasal cavity to your throat, or do you have a headache? This is to rule out sinusitis. Patients who suffer from sinusitis have recurrent episodes of colds and stuffiness and secondary throat infections.
Did you get any tests for allergies, like serum IgE, etc., done? If not, you should get serum IgE done, and if that is raised, then you should get a skin prick test done, which will test your sensitivity to various allergens present in the air and food items.

If you are allergic to any particular allergen, then you need to take precautions. One more thing: you should never take Azithral (Azithromycin) for two days. You should take it for at least three days (for minor as well as severe infections). Taking antibiotics for fewer days will make you resistant to them.

You can continue Allercet (Cetirizine) cold as of now and watch. Simultaneously, you start taking steroids and Azelastine nasal spray, which is Duonase nasal spray (one puff in each nostril twice daily for three weeks and then one puff in each nostril once daily at night for another three weeks).

Consult with your specialist doctor, discuss it with him or her, and take medications with their consent. I strongly feel that you have allergic rhinosinusitis based on your history.

Please give a detailed history, and also, investigations are needed to come to the final diagnosis. Taking random medications will not help.

I hope this helps.

Thank you.