As winter sets in, patients with coughs and colds start to crowd the pharmacy counter again
With the return to school, the change in weather, and the shortening days, it is most definitely the time when we all catch coughs and colds. Running in parallel with the fun of Halloween and the imminent arrival of Christmas, adults and children will know the misery of these seasonal ailments.
As their immune systems are still developing, children can pick up viral infections such as colds and flus more easily than adults. For them, symptoms can also last longer, meaning the winter can be a wretched time indeed.
As well as making people feel under the weather, coughs and colds, which often come together, can also contribute significantly to absenteeism from work and school, and lead to an increased demand on pharmacies and GPs. For people living with chronic conditions such as asthma, it can be a particularly difficult time, as colds and flu can inflame the airways, making it harder to breathe or even triggering an asthma attack.
There is also the added problem of popular misconceptions around treatments for coughs and colds, particularly about the use of antibiotics. According to research carried out in the UK, one of the most common reasons people visit their GP when suffering from a winter ailment is because they want or think they need antibiotics. Significant efforts are underway by health services to try and bust this myth.
Fortunately, the community pharmacy is available not only to provide over-the-counter (OTC) treatment but also to offer clinically sound advice.
Symptoms
We are all familiar with the scratchy first symptom of a cold, usually a sore throat, which is generally followed by sneezing and a blocked, sore, or runny nose. Other cold symptoms can include headaches, muscle aches, coughs, a raised temperature, pressure in the ears and face, and a loss of taste and smell. Symptoms usually last about a week, and sometimes longer for children. Children often cough when they have a cold ? which is usually caused by mucus trickling down the back of their throat ? and this can add to their discomfort.
Coughs are mostly caused by colds and flus, but other causes include smoking, heartburn, allergies such as hay fever, and infections such as bronchitis.
Colds are caused by viruses and can easily spread, living on hands and surfaces for 24 hours. A person is infectious until all their symptoms have gone.
To reduce the risk of spreading a cold, a person should wash their hands often with warm water and soap, and cough into their elbow and use tissues. A person should try to stay as healthy as possible through exercise and healthy eating in order to prevent getting a cold in the first place. There is also evidence that soup, long the traditional home remedy for colds and flu, is effective in helping people feel better. Hot water, honey, and lemon have also been known to provide relief.
The HSE also recommends adults to gargle warm, salty water to help fight a sore throat. Taking probiotics, which are available in the community pharmacy, can also help fight the common cold and influenza-like respiratory infections by boosting the immune system.
Treatments
Most colds and coughs can be treated at home and people can be advised to drink plenty of liquids, get lots of rest, and eat healthy food. There is also a range of trusted and effective OTC products to treat symptoms.
One of the principal symptoms of a cold is a sore throat, and these can be painful, particularly for children. Fortunately, the Strepsils range of lozenges provides clinically proven relief. The soothing lozenge contains active medical ingredients to tackle sore throat pain. Strepsils lozenges are also suitable for children aged over six.
One product is Strepsils Orange with Vitamin C ? each lozenge has a boost of 100mg of vitamin C, which will help replace the vitamin C lost during a cold. Each lozenge also contains a combination of two antiseptics to help relieve the discomfort of sore throats. Strepsils Extra Blackcurrant Lozenges are another option. Containing an antiseptic, they fight throat infections while also containing local anaesthetic properties to numb throat pain.
For a severe sore throat, there is Strepsils Plus Anaesthetic Lozenge. These are the only lozenges containing lidocaine, a powerful local anaesthetic which rapidly numbs the pain, and there is also a combination of two antiseptics to help kill the bacteria which can cause sore throats and mouth infections.
The popular brand, Jakemans Lozenges, is also available in a range of flavours.
One of the most well-known and effective treatments for coughs and colds is the Lemsip range. Tried and trusted for generations, Lemsip Cold & Flu Hot Lemon 500mg Powder contains paracetamol, targeting cold and flu symptoms to help bring effective relief from aches and pains, sore throat, headache, and fever.
There are also Lemsip Cough & Cold Capsules, which provide on-the-go relief from symptoms. As well as the pain relief, the expectorant guaifenesin helps loosen chesty phlegm, making it easier to clear, while the stimulant caffeine helps fight tiredness and fatigue.
Calpol is a well-known pain relief product for babies and toddlers which many parents reach for when their child is in pain. For adults and children aged over 16, there is a wide range of other medications. Calpol Infant Suspension provides soothing relief from pain and fever in children. It starts to work on fever in just 15 minutes but is still gentle on delicate tummies. Trusted by parents for over 50 years, Calpol Infant Suspension is gentle enough to use from the age of two months. The Calpol Vapour Plug and Nightlight is also available. This releases soothing lavender and camomile vapours that comfort a child through the night and help with clear and easy breathing. There is also Calpol Blocked Nose Spray for Children, which helps relieve the symptoms of a cold, sinusitis, and hay fever.
Stérimar is another nasal spray range with numerous products. Stérimar Congestion Relief is a hypertonic solution made from 100 per cent natural sea water, enriched with added copper and magnesium salts to help prevent flu contamination. It helps to fight colds, sinusitis, and limits the risks of secondary infection by washing out nasal cavities with no known side-effects from chemicals such as steroids or preservatives that some medications may have.
Another of its products, Stérimar Stop & Protect Cold & Sinusitis Relief, is scientifically proven to act in two minutes, unblocking and relieving nasal passages. The hypertonic solution with a base of 100 per cent natural sea water creates a natural osmotic effect to gently draw and drain even thick mucus, allowing you to breathe more naturally and helping to prevent secondary infection.
Its patented formula, inspired by nature, provides long-lasting hydration and forms a protective invisible film on the nasal lining. This helps to strengthen the nose’s barrier function and neutralise germs responsible for colds, helping to protect you from future infection.
The Vicks range also contains more trusted products. The Vicks First Defence spray helps to fight against common cold viruses. Clinically proven, it targets the main sites of infection ? the back of the nose and the top of the throat. Vick’s Sinex Natura decongestant nasal spray is a hypertonic solution that helps to relieve a blocked nose due to a cold or chronic/allergic rhinosinusitis, by removing viruses and bacteria from the nose.
Vicks VapoRub offers four-in-one cold symptom relief for blocked noses, sore throats, congestion, and cough, helping to get a good night’s sleep. A medicinal ointment, it fights the symptoms of colds in adults and children over the age of two, thanks to its menthol, camphor, eucalyptus oil, and turpentine oil. Vicks Inhaler Nasal Stick also offers provides fast relief from stuffy noses.
As well as Calpol, there are many other OTC pain medications, including the Nurofen range. One highly respected ibuprofen product is Nurofen for Children, which provides effective relief for children suffering from pain, fever, cold, and flu. A liquid medicine, it starts to work in just 15 minutes and lasts up to eight hours for fever. It is available in a range of forms, including Nurofen for Children Six Plus. There are also non-drowsy Nurofen Cold & Flu Film-Coated Tablets, which contain a pain reliever and decongestant to tackle cold and flu symptoms. Each yellow, film-coated tablet provides relief from aches, pains, headache, and fever, as well as easing the pain of sore throat, and blocked nose and sinuses.
Easofen for Children ? for babies, toddlers, and children aged from three months to 12 years ? also contains the painkiller ibuprofen. Easofen for Children Strawberry Oral Suspension provides pleasant-tasting pain and fever relief for children. It can be used for the relief of teething pain, earache, headache, sprains and strains, sore throats, and cold and flu symptoms.
Disprin is another well-known and trusted brand. Containing aspirin, it reduces pain and inflammation, and is effective in relieving headache and other types of pain. It also reduces temperature and fever.
There is also the Anadin range for adults, which includes tablets, capsules, and soluble tablets. Anadin provides tailored pain relief with ibuprofen, paracetamol, and aspirin products available. One of these is Anadin Original. It is developed with a dual action formula, aspirin and caffeine, to effectively relieve headache or migraine. Aspirin targets the source of pain while the caffeine helps speed up pain relief. It treats headache, migraine, body and muscular aches, period pain, toothache, sore throat, and the pain and fever associated with cold and flu.
Panadol is one of the world’s leading paracetamol-based pain relievers. Panadol Extra Film-Coated Tablets have up to 30 per cent more powerful pain relief than standard paracetamol, and can start to work in as little as 10 minutes, based on the absorption. It contains a combination of active ingredients – paracetamol and caffeine which is clinically proven to provide more effective pain relief than standard paracetamol tablets. An oral suspension product, Panadol Baby is suitable for babies and children from two months to 12 years, and is effective for a sore throat, colds, and fever.
So regardless of the season and its associated bugs, patients can be assured that they can get on with their busy lives.
