Whether it’s Tylenol, Buckley, Benylin, or even a store brand, many cold medicines are sold in pharmacies. But are they really effective? A pharmacist enlightens us.
• Also read: There is no shortage of Advil or Tylenol for adults in pharmacies
• Also read: What you need to know about RSV, the other virus circulating in Quebec
Ease, not cure
Let’s start at the beginning: what exactly is a cold? It’s “a viral virus that’s relatively common with symptoms like runny nose, sneezing, severe coughing, but rarely fever,” says Pierre-Marc Gervais, senior director of pharmaceutical services at the Quebec Association of Owner Pharmacists.
Then you should know that the cough and cold products available in pharmacies are not there to cure you, but to relieve and mask your symptoms.
“We’re really going to ease the symptoms. For someone who has a fever, we give acetaminophen like Tylenol, and they will feel better while their body fights the infection,” the pharmacist explains.
Useful but not necessary
Even if these drugs don’t help to heal, there’s nothing wrong with using them, says Pierre-Marc Gervais.
“Someone who has a lot of secretion in their lungs, has a bad cold and needs something to clear their nasal passages is not a problem [à prendre des médicaments contre le rhume]. Again, this is a comfort treatment, but it is absolutely not required.
CNW Photo/Vita Health Products Inc.
But beware: the common cold is not the flu
However, a cold must be distinguished from the flu, which can be treated.
The flu, caused by the influenza virus, must indeed be taken seriously. It can lead to serious complications, especially in children under the age of 2, the elderly, and those with weakened immune systems.
There are antivirals that can reduce the duration and intensity of flu symptoms and even prevent death. These drugs are sold by prescription and are therefore kept behind a doctor’s or pharmacist’s counter.
And Lipton soup: effective against colds?
“Have a good bowl of Lipton Soup and you’ll be fine,” someone close to you who’s seen snow has probably told you.
However, the secret of the effectiveness of this remedy does not lie in the chicken, or even in the noodles…
“In general, hot liquids help make the secretions more fluid. You won’t heal faster, but you will feel better,” says Pierre-Marc Gervais.