What medicine should adults take when they have a cold?

Colds are a common disease in life, and they are most likely to occur when the seasons change. Although catching a cold by accident won’t leave you bedridden, it will affect your mental state. If you don’t take timely measures, the condition may worsen and may cause pneumonia. So, what medicine is better for adults when they have a cold? In fact, the medicine you take for a cold depends on the type of cold it is. Colds can be divided into wind-cold type, wind-heat type, and summer-heat type. You should take medicine according to the specific symptoms.

Wind-cold colds are more common in winter and spring and are caused by external wind and cold. The main symptoms include severe chills, mild fever, headache without sweating, sore limbs, nasal congestion, clear runny nose, heavy voice, cough with thin sputum, itchy throat, white tongue coating, and floating and tight pulse. You should use pungent and warm antipyretic drugs that can dispel wind and cold, such as Jiuwei Qianghuo Pills, or Shensu Lifei Pills, Tongxuan Lifei Pills. Do not use Sangju Cold Tablets, Yinqiao Jiedu Pills, Lingqiao Jiedu Pills, Lingqiao Jiedu Pills, and Lingyang Cold Tablets. Misuse will aggravate the condition or delay recovery.

Wind-heat type colds are more common in summer and autumn and are caused by exogenous wind-heat. The main symptoms are severe fever, mild aversion to cold, little sweating, headache, sore limbs, cough with yellow sputum, red and swollen throat, dry mouth and thirst, thin yellow tongue coating, and rapid pulse. Use pungent and cool antipyretic drugs that clear heat and promote lung function, such as Sangju Cold Tablets or Yinqiao Jiedu Pills, Lingqiao Jiedu Pills, and Lingyang Cold Tablets. Do not use Qianghuo Pills or Lifei Pills. Misuse can cause fever and worsen sore throat.

Summer-heat and dampness cold only occurs in summer. It is caused by the patient's inherent dampness and heat, and then the cold. It can also be caused by eating too much cold drinks, melons and fruits. The main symptoms are chills and fever, headache, fullness in the chest, abdominal pain and intestinal rumbling, vomiting and diarrhea, fatigue, loss of taste in the mouth, and loss of appetite. The treatment should be to use aromatics to clear turbidity, harmonize the middle and relieve exterior symptoms. You can take Huoxiang Zhengqi Capsules, Yinqiao Jiedu Pills, Shidi Shui, Liuyi Powder, Yunxiang Essence, Sizheng Pills, Liuhe Dingzhong Pills, Tianzhong Tea, Ganlu Tea, Ganhe Tea, etc.

Influenza is similar to wind-heat cold, but it develops quickly, is more severe, and is characterized by high fever, chills, severe headache, limb aches, fatigue, red tongue, yellow tongue coating, and a strong and rapid pulse. The treatment should be to clear away heat and detoxify, dispel wind and clear the surface. You can take antiviral oral liquid, compound silver and yellow oral liquid, isatis root granules, etc.

If the cold is particularly severe, such as accompanied by frequent and severe coughing, dizziness, and high fever, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible to avoid inducing other complications; if the cold is mild, you don't need to take medicine, you can drink ginger soup and keep warm, go to the supermarket to buy some ginger juice and brown sugar and take it with boiled water, which is convenient.

If you have a moderate cold, in addition to choosing medicines according to the above methods, you should remember to use less or no chemical medicines containing antibiotics. It is better to use Chinese patent medicines, which have definite efficacy and fewer side effects.