(no subject)

[rhyme]

Why is it that cold medicine can only be taken every 4 hours, and yet runs out after about 3?

Comments

[furious.livejournal.com]

For the same reason hot dogs come in packs of ten but the buns come in packs of 8.

[korrigan.livejournal.com]

You clearly are not buying the right hotdog buns. /unhelpful

[ririkit.livejournal.com]

I once read a legitimate explanation for that, and I can't, for the life of me, remember what it is. :[

[afe-coda.livejournal.com]

The four hour warning is to avoid an accidental overdose from adding a full dose to your bloodstream on top of the remnants of the original dose. For some people it lasts as long as six. Your body simply metabolizes the drug faster than average.

Check the ingredients list. You might consider taking ibuprofen (Advil) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) about two hours into the cold medicine if it's not included in the cold medicine already; it'll help keep you feeling better. (The ibuprofen is probably preferable since its anti-inflammatory action will help reduce sinus swelling, which will make you feel like you can breathe again.)

Hot mist is also nice, and not a drug.

[ririkit.livejournal.com]

It contains acetaminophen, so that's out. (My blood contains an unusually high level of antibodies, but it's not lupus! The doctor checked.)

I was actually looking for something that would stop my sore throat from hurting for a while. This time around it's been really resistant to cough drops.

[afe-coda.livejournal.com]

Ah, gargle some strong salt water. It tastes bad (though not as bad as cough syrup) and it can sting if your throat is raw, but it does a wonderful job of shrinking inflamed tissues in your throat and numbing the nerves there. (Just don't SWALLOW it. That'll make you sicker.)