Treatment of a Common Cold Cheat Sheet by jamietamn

• Sore throat (mild-­mod­erate pain)
• Conges­tion, runny noise, sneeezing
• Non-pr­odu­ctive cough
• Low-grade fever, chills, headache, malaise, muscle pain

• Avoid extra-­str­ength, long-a­cting, or combin­ation products.
• Avoid systemic decong­estants during the first trimester.
• Oxymet­azoline (Afrin) nasal spray is preferred during pregnancy.
• Most products are safe for breast­fee­ding, but decong­estants may reduce milk supply.

• May have more adverse effects to drugs
• May have other health conditions that may affect treatment choices

• Lack of clinical evidence for safety and efficacy for <2 y/o
• FDA requires produc­t-s­pecific dosing devices
• Manufa­cturers may volunt­arily label products with "Do not use in children under 4 years of age."

(1) Reduce bothersome symptoms
(2) Prevent transm­ission