I am sick, should I self-medicate?

[Xoce]

I have been having a bad sore throat and bad coughs for 6 days.  I am very sick of being sick.  I have some medicine (cefadroxil) that was prescribed to me when I had strep throat.  I do not know if what I am suffering from now is strep but I am tired of having to eat cough drops the entire night while trying to sleep.
I also am blowing my nose a lot.
No fever.  Appetite is less than normal, but not problematic.

Should I take the medicine or wait a few more days to get healthy myself or go to the doctor?
I prefer not to go to the doctor, and I am generally hesitant towards medicines.  I VERY RARELY even take tylenol.

[q_q_]

I have been having a bad sore throat and bad coughs for 6 days.  I am very sick of being sick.  I have some medicine (cefadroxil) that was prescribed to me when I had strep throat.  I do not know if what I am suffering from now is strep but I am tired of having to eat cough drops the entire night while trying to sleep.
I also am blowing my nose a lot.
No fever.  Appetite is less than normal, but not problematic.

Should I take the medicine or wait a few more days to get healthy myself or go to the doctor?
I prefer not to go to the doctor, and I am generally hesitant towards medicines.  I VERY RARELY even take tylenol.

never any harm in seeing a doctor, except harming the doctor.

"eat cough drops" ?

sore throat and a cough isn't such a big deal. As a kid I found a cough fun, it sounds interesting.

the flu is bad but you haven't reported shivering and weakness.
Even with flu I normally take nothing, and am 100% in 2 weeks..
(or perhaps a week)

You wait till you are older and get little aches and pains that could last your whole life. Then you'll wish that they lasted 6 days!!!!!!!!
As one old guy said.. "if it hurts, it works, and if it doesn't hurt, it doesn't work". Or Hulk Hogan, who said that the pain  in his body as he wrestles/wrestled near retirement was/is like a choir.  He even had(wrestled with!) a false hip. Even old people shouldn't lose hope, specialists can help sometimes.  Your problem is a small thing that will pass soon. No big deal. It's solved really. Treatment is leave it for another week. See a doc though, no harm.

[zachor_ve_kavod]

First, I'd like to ask you why you have left over anti-biotics.  You should have finished taking them the last time.  Do not take it.  It may not even work.  If you have a fever, you should go to the doctor.  Otherwise, I would treat the symptoms, just so you feel better.  Advil is less harmful than tylenol.

[briann]

I REALLY doubt you have strep throat.  No fever, no stomach pain.  It sounds like you just have a cold.  Absolutely NO reason to take anti-biotics... and if you did.. .youd have to get a NEW regimen.

If the coughing and sore throat bother you TOO much... take nyquil... it has a cough suppressant and a antihistamine thatll make you sleepy.  it also has tylenol in it.. which might not be neccessary in your instance.... since you dont have a fever... but it reduces any pain in general.

If you want to take it JUST for the cough... take robitussin DM.  (has a supressant and an expectorant)

If its REALLY painful and you HAVE to sleep, get a prescription for a cough medicine with codeine.  That does the trick every time.

if the sore throat is REALLY bad, try Chloraseptic cough drops.  THey numb the throat a bit.

[Xoce]

"eat cough drops" ?

Yes, the majority of my diet these past days has consisted of cough drops, vitamin candy and hot tea.

[Xoce]

First, I'd like to ask you why you have left over anti-biotics.  You should have finished taking them the last time.  Do not take it.  It may not even work.  If you have a fever, you should go to the doctor.  Otherwise, I would treat the symptoms, just so you feel better.  Advil is less harmful than tylenol.

Yes, zachor I am guilty.  I know I'm supposed to finish taking the antibiotics 
IMPORTANT:  FINISH ALL THIS MEDICATION UNLESS OTHERWISE DIRECTED BY DOCTOR

is what it says on the bottle, but I thought I knew better as I had recovered before my medicine ran out.  (a year ago!?!) ok now I definitely will not be taking the medicine.  I did not see the date until just now.

[Xoce]

I REALLY doubt you have strep throat.  No fever, no stomach pain.  It sounds like you just have a cold.  Absolutely NO reason to take anti-biotics... and if you did.. .youd have to get a NEW regimen.

If the coughing and sore throat bother you TOO much... take nyquil... it has a cough suppressant and a antihistamine thatll make you sleepy.  it also has tylenol in it.. which might not be neccessary in your instance.... since you dont have a fever... but it reduces any pain in general.

If you want to take it JUST for the cough... take robitussin DM.  (has a supressant and an expectorant)

If its REALLY painful and you HAVE to sleep, get a prescription for a cough medicine with codeine.  That does the trick every time.

if the sore throat is REALLY bad, try Chloraseptic cough drops.  THey numb the throat a bit.

Thank you, briann!

[Raulmarrio2000]

Just see a doctor. Antibiotics are not good if not specifically effective for that germ. It could even make it resistant and sicken you more. And wating after six days of being sick is not good. A common cold usually last two days. And flu should be at least seen by a doctor. It might be complicated with other infections. It is always advisable to see a doctor when having flu symptoms, even if he gives you nothing.

[Xoce]

Thank you q_q_, zachor ve kavod and briann.  I will take into consideration.  And have discarded the old medicine.

[q_q_]

"eat cough drops" ?

Yes, the majority of my diet these past days has consisted of cough drops, vitamin candy and hot tea.

considering that as a kid I found a chesty cough fun..

what is bad about a cough?  (I guess it's not a good sign to have one),  but the symptoms.. what is bad about them?

it's not like a runny nose where you have to run to find a tissue if you don't have one..  With a cough you can just cough away from people without causing too much trouble. Perhaps cough low, not at peoples' face level. !

A cough takes up a second of time. It's painless. You close your eyes naturally for a second - which may keep them protected a bit from the force outwards, and you can do it without even covering your mouth.  If you covered your mouth with your bare hand you'd have to wash your hands.
It's no problem.  It's not like taking a dump on the toilet, where you may then have to wipe and wipe and wipe afterwards.  This is a one second thing.
You don't even need to get off your chair to do it.

You go out in the cold don't you, putting on all those clothes , sweating even, or freezing. That can be more of an inconvenience. Most things in life are more of an inconvenience than a cough!

I'm really curious to know what bothers you about cough symptoms

[Xoce]

Just see a doctor. Antibiotics are not good if not specifically effective for that germ. It could even make it resistant and sicken you more. And wating after six days of being sick is not good. A common cold usually last two days. And flu should be at least seen by a doctor. It might be comlicated with other infections. It is always advisable to see a doctor when having flu symptoms, even if he gives you nothing.

Thank you.  I will see how I feel tomorrow.  I also noticed that I am not getting as much oxygen as I should when I inhale.
But I do not have stomach problems, fever, shivering or anything else.  Just throat, cough, runny nose, slight headache.  If even such a simple problem like a cold can not be fixed easily, then how in the world are other ailments supposed to be treated?

[q_q_]

Just see a doctor. Antibiotics are not good if not specifically effective for that germ. It could even make it resistant and sicken you more. And wating after six days of being sick is not good. A common cold usually last two days. And flu should be at least seen by a doctor. It might be comlicated with other infections. It is always advisable to see a doctor when having flu symptoms, even if he gives you nothing.

Thank you.  I will see how I feel tomorrow.  I also noticed that I am not getting as much oxygen as I should when I inhale.
But I do not have stomach problems, fever, shivering or anything else.  Just throat, cough, runny nose, slight headache.  If even such a simple problem like a cold can not be fixed easily, then how in the world are other ailments supposed to be treated?

Colds ARE fixed easily!  It fixes naturally in a matter of days, max a week.
you don't even need to do anything to fix it.

It's not like computer problems where if you know the solution you can sometimes solve it in a second.

Do you cook your own food? You could say that isn't done easily either. Takes time every day of your life!

[Xoce]

"eat cough drops" ?

Yes, the majority of my diet these past days has consisted of cough drops, vitamin candy and hot tea.

considering that as a kid I found a chesty cough fun..

what is bad about a cough?  (I guess it's not a good sign to have one),  but the symptoms.. what is bad about them?

it's not like a runny nose where you have to run to find a tissue if you don't have one..  With a cough you can just cough away from people without causing too much trouble. Perhaps cough low, not at peoples' face level. !

A cough takes up a second of time. It's painless. You close your eyes naturally for a second - which may keep them protected a bit from the force outwards, and you can do it without even covering your mouth.  If you covered your mouth with your bare hand you'd have to wash your hands.
It's no problem.  It's not like taking a dump on the toilet, where you may then have to wipe and wipe and wipe afterwards.  This is a one second thing.
You don't even need to get off your chair to do it.

You go out in the cold don't you, putting on all those clothes , sweating even, or freezing. That can be more of an inconvenience. Most things in life are more of an inconvenience than a cough!

I'm really curious to know what bothers you about cough symptoms

q_q_, my cough is PAINFUL!  and so is my sore throat, between coughs!
And also I am having coughing fits where I repeatedly cough until it subsides, and then I reach for my strategically placed menthol cough suppressant oral anesthetics to ameliorate the feeling of a fork with razor sharp tips scraping the inside of my throat.
This goes on day and night, especially unwelcome is the nighttime coughing fits which needless to say disrupts my slumber.

The only good things are that I am spending more time on JTF and that my abdominal muscles are getting a work out.

Repeatedly blowing my nose has caused the area to become raw, as my tissue is not the optimal ultra-soft tissue infused with aloe and moisturizer.

My voice does not sound well.  It hurts to talk.  My tonsils, which I still possess, are swollen to the point where I feel pressure on my ears.

Perhaps the pressure on my ears also stems from repeatedly blowing my nose, and from recently being on an airplane and changing altitudes.

I cough into my scarf so as to not spread my germs as I am conscientious and so that I do not need to use my hand to cover my mouth.  Germs on hands are spread very easily.

But in any case, my main problem with my coughing is the pain.  the second problem is the longevity of these coughs.

[Fortis]

I am fairly gung-ho about certain types of medication.

I would err on the side of codeine. Yes, it is an opiate, but it will stop you coughing and you will feel much better.

Poor you!

I am generally quite reserved about antibiotics, but codeine with promethazine syrup would stop the cough instantly.

You could even try J Collis Browne's mixture which is a step from that as it contains morphine:

http://www.reachpharmacy.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=25864

If you are coughing and there is nothing there, you deserve any of the above medications, because you are in insufferable pain and the coughing is unnecesssary.

I hope that you feel better soon.

[Xoce]

I am fairly gung-ho about certain types of medication.

I would err on the side of codeine. Yes, it is an opiate, but it will stop you coughing and you will feel much better.

Poor you!

I am generally quite reserved about antibiotics, but codeine with promethazine syrup would stop the cough instantly.

You could even try J Collis Browne's mixture which is a step from that as it contains morphine:

http://www.reachpharmacy.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=25864

If you are coughing and there is nothing there, you deserve any of the above medications, because you are in insufferable pain and the coughing is unnecesssary.

I hope that you feel better soon.

Thank you, Fortis.

[q_q_]

<snip>

You could even try J Collis Browne's mixture which is a step from that as it contains morphine:

http://www.reachpharmacy.com/shop/customer/product.php?productid=25864<snip>

that above looks like an old english classic.. I hadn't heard of it..

have you heard of this one - melrose
http://www.melrose-skincare.co.uk/

if one doesn't wear gloves in the cold and the skin cracks, you can put it on the night before and it fixes the skin alot overnight! one more application of it can fix it totally.   It's so thick that it can really get into the skin, including dry skin on the foot which takes something thick.   Most doctors haven't heard of it. A friend had a sore toe and it magically helped that a bit too!(though the cause was the way he held his toes when he walked)

[P J C]

Your best bet is too contact your doctor. I have had a head Cold lately and tylenol seems too work just fine for me.

[Fortis]

Interesting, about the Melrose. I wonder what the formula is.

I wonder if the OP has shingles. You can get that in the throat and it can be dreadful.

[Rubystars]

Mucinex DM is great medicine. I highly, highly recommend taking it before you go to sleep.

[Ulli]

First, I'd like to ask you why you have left over anti-biotics.  You should have finished taking them the last time.  Do not take it.  It may not even work.  If you have a fever, you should go to the doctor.  Otherwise, I would treat the symptoms, just so you feel better.  Advil is less harmful than tylenol.

Yes, I think so too.

For the sympthoms an old farmer told me a great recipe.

You take a small pot and add half a bottle of schnapps. After it you add a cup of honey or shugar and finally you warm it and solve the shugar.

Now you drink all in one turn and go to bed. You need to put some quilts on you and a warm room.

Next morning all should be fine again.

But there is one hook with this special treatment. I have never tried it. 

[Tzvi Ben Roshel1]

Just wait it out, see what happens, it will go away just drink liquids and also also try eating spicky foods (and hot and sour soup). These things go away without going to the doctor.

[Xoce]

Thank you all who gave me excellent advice, and cared for me.

I am 100% well again!  The last trace of my cough has exited!!!
 

So if I am fortunate enough to attend a get-together, I will not be coughing or expose any JTFers to the awful cold I weathered!

Thank G_d!

[q_q_]

Interesting, about the Melrose. I wonder what the formula is.

I wonder if the OP has shingles. You can get that in the throat and it can be dreadful.

main thing is lanolin apparently.

http://www.melrose-skincare.co.uk/history.asp
John Richard knew, as did many others, that lanolin, (a sticky, greasy substance from the skin of sheep), was highly efficacious as a treatment for soreness of human skin. Although it was readily and cheaply available, its sticky greasy nature, not to mention its unpleasant smell, made it very unpopular in practice for general use.
   John and Sarah managed successfully to combine a suitable proportion of lanolin with other constituents and essential oils to produce a useable, effective and attractive product at a price that all could afford.