List of medicines for families with high incidence of respiratory diseases

Choose acetaminophen/ibuprofen for reducing fever and pain, saline nasal spray/oxymetazoline nasal drops for relieving nasal congestion (only saline is used for children under 6 years old), dextromethorphan/ambroxol for cough and phlegm reduction, throat lozenges/lidocaine chlorhexidine spray for sore throat, and loratadine/cetirizine for allergies. It is not recommended to store antibiotics by yourself, just use them as directed by your doctor.

Last month, there was an outbreak of influenza A in my children’s kindergarten. I looked through the medicine box in the middle of the night and couldn’t find children’s acetaminophen drops. I went to three 24-hour pharmacies to buy them. At that time, I realized that it is not always better to stock up on medicines. You have to meet your immediate needs. There is really no need to take up space for those health products and internet celebrity “magic medicines” that expire after eating half a box.

First let’s talk about the fever-reducing and analgesic that everyone is most concerned about. Nowadays, there is a lot of quarrel on the Internet. Some people say that ibuprofen is better, while others say that acetaminophen is safer. In fact, there is no absolute optimal solution: pediatric guidelines generally recommend that infants under 6 months old and people with a history of gastric ulcers give priority to acetaminophen, which has less gastrointestinal irritation. If it is an adult with headaches and muscle pain, ibuprofen will have a stronger analgesic effect and will take effect faster. But remember not to mix the two, and don't eat more to speed up the recovery. A while ago, a young man had a fever and had a fever for two hours. He changed his diet to another. He went to the emergency room for liver damage after eating. It's really not a mistake.

After the fever subsides, the first thing most people encounter is the "cement sealing of the nose." I am very experienced in this. During the sunny weather last year, my nose was so stuffy that I slept sitting up for two days. Normal saline nasal spray is really versatile. It can be used by everyone from newborn babies to pregnant women. Spray it twice to flush out secretions and make you feel much more comfortable. If an adult is completely congested and unable to sleep, it is okay to temporarily use oxymetazoline nasal drops for two days, but remember not to use it for more than 7 days in a row. I had a friend with rhinitis who sprayed it for two weeks in a row. After stopping the drug, the congestion became worse. I went to the hospital for a checkup and found out that I had drug-induced rhinitis. The gain outweighed the gain. If you have allergic rhinitis, prepare loratadine or cetirizine during the peak season. When pollen and dust mites irritate you, take one tablet to suppress sneezing and runny nose immediately. However, if you have a yellowish, thick nasal discharge that lasts for more than 3 days and is accompanied by a low-grade fever, don’t force yourself to spray the medicine yourself, and quickly check to see if it’s bacterial sinusitis. Only in this case will you need antibiotics.

Let’s talk about the cough issue, which is quite controversial. Western medicine generally recommends that children under 6 years old should not use central antitussives on their own. If a child over 1 year old has a severe cough, drinking a spoonful of warm honey water is more effective than anything else. If adults are unable to sleep after coughing in the middle of the night, taking some dextromethorphan can help them sleep soundly. If there is phlegm that cannot be coughed up, use ambroxol to dilute the sputum. Don't take antitussives and phlegm-reducing medicines together. If phlegm blocks the lungs, it may easily cause infection. Many people are also accustomed to using Chinese patent medicines such as loquat paste and Qiuli paste to relieve coughs. As long as they are produced by regular manufacturers, they can be used symptomatically. However, diabetic friends should pay attention to the sugar content in the ingredient list to avoid raising blood sugar before curing the cough.

I also have a sore throat that feels like swallowing a razor blade. I tried various home remedies when I was impotent last year, and finally found that the most effective one was mint throat lozenges that cost two yuan a piece. If the pain is so severe that you can't even drink water, you can use some lidocaine chlorhexidine spray, which will relieve the pain in half a minute. Just don't spray it frequently. You can use it up to 5 times a day.

Finally, let me mention a pitfall that many people have stepped on: don’t prepare antibiotics blindly. Last time, my neighbor took amoxicillin when he had a cough. After taking it for 3 days, he didn't get better but his fever got even higher. He went to the hospital to find out that it was a mycoplasma infection. Amoxicillin is useless against mycoplasma. Not to mention that it is easy to develop drug resistance if he takes it for nothing. Antibiotics kill bacteria. Most common respiratory diseases are caused by viruses. Taking them is completely useless. When you really need them, go to the hospital for a blood test and follow the doctor's prescription. Don't hoard them yourself.

Oh, by the way, after preparing the medicine, remember to put a label to separate the children's dosage form from the adult dosage form, and check the expiration date every six months. The last time I organized the medicine box, I found half a box of 2019 ibuprofen, which was expired in 3 years. It was just sitting there taking up space.

After all, preparing medicine is a matter of caution. If you really have a high fever that persists for more than 3 days, shortness of breath, or chest pain, don’t force yourself to take medicine. Go to the hospital quickly. After all, these medicines can only relieve symptoms. If there is a serious problem, you still need to see a professional.