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| What cough syrup works best? |
How many times have you went out and bought cough syrup for you or a loved one feeling under the weather? How many times have you found halfway through the bottle it wasn't doing anything at all? Vick's and Tylenol seem to be the most popular choices these days for people seeking to alleviate cold and flu symptoms, but how well do they work?
We did a small study of 100 people who were sick with a cold and hadn't had it for longer than a week. No relatives, no friends, but some co-workers among the participants. We asked them to try each brand of cough syrup for a day and see if they felt a difference. We asked that they take the daytime medicines at 9am and the nighttime medicines at 9pm. We hit them with questions after each day of the two day study and received some pretty interesting answers.
Dayquil (9am to 9pm)
Getting sleepy? - 29 of 100 experienced drowsiness.
Naptime? - 41 of 100 ended up taking a nap.
Sneezy? - 88 of 100 had less sneezing.
Runny nose? - 43 of 100 had less post-nasal drip.
Barking? - 40 of 100 had less coughing.
Head change? - 74 of 100 had less headache.
Aching bones? - 91 of 100 felt less aches and pains.
Overall improvement - 66 of 100 felt big improvement.
Nyquil (9pm to 9am)
Getting sleepy? - 62 of 100 experienced drowsiness.
Sweet dreams - 90 of 100 experienced a better night's sleep.
Sneezy? - 98 of 100 had less sneezing.
Runny nose? - 78 of 100 had less post-nasal drip.
Barking? - 77 of 100 had less coughing.
Head change? - 89 of 100 had less headache.
Aching bones? - 90 of 100 felt less aches and pains.
Overall improvement - 91 of 100 felt big improvement.
Cold Multi-Symptom Daytime (9am to 9pm)
Getting sleepy? - 36 of 100 experienced drowsiness.
Naptime? - 54 of 100 ended up taking a nap.
Sneezy? - 91 of 100 had less sneezing.
Runny nose? - 53 of 100 had less post-nasal drip.
Barking? - 79 of 100 had less coughing.
Head change? - 91 of 100 had less headache.
Aching bones? - 98 of 100 felt less aches and pains.
Overall improvement - 91 of 100 felt big improvement.
Cold Multi-Symptom Nighttime (9pm to 9am)
Getting sleepy? - 47 of 100 experienced drowsiness.
Sweet dreams - 88 of 100 experienced a better night's sleep.
Sneezy? - 96 of 100 had less sneezing.
Runny nose? - 79 of 100 had less post-nasal drip.
Barking? - 75 of 100 had less coughing.
Head change? - 88 of 100 had less headache.
Aching bones? - 96 of 100 felt less aches and pains.
Overall improvement - 90 of 100 felt big improvement.
JiPoshy Recommends:
Going to the doctor, seriously. The cough syrup you could get through prescription would give you much better results than these over the counter alternatives. Then again it depends on how severe your symptoms are. These products have "for severe symptoms" all over their bottles, but if you have "severe" symptoms you should consider professional care.
If we had to choose one of these guys, we'd say this guy right here -
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Dayquil (9am to 9pm)
Getting sleepy? - 29 of 100 experienced drowsiness.
Naptime? - 41 of 100 ended up taking a nap.
Sneezy? - 88 of 100 had less sneezing.
Runny nose? - 43 of 100 had less post-nasal drip.
Barking? - 40 of 100 had less coughing.
Head change? - 74 of 100 had less headache.
Aching bones? - 91 of 100 felt less aches and pains.
Overall improvement - 66 of 100 felt big improvement.
Nyquil (9pm to 9am)
Getting sleepy? - 62 of 100 experienced drowsiness.
Sweet dreams - 90 of 100 experienced a better night's sleep.
Sneezy? - 98 of 100 had less sneezing.
Runny nose? - 78 of 100 had less post-nasal drip.
Barking? - 77 of 100 had less coughing.
Head change? - 89 of 100 had less headache.
Aching bones? - 90 of 100 felt less aches and pains.
Overall improvement - 91 of 100 felt big improvement.
Cold Multi-Symptom Daytime (9am to 9pm)
Getting sleepy? - 36 of 100 experienced drowsiness.
Naptime? - 54 of 100 ended up taking a nap.
Sneezy? - 91 of 100 had less sneezing.
Runny nose? - 53 of 100 had less post-nasal drip.
Barking? - 79 of 100 had less coughing.
Head change? - 91 of 100 had less headache.
Aching bones? - 98 of 100 felt less aches and pains.
Overall improvement - 91 of 100 felt big improvement.
Cold Multi-Symptom Nighttime (9pm to 9am)
Getting sleepy? - 47 of 100 experienced drowsiness.
Sweet dreams - 88 of 100 experienced a better night's sleep.
Sneezy? - 96 of 100 had less sneezing.
Runny nose? - 79 of 100 had less post-nasal drip.
Barking? - 75 of 100 had less coughing.
Head change? - 88 of 100 had less headache.
Aching bones? - 96 of 100 felt less aches and pains.
Overall improvement - 90 of 100 felt big improvement.
JiPoshy Recommends:
Going to the doctor, seriously. The cough syrup you could get through prescription would give you much better results than these over the counter alternatives. Then again it depends on how severe your symptoms are. These products have "for severe symptoms" all over their bottles, but if you have "severe" symptoms you should consider professional care.
If we had to choose one of these guys, we'd say this guy right here -
Only because it's ability to alleviate pain quickly, it also taste great compared to the other ones. We also take the honey flavored syrup over the citrus.
Interesting Facts
- Pain or discomfort of any kind comes on stronger at night because that's when your body's defenses are low. Ever had a toothache? It's always stronger at bedtime. This may be why these syrups work better at night.
- The most common reason for coughing is post-nasal drip. Have a runny nose? Then more than likely you have a cough that goes with it. Positioning yourself differently when experiencing post-nasal drip could temporarily prevent damage to your throat.
- Do you feel you have a lot of build up in your lungs but coughing doesn't seem to do the trick? Consider postural drainage.
gif: giphy