<p>So I'm going to a small liberal arts college, sort of in a rural area, with demanding classes. However, I've woken up this morning with a sore throat and some congestion, and though teachers prefer it if you go to class (per usual at any college) I really don't have it in me to go today. I would rather take the day off and rest up. In terms of medicine, all I'm taking is Zicam and drinking water and tea. A bus for town won't leave until this afternoon, so I can't really get any other essentials until later.</p>
<p>But my main question here is what are some cold remedies college kids can use to get over that sore throat, or congestion, or flu as fast as possible? With as little medicine and money as possible? Any quirky home remedies? Just drink LOTS of water? How have all of you handled and gotten over colds in college as quickly as possible?</p>
<p>Drink LOTS of warm water and hot tea (lemon and honey even better; tea contains antioxidants) to help you through your sickness</p>
<p>If you have money, buy these products: Vicks Vapor-Rub (to help you sleep at night), Vicks NyQuil and Dayquil, Cough Drops (Halls), small pack of Kleenex for travel as well as a box in your dorm room, Alka Seltzer for Colds</p>
<p>We use Emergen-C. It is sold in health food stores and some pharmacies and supermarkets. It is a miracle cure! It comes in a box of individual packets, available in many flavors that mix with water and fizz up. The body absorbs it quickly and it seems to do the trick here. We take it as soon as we get that scratchy feeling in the throat and many times it never goes further than that.</p>
<p>Otherwise, try and up your nutrition....drink fruit and vegetable juices, chicken soup, take vitamins.</p>
<p>Sore throat: I used to rely on Dayquil back when I was in high school and could laze around the whole day. But I recently learned (cold this past weekend) that you should pop a Motrin or two. Gets rid of the pain!</p>
<p>Cough: Any cough drop will be good for this if you don't want to have to take meds that make you drowsy.</p>
<p>At night, MAKE SURE TO TAKE SOMETHING. Even if you think your symptoms are going away, take something just to be safe because if you don't have a good night's sleep, you will wake up with a throbbing headache like I did.</p>
<p>Also, don't follow the myth that you should starve a cold. Don't starve yourself when you're sick; you'll be incredibly weak. Drink lots of water and soup (the soup-to-go ones are available in most drugstores, and you can heat the can up in the microwave)!</p>
<p>Stay away from coffee, milk products (makes more phlegm production), alcohol, smoking.</p>
<p>I take very bad care of myself, i stopped taking vitamins a month ago, i get very little sleep, and not surprisingly I get colds all the time. Consequently I'm very used to it and when I do get a cold I do nothing different except bring a kleenex around. This last time was a little bad so I took a Coldiez drop and went to bed early, then next morning I felt fine.</p>
<p>That's how I deal with it :P
Sore throats though I have to take a cough drop or something, it hurts a lot when I cough or sneeze.</p>
<p>Sore throats are THE most uncomfortable pain to deal with as you feel it with every breath, every swallow and every word. With that said, I do feel badly for you but there are lots of ways to fix it. Gargling with warm salt water seems to work for me, as well as antiseptic sprays that numb the throat and mouth (weird feeling but eases the pain). If that doesn't work and you seem to get sicker -- ask a doctor for a Z-pack prescription right away...ALWAYS works for me and is a quick (5 day dose) fix. Feel better!</p>
<p>make tea with ginger, and drink it while its hot/warm.
It will hurt your throat when you drink it, but the your throat will be numb and you wont feel any pain after</p>
<p>airborne! I swear by that stuff, even if it has no scientific evidence to back it. Maybe it's all placebo, I don't care, it works wonders for me.</p>
<p>I also drink green tea, lots of water, and try to get extra sleep whenever I feel a cold coming on.</p>
<p>Flintstones vitamins, because I'm just that old-school.</p>
<p>Seriously though, load up on vitamin C, sleep a lot, and keep pumping fluids. Taking a decongestant (especially Sudafed, but not that wimpy Sudafed PE -- you want the Pseudoephedrine, the stuff that they keep behind the counter and card you for, because all people with sinus congestion are actually meth addicts in disguise) will help a lot.</p>
<p>Depending on how you really feel, you should consider the schools infirmary with a sore throat. Strep is nothing to ignore and you are doing your fellow students and teachers a good thing. Also, the infirmary can provide you with a legit excuse for you classes. Many will not simply take your word for it that you felt bad an did not come to class.</p>