Review of cold medicines
As conducted with a sample size of one over a scientifically significant 4-day trial:
New Sudafed (phenylephrine)
- Pros: No side effects.
- Cons: Doesn’t work.
Meth Sudafed (pseudoephedrine)
- Pros: Works great. Can breathe through both nostrils for most of the day.
- Cons: Dizzy, dazed, can’t do much else except lie on the couch while breathing clearly through both nostrils.
Tylenol
- Pros: Works moderately. Generally mutes some of the unpleasant effects of having a cold, such as minor aches and a slight fever.
- Cons: Limited in scope. Doesn’t completely fix anything.
Natural stuff (vitamin C, zinc, herbal “remedies”, etc.)
- Pros: No side effects.
- Cons: No effects.
Coffee
- Pros: Actually works as a mild decongestant and a general feel-a-bit-better drug in small doses.
- Cons: Effects are short-lived.
Letting your body do its job for a few days
- Pros: No side effects. Actually works.
- Cons: No drug companies or natural-remedy slingers make any money off of you.
I have a much better understanding of the over-the-counter pharmaceutical industry now.
Some good info here. Also this:The case against all-in-one cold medicines.
Via 
