If you take paracetamol in the hour before or the six hours after taking colestyramine, the paracetamol is likely to be less effective. This is because colestyramine reduces the absorption of paracetamol from the gut. Medical advice should sought, if symptoms worsen, persist for more than 7 days, or are accompanied by high fever, skin rash or persistent headache. Get immediate medical advice if you or someone you know takes too much paracetamol, even if you feel well, because of the risk of delayed, serious liver damage. Paracetamol is thought to relieve pain by reducing the production of prostaglandins in the brain and spinal cord. It works to bring down a fever by affecting an area of the brain that regulates our body temperature (the hypothalamic heat-regulating center). This stops you feeling hot or shivery. We looked at prices for generic or supermarket own-brands and big brand max strength cold and flu tablets with the exact same active ingredients and dose.

cold and flu medicines - Which? News How to save on cold and flu medicines - Which? News

Symptoms of paracetamol overdose in the first 24 hours are pallor, nausea, vomiting, anorexia and abdominal pain. Liver damage may become apparent 12 to 48 hours after ingestion. Abnormalities of glucose metabolism and metabolic acidosis may occur. In severe poisoning, hepatic failure may progress to encephalopathy, haemorrhage, hypoglycaemia, cerebral oedema and death. Acute renal failure with acute tubular necrosis, strongly suggested by loin pain, haematuria and proteinuria, may develop even in the absence of severe liver damage. Cardiac arrhythmias and pancreatitis have been reported. The product should be avoided during lactation unless recommended by a healthcare professional. There are limited data on the use of phenylephrine in lactation. Tricyclic antidepressants (e.g. amitriptyline): may increase the risk of cardiovascular side effects with phenylephrine (see section 4.3). Standard painkillers can go a long way to alleviate the worst of common cold symptoms, including easing headaches and muscle pain and bringing down a temperature. Use during breastfeeding should be avoided, unless recommended by a healthcare professional (see section 4.6).Phenylephrine overdosage is likely to result in effects similar to those listed under advserse reactions. Additional symptoms may include hypertension and possibly reflux bradycardia. In severe cases confusion, hallucinations, seizures and arrhythmias may occur. However the amount required to produce serious phenylephrine toxicity would be greater than required to cause paracetamol-related toxicity. Cold and flu medicines come in a range of formats including tablets, liquids and sachets (for making a hot drink). They typically contain paracetamol, phenylephrine (a decongestant), and caffeine. There have been reports of blood dyscrasias including thrombocytopenia, leucopenia, pancytopenia, neutropenia and agranulocytosis, but these were not necessarily causally related to paracetamol.

Tesco Max Strength Cold And Flu Sachets Lemon 1

There are several on the market that claim to be able to prevent a cold or nip it in the bud at the first sign of symptoms. For the cheapest option, seek out own-brand or generic painkillers. Supermarkets and discount stores are often cheapest, and branded versions can cost nearly five times as much. a, Is on long term treatment with carbamazepine, phenobarbitone, phenytoin, primidone, rifampicin, St John's Wort or other drugs that induce liver enzymes. Patients should be advised not to take other paracetamol-containing or other cold, flu or decongestant products concurrently. Immediate medical advice should be sought in the event of an overdose, even if the patient feels well because of the risk of delayed serious liver damage (see section 4.9).This medicinal product contains 120.74 mg sodium per dose, equivalent to 6 % of the WHO recommended maximum daily intake for sodium. An overdose of paracetamol is dangerous and capable of causing serious damage to the liver and kidneys. Patients with rare hereditary problems of galactose intolerance, the total lactase deficiency or glucose-galactose malabsorption should not take this medicine. Find out more about which painkiller to choose for different types of aches and pains in our full painkillers guide The season of coughs and sniffles is upon us, and deciding which cold and flu products to buy can add to the headache. We've investigated the prices of popular cold and flu medicines across different shops to help you cut costs.

Lemsip Cold and Flu Lemon - Summary of Product - medicines Lemsip Cold and Flu Lemon - Summary of Product - medicines

Phenylephrine overdose is likely to result in: nervousness, headache, dizziness, insomnia, increased blood pressure, nausea, vomiting, reflex bradycardia, mydriasis, acute angle closure glaucoma (most likely to occur in those with closed angle glaucoma), tachycardia, palpitations, allergic reactions (e.g. rash, urticaria, allergic dermatitis), dysuria, urinary retention (most likely to occur in those with bladder outlet obstruction, such as prostatic hypertrophy). You'll make the biggest savings at Asda. Its own-brand cold and flu products were cheapest across the board, and it was cheapest for the branded versions too.

Will you be claiming the VAT back?

Don't be afraid to ask the pharmacist if there's a cheaper generic version of a medicine you're considering, or for advice on the evidence behind certain treatments, as they should be able to help with any queries you have about cold and flu medicines. Max strength cold and flu medicines commonly contain the same dose of caffeine as the standard version (25mg), and more of the other two ingredients:500mg of paracetamol, and 6.1mg of phenylephrine. Women who are breastfeeding. (It's not known if phenylephrine passes into breast milk, or its effect on a nursing infant. When taken by mouth, decongestants such as phenylephrine can also temporarily decrease the production of breast milk with just one or two doses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for further advice.) The systemic availability is subject to first-pass metabolism and varies with dose between 70% and 90%. The drug is rapidly and widely distributed throughout the body and is eliminated from plasma with a T1 /2 of approximately 2 hours. The major metabolites are glucuronide and sulphate conjugates (>80%) which are excreted in urine. Patients with rare hereditary problems of fructose intolerance, glucose- galactose malabsorption or sucrase-isomaltase insufficiency should not take this medicine.

Lemsip Max Cold and Flu Lemon - 10 Sachets - Boots

Coughs can be one of the most annoying and persistent cold symptoms, but most should clear up within a week or so.Cold and flu sachets are much more expensive per unit than capsules but are often stronger, and many people like having a soothing hot drink while they're feeling ill, rather than having to take tablets. They don't tend to contain caffeine either. The product should not be used during pregnancy unless recommended by a healthcare professional (see section 4.6).