HELP - Supplements ok to take with cough medicine? I'm sick :0(

[riss177]

I have a cough and chest congestion. Is it ok to take a cough suppressant and expectorant with my supplements? I take Vitex, saw palmetto, and baby aspirin. I am supposed to start supplements today because AF came this morning. I thought I would ask here before calling the pharmacist and trying to explain why I'm taking those supplements. LOL!

Thanks!

[mydream]

I think it should be fine but Atomic would know better. Are you ttc this month b/c I think certain cough meds increase CM.

[riss177]

Thanks mydream! I appreciate your response. I am ttc this month.

I'm taking Robitussin Peak Cold Max Strength. It has dextromethorphan HBr (cough suppressant) , guaifensin (expectorant), and phenylephrine HCI (nasal decongestant). I also took Emergen-C just for today.

I haven't started my supplements yet. I'll wait to see what Atomic says =) I just started AF so hopefully I have enough time to get over this without having the meds effect my sway.

[riss177]

I wanted to add that I went to the doctor today in hopes of knocking this bug out and to make sure it's not strep. They gave me a shot of antibiotics that should knock out any infection I may have. They also gave me a prescription for antibiotics. I read that antibitotics sway boy. I don't feel terribly sick anymore, so I think I'll be ok without taking the antibiotic pills. If I don't get better and have to take the pills then I will skip ttc this month....grrrrr.

I'm going to take robitussin for another day or two if needed. I also had the antibitotic injection. Is my sway still ok? Or should I skip ttc this month? :0/

Today is day 2 of my cycle and I seem to ovulate around day 15-20.

And... can I take vitex, saw palmetto and baby asprin with robitussin?


Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

Thanks mydream! I appreciate your response. I am ttc this month.

I'm taking Robitussin Peak Cold Max Strength. It has dextromethorphan HBr (cough suppressant) , guaifensin (expectorant), and phenylephrine HCI (nasal decongestant). I also took Emergen-C just for today.

I haven't started my supplements yet. I'll wait to see what Atomic says =) I just started AF so hopefully I have enough time to get over this without having the meds effect my sway.

Riss, that is one of those cold remedies companies sell, that don't work very well. The guanefesin makes MORE mucus and the decongestant dries UP mucus so they counteract each other and it's sort of pointless. Some colds make a lot of mucus (and you'd want a decongestant) and others make sticky mucus (stuffy nose and clogged-up lungs) and so when you take both expectorant and decongestant both, no matter what kind of cold you have, you can end up screwing yourself up - if you have a lot of mucus, you'll only make MORE mucus and if you are congested, you need that mucus to thin and get out of there or you can get a sinus infection/pneumonia. It's best to take the one type of medicine that helps the symptoms you have.

The dextro can be good to help you sleep if you have an annoying dry cough but are NOT a good idea if you have a lot of thick sticky mucus in your lungs because you need to be able to cough that up and get rid of it. Letting yucky mucus sit in your lungs can contribute to pneumonia.

In terms of safety, as far as I know they are all safe to take, but I"m not a pharmacist, of course and a lot of these things have not been studied. I would keep the baby aspirin to the barest minimum until I was off the cold meds. Here's a list of drug interactions Robitussin Peak Cold Maximum Strength Cough + Chest Congestion DM Drug Interactions - Drugs.com

When swaying pink, you should avoid guanifesin at any time around O because it sways blue, but it's prob. ok at AF.

Decongestants tend to sway pink.

Dextromethorphan is not safe to take when TTC but since you're far out from O, it's ok for now IF you have a dry, unproductive cough. If your cough is loose and getting up phlegm, you should limit your use because you want to get rid of the gunk in your lungs. You don't need the dextro except at night for sleeping and shouldn't be taking it thru the day.

Nutshell version, since the medicine itself is not super effective, I personally would not have you take it. Take EITHER guanefesin if you're stuffy/congested OR a decongestant if you have a super runny nose, and reserve the dextro for only nighttime. Better for your sway and better for your body as well! HTH and feel better soon.

[riss177]

Atomic... you are so wonderful! Thanks for such a thorough response! I learned a few things. =0)

I will stop taking Robitussin. My cough isn't so bad now and I don't feel like there is much congestion in my chest anymore. My nose is a like a running faucet though, lol! I will take Sudafed tonight if I'm too congested to sleep.

Is it ok to take Vitex, Saw Palmetto and Baby Aspirin with Sudafed? I'm assuming it is, but I want to double check.

Also, is the injection of antibitotics I received at the doctor nothing to worry about?

Thanks!

[atomic sagebrush]

NO, it's not ok to take aspirin with Sudafed!! I'm really glad you asked about this. I prefer that women NEVER take Sudafed for swaying or colds, because it's been linked to strokes in young women with no risk factors, especially who were taking blood thinners (such as SP, aspirin, cran).

Many people have taken it and survived just fine, it's just that ~to me~ I don't think it's worth the risk. Try an antihistamine instead, it can dry up runny noses even if they're from colds, not allergies. But if you still have phlegm in your chest, it will make it harder to cough up (which is bad.)

Your nose may be so runny in part because of the guanifesin and so since you're not taking it any more, it may dry up.

I'm not totally convinced that antibiotics sway very strongly blue anyway. Certainly having taken them so far out, they'll be out of your system by the tiem O rolls around.

[riss177]

Ok! Glad I always feel the need to double check, lol! Thanks!