Decongestants

Head off that awful sinus pain. Decongestants come in pill or liquid form and work by shrinking engorged and irritated blood vessels in the nasal and sinus passages. The active ingredient in Sudafed is pseudoephedrine, which has adrenaline-like qualities. This drug should never be taken by those with high blood pressure, rapid heartbeat or heart palpitations.

If you can’t find pseudoephedrine on the shelves with other OTC meds, it is because it is federally controlled. Because of that, it is found behind the pharmacy counter. Nasal spray decongestants act like oral meds but works mainly on a contained area with no pesky speedy side effects. The common ingredient is oxymetazoline and is found in Afrin and Dristan.

Salt water nasal sprays and humidified air are good non-drug alternatives when you just don’t feel like popping any more pills.

Cough Treatments

Benzocaine is the active ingredient in cough drops and sprays that help to control sore throat symptoms. If you have a dry, hacking cough and it is not bringing up any phlegm, look for a cough suppressant like Robitussin or Pertussin. If your cough is producing mucus, look for a cough expectorant, one that will loosen and bring up mucus. Initially, as the phlegm breaks up, you may cough more but that should subside as less mucus crowds your large bronchi.

Heartburn

This illness is described as a burning sensation in your upper abdomen to chest which sometimes leaves a bad taste in your mouth. The old stand-by Pepto-Bismol is always good for indigestion, diarrhea and nausea. It has anti-bacterial, antacid and anti-secretory traits, all helpful to treat heartburn. Pepto-Bismol often causes black stools -- unsightly but harmless.