💊Best cheap alternatives to expensive flu and cold medicines for 2020

It is always unpleasant to get sick - weakness, sore throat and muscles, fever interfere with concentration, work or study. From friends, colleagues, a pharmacist in a pharmacy, on the Internet, we can learn various treatment regimens, which often contradict each other. How not to harm yourself and quickly recover

The editors of the site "bestx.htgetrid.com/en/" have drawn up detailed instructions on how to properly treat a cold and not go broke on medications.

How to properly treat influenza and SARS

So, the first thing to remember: you cannot “accelerate” or “cancel” the disease. On average, a cold lasts 5-7 days. During this time, the body produces antibodies and interferons to viruses that have entered it. All that can be done is to relieve or relieve the symptoms. If they cause discomfort.

It is also worth remembering that no pills will help if the right conditions are not created to fight the disease. This means that you should not carry the disease on your feet.

• Reducing body temperature. Remedy # 1 and # 2 are ibuprofen and paracetamol. Or combined preparations (Teraflu, Coldrex ...), which include these substances. It is imperative to bring down the temperature only if it is already more than 38 ° or if you have a specific chronic disease that can worsen against the background of a high temperature. For example, in patients with epilepsy, the likelihood of seizures increases when the body temperature is above 37 °. Up to 38 °, focus on your well-being. If it's okay, you don't have to knock it down.
• Clothing. You need to dress warmly, but at the same time do not wrap yourself in 100 sweatshirts and quilted jackets.
• Fresh air. Be sure to ventilate the room in which you work or stay most of the time several times a day. Viruses do not spread well in dry, cold air, but well in humid and warm air.

The optimum air temperature is 20 ° -25 °. Humidity - up to 40%.

• Drink. Many people remember from childhood that during illness they need to drink a lot of warm or hot liquid. In fact, temperature is not as important as quantity. The main thing is that the drink is not colder than body temperature. Anything will do - tea, compote, fruit drink, mineral water. But rehydration solutions work best. They allow you to normalize the water-salt balance, which is disturbed with increased fluid output.
• Nutrition. These days, it is better to eat small portions, preferring liquid, easily digestible food. The body fights infection, you should not additionally load it with heavy cakes, fried meat or hot sauces.Don't force-eat if you don't feel like it.
• Nose. You can get rid of a stuffy nose with saline solutions and vasoconstrictor drops. We wash out all the mucus with a solution, and then, already in a dry nose, we instill vasoconstrictor drops. Please note that the drops are addictive and should not be used for more than a week.
• Sleep and good rest.

And how wrong

Let's list what should not be consumed during illness, unless prescribed by a doctor. At best it is simply unnecessary and useless, at worst it is harmful and dangerous.

• Antibiotics;
• Antihistamines;
• Expectorants.

Also, traditional medicine in all its manifestations will not give an effect:

• inhalation over potatoes, hot water;
• rubbing with alcohol, turpentine, vinegar, fat;
• steaming feet in hot water;
• mustard plasters, banks;
• aromatherapy;
• eating honey, onions, garlic and other nutritious herbs, berries, roots;
• all kinds of tinctures.

The list can be continued for a long time, but the meaning is the same: all phenomena from traditional medicine are rather entertaining and distracting, but not healing.

Prevention

The likelihood of catching infection during the cold season is high, but it can be reduced if you follow simple rules:

• Wash hands before eating, after outside, before and after using the restroom. And, of course, after contacts with commonly used objects, surfaces - money, handrails, doors.
• Carry out wet cleaning as often as possible.
• If possible, not located in crowded places or reduce the time of stay to a minimum. For example, it is possible not to go by bus or subway during rush hour - just walk.
• Do not overdry the indoor air.
• The mucous membranes should also not be dry, overdried. Mucus is the body's natural barrier. Moisturize your nose, rinse your throat with saline.

Not prevention

• The mask is needed only for those already infected, so as not to spread the virus further. It will not save healthy people, since it is effective only for the first 30-40 minutes. Then it gets wet from breath and loses its protective properties.
• Vitamins, especially the much-touted vitamin C, honey, viburnum and more. All these tasty things do not significantly raise immunity and do not speed up the treatment. All they can do is cheer up and help warm up in winter.

Why is self-medication dangerous?

What is the risk of a person who does not properly treat a common cold? Serious complications, pulmonary and extrapulmonary, which can provoke diseases of other systems and organs (heart, kidneys).

When is it time to call an ambulance

Do not hesitate and call if you experience the following symptoms:

• T body temperature above 39 °, which is not knocked down by paracetamol or ibuprofen for half an hour;
• fainting, loss of consciousness;
• severe pain in any part of the body;
• swelling;
• rash;
• convulsions;
• shortness of breath.

The dispatcher will certainly either advise you or send an assistance team.

What are the medicines for flu and colds

We will conditionally divide funds for the treatment of ARVI and influenza according to their intended purpose.

Temperature

Temperatures over 38º are brought down with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and paracetamol. An example of an effective and safe NSAID agent is ibuprofen. The opposite example is aspirin. Contraindicated in children and adolescents, as its use can cause Reye's syndrome - acute liver failure that causes brain damage.

Nose

• Saline solution. Rinse as needed.
• Vasoconstrictor drops, sprays. Use no more than a week, as the body gets used to it, the mucous membrane atrophies, rhinitis may develop.

Burying with juice of beets, onions, garlic and other gifts of nature will not help at best, at worst they will burn the mucous membrane.

Sore throat

Lozenges, lollipops, regardless of composition, taste and manufacturer. The main purpose of these remedies is to increase salivation by softening and soothing an irritated throat. Sprays work in a similar way.

Ice cream, cold drinks. They soothe, relieve inflammation. Not dangerous if the temperature is low.

Immunity

Most of the currently existing immune-boosting drugs are actually dummies. Oseltamivir and zanamivir, as well as their generics, are the few drugs that have been repeatedly proven to be beneficial in international studies.

Pros and cons of generics

Generic is a generic drug that is a copy of the original drug. Generics are released and sold after the patent expires.

The copy may slightly differ from the original in the composition of the excipients, but the main active ingredient is always the same.

To be marketed, a new drug must be pharmaceutically equivalent to the original. This means that it also behaves in the body - it is absorbed into the blood at the same rate, at the same time it reaches its maximum concentration, and is similarly distributed through the tissues.

Pros:

• Generics are much cheaper. Their cost does not include development costs, clinical trials, and so on.
• The drug is released after the expiration of the patent. During this time, a great deal of experience with the drug is accumulated, all the side effects and negative consequences of the use are known.
• Some original drug manufacturers also produce generics for their own products. The result is a 2 in 1 effect - high quality and low price.
• In the US, UK and Germany, substandard generics are being withdrawn from the market.

Minuses:

• An unscrupulous company can save on excipients. Poor quality ingredients can reduce the effectiveness of the drug, expand the list of side effects.

How to Pick a Good Generic

There are not many selection criteria for analogues of expensive drugs.

The ATX code will help you find a generic drug. ATC is a classification of drugs recommended by WHO specifically for doctors. Most drugs in the world have their own unique alphanumeric combination. Some drugs may have 2 or 3 codes if they can be used to treat several diseases. The ATX classification does not include phytopreparations, auxiliary medicinal substances and combination preparations.

You can find a list of analogues by the code in any online directory. The best of them should be chosen not by the price, but by the manufacturer and the list of excipients.

Selection errors

You should not blindly rely on the opinion of users about this or that substitute. You cannot know the whole picture of what is happening: what, in addition to the medicine you are interested in, the person was taking, what kind of life he leads. Trust your doctor's opinion when choosing a medicine

Top manufacturers

The list of the most reliable Russian brands of budget medicines includes:

• AKRIKHIN;
• Biomed them. I.I. Mechnikov;
• Biosynthesis;
• Biochemist;
• Gematek;
• OZONE;
• NEARMEDIC PHARMA LLC;
• Pharmstandard-Leksredstva.

Shreya Life Sciences is a trusted manufacturer of low-cost drugs.

Original-Generic Matching Table

Original	Generic
For adults from ARVI
Cycloferon	Kagocel
Ingaverin	Arbidol
Tamiflu	Oseltamivir-acriquine
For adults from influenza
Teraflu	Rinikold
Relenza	Remantadine
Layfferon	Interferon
For kids
Nurofen	Ibuprofen
Panadol	Paracetamol
Aqua maris baby	Saline

Rating of high-quality and inexpensive drugs for flu and colds for 2020

We offer you an overview of the most popular antipyretic and antiviral drugs for adults and children. The rating contains detailed descriptions of drugs with the advantages and disadvantages of each of them.

For the treatment of ARVI

Kagocel tab. 12 mg No. 10

A drug for the prevention and treatment of colds, flu in adults and children from three years old. Treatment of herpes in adults.

Active ingredient: gossypol copolymer.

Average price: 205 rubles.

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Arbidol tab. p.p. 50mg No. 10

Immunostimulating, antiviral agent in capsule form.

Active ingredient: Umifenovir.

Average price: 133 rubles.

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Oseltamivir-Akrikhin caps. 75 mg No. 10

Antiviral agent in capsule format. Prevention of the disease in adolescents aged 12 years and older, adults, in groups at increased risk of disease transmission (large groups, weakened patients).

Active ingredient: Oseltamivir.

Average price: 574 rubles.

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For the treatment of flu

Rinikold tab. No. 10

The drug eliminates the symptoms of colds, successfully fights nasal congestion, headache, muscle and joint pain.

Active ingredient: Caffeine + Paracetamol + Phenylephrine + Chlorphenamine.

Average price: 118 rubles.

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Rimantadine tab. 50mg No. 20

Medicine for the prevention and early treatment of influenza, tick-borne encephalitis in adults, as well as children over 7 years old.

Active ingredient: Rimantadin.

Average price: 27 rubles.

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Interferon leukocyte human liquid solution for intranaz introduction. and inhalation 1000 IU / ml 5ml No. 1

A drug for the prevention and treatment of viral diseases of the respiratory tract, eyes. Method of treatment - instillation, inhalation.

Active ingredient: Interferon alpha (local).

Average price: 133 rubles.

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The best drugs for children

Children's cold remedies contain the same active ingredients as for adults. It would seem, why put the same pills in different packages But everything is not so simple. The process of treating a child is complicated by several factors: in a young body, all processes proceed faster than in an adult, and the weight is much less. Therefore, the dose of the medicine must be calculated accurately. In addition, children often either simply do not want or still do not know how to take pills. A variety of dosage forms - syrups, candles, lozenges - greatly alleviates the suffering of babies.

Ibuprofen tab. p. about 200mg No. 20

Quickly eliminates the main symptoms of a cold - high fever, muscle pain, swelling, weakness.

Active ingredient: Ibuprofen.

Average price: 19 rubles.

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Paracetamol supp. rekt. for children 100 mg No. 10

Suppositories with paracetamol will quickly knock down the temperature in case of viral diseases. Relieve toothache, ear pain. Recommended for lowering body temperature in children after vaccination.

Candles have several advantages:

• They can be given even to children under one year old, for whom tablets and syrups are not suitable.
• They will come to the aid of older children - schoolchildren and preschoolers. A child's body can react to a high temperature by vomiting. And in this case, even the most delicious suspensions and syrups will not help. They simply do not have time to assimilate, but will be "returned" outside.

Active ingredient: Paracetamol.

Average price: 31 rubles.

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(Saline) sodium chloride solution for inf. 0.9% 500 ml No. 1 fl.

Multifunctional drug available. Used to flush a stuffy nose and gargle a sore throat. Cleans, disinfects.

Active ingredient: Sodium chloride.

Average price: 28 rubles.

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Conclusion

We hope our recommendations and advice will help you save your health and money in the winter.

If you have experience using one of the medicines discussed in this article, or you know a more effective and budgetary remedy, share your impressions in the comments.