What do you take when you get a bad cold? | Arthritis Information

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Ok everyone, what do you all take when you get a bad cold. This is my first time with RA and a bad cold cough. No fever, but stuffed head and runny nose...yuck. I am taking enbrel and MTX and I know those lower your resistance, so I wasn't sure about taking anything that might boost my immune system, like vit. C.   Any advice would be greatly appreciated. And please guys, don't let this thread get crazy, just offer help.

 
Also, tell me about Fish oil, how much, how often? The dang pill is so huge that I take one 1,000mg pill a day. It says Omega-3. I just started taking it because people were talking about Fish Oil on this site.
 
Thank you in advance for your help and guidance,
 
Laurie Hi Laurie, first thing call your primary care doctor.  Both my primary and RD want to see me if I have an upper respiratory thing going on.  A bad cold can easily lead to a sinus infection or pneumonia, especially with our compromised immune systems.  I don't take anything unless my doctors have recommended it or given me a prescription.  We take so many meds now that I don't add to them unless they say to. 
 
I take 3,000 of fish oil daily.  Some people take less and some more.  I hope you feel better soon.  Lindy
 Hi Laurie,
 
I usually take Tylenol Cold.  Also Vitamin C is very good for people who have RA it is supposed to have anti-inflammatory properties. 
 
As far as fish oil goes I take 3000mg per day which is the recommended amount for it to help with RA
 
Feel better!
I use those Traditional Medicinal teas, homemede soup, bed rest, and sometimes steam for colds. Those teas can pack quite a punch.

I take 10,000mg Fish oil a day....that's 10X what you take. It's not 3000mg a day as Dalmatinka says, it's 3000mg of omega 3's a day. That's 3 grams of combined EPA/DPA. A typical 1000mg capsule will have 300mg EPA/DPA (check the label) so you need 10 a day to get the minimum 3 grams EPA/DPA. Any less won't really do anything for inflammation. It's important to use oil from the body of the fish, not the liver. Liver oil has too much Vitamins A and E at those doses.

Good luck with the cold.Sudafed, tylenol, Coca-cola, sherbet and a stack of books. Oh and I take 3000mg - 6000mg omega-3's per day (4 to 8 capsules of omega-3 concentrated fish oil). AFRIN nasal spray. Really works for the Stuffy head.
 
 
 
 
I am beautiful, kind, sweet, ....no thats not right....
I am ugly, stupid, fat.............etc....ignor me I am a troll....(with a sense of humor)
[QUOTE=inflamedOnline]AFRIN nasal spray. Really works for the Stuffy head. I am beautiful, kind, sweet, ....no thats not right....I am ugly, stupid, fat.............etc....ignor me I am a troll....[/QUOTE]
 
I meant to say that ^
Call primary care doctor.The first thing I take is the day off!  LOL  Seriously, though, I do best with sudafed, hot tea with orange slices, and sleep.  And at night...nyquil.
 
Hope you get feeling better in time to enjoy the holiday
The capsules I take are 18% EPA 12% DHA and they say that one capsule has 1000mg so I believe I am taking 3000mg per day.  I would choke if I had to take 10 capsules in one day! [QUOTE=Dalmatinka]The capsules I take are 18% EPA 12% DHA and they say that one capsule has 1000mg so I believe I am taking 3000mg per day.  I would choke if I had to take 10 capsules in one day![/QUOTE]

You're taking 3000mg of standard fish oil capsules, which contains 18% EPA and 12% DHA - for a total of 540mg EPA and 360mg DHA - that's 900mg total omega-3's.
At the first hint of a scratchy throat I start taking those zinc lozenges and I can usually knock it out. if I wait to long to start the zinc I usually get the cold and use Afrin to try to avoid a sinus infection.You're taking 3 grams of fish oil containing 900mg Omega 3's.

For arthritis you need a minimum 3 grams of Omega 3's. For the fish oil you're taking that would mean 10grams a day.

Seriously. Look it up.This is what I was curious about a while ago. If we are supposed to suppress our immune systems with all these drugs due to RA, are we then supposed to boost our immune system them with Vit. C if we have a cold? Sounds contradictory. I have a horrilbe cold right now, been fighting one for weeks...so I have no clue. Probably good like others have said to see or call your PCP.Vitamin C, from what I've read can actually decrease the efficacy of methotrexate too.  I don't remember where exactly I read this but I'll look around.  My doc usually has me to hold the MTX and Enbrel depending on the severity of the cold.  Mine usually turn into sinus infections though.
 
Hope you feel better.
Bob
That was my question, if we are supposed to surpress our immune system, should we boost it when we get a cold. It is all confusing to me. The whole fish oil thing is now confusing to me too....lol...I can hardly choke down one, now I will think about trying three a day, but not sure I can do more!!!
 
Thanks for all the great info.
 
Laurie
 
Also, what brands of fish oil and where is the best place to buy?

Thanks Bob for the info. I haven't (knock on wood) gotten an infection yet, and my cold seems to be getting better. I was worried that it would hang on. Also, I teach kindergarten, so it was a joke when the Rheumy said try to stay away from crowds and sick people...ROFL!

The only time I tried fish oil, I ended up tasting it the rest of the day and that just about made me puke.  Now you know I don't like fish!  Has anyone found a brand that doesn't come back up?

kweenb, it shouldn't happen if it's fresh. It's when it goes rancid it gets all fishy and gross. Keep it in the fridge once you've opened it.

I use Webber Naturals Wild Salmon Oil. A couple of times I bought fish oil from Costco and I could tell it was inferior because it stopped working, so now I just stick with a brand I know. Except that I'm always looking for a better one, ie. one with a higher concentration of Omega 3's so I can take less capsules.I just got over a cold--my first in years--I took Zertec and Sinex (for the nose stuffines)s.  It (the cold) didn't see any different than before I was taking all this sh----- for RA.   I take vit c everyday anyway.  My RA dr. never said not to.  He keeps a list of everything I take--vit c is on it.  All of you who avoid vit c--does that mean you don't drink orange juice or eat an orange or any citrus fruit at all?  Vit c is Vit C in any form.  [QUOTE=Gimpy-a-gogo]kweenb, it shouldn't happen if it's fresh. It's when it goes rancid it gets all fishy and gross. Keep it in the fridge once you've opened it.

I use Webber Naturals Wild Salmon Oil. A couple of times I bought fish oil from Costco and I could tell it was inferior because it stopped working, so now I just stick with a brand I know. Except that I'm always looking for a better one, ie. one with a higher concentration of Omega 3's so I can take less capsules.[/QUOTE]
 
Gimpy,
 
Thanks for the reply.  I looked them up and I see they have a product with just the salmon oil and one with salmon and other fish.  Is there a difference in how the types of oils affect the body?  Why did you choose the one with just salmon?
KweenB, it shouldn't make a difference as long as the oil is made from the body of the fish and not the liver (oil made from liver has too high a concentration of vitamin A in it). The Wild Salmon Oil has oil from sardines and mackeral in it as well; I use it because the salmon is wild and not farmed. Farmed salmon is killing a lot of wild fish because of problems with lice.. (Please don't purchase farmed salmon).

I'm sure there are probably better fish oil products, although Webber Naturals have been consistently fine for me, I just don't know what they are (yet).
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