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How to treat a common cold

Zinc gluconate lozenges

Zinc lozenges (Cold-EEZE and Zicam) have been shown to shorten a cold a little. They have almost no side effects and should be used at the very start of a cold, as the package directs. The only side effect is sometimes an upset stomach if you take too many.

Pain and fever relievers (ibuprofen)

Even though colds usually don't bring true pain or a fever, they often come with sore throat, scratchy feelings, mild muscle aches, and headaches. Take ibuprofen.  For an adult, I usually suggest 2 pills (400 mg total) every 8 hours around the clock until the cold is over. It quietly helps many of the symptoms. Unless you have an unusual problem, it is very rare to have trouble using ibuprofen for a week or so. Read the label.

Decongestant nose sprays (oxymetazoline)

A stuffy nose is usually the worst part. Oxymetazoline nose sprays are the strongest decongestant sprays and work better than decongestant pills, with fewer side effects. Get a generic. The name brands may have a slightly better spray bottle. Important: only use this kind of spray for 3 or 4 days at a time. After that, you must stop, or your nose will start to swell back up worse than before (the rebound effect).
 
Decongestant pills (pseudoephedrine)

In Mississippi, pseudoephedrine is by prescription only.  Get the generic 12-hour time-release form. In other states it is now often kept behind the pharmacy counter because it is used to make illegal drugs. A morning dose of 60 mg of time-release pseudoephedrine can help and has few side effects.  If your blood pressure is hard to control, avoid decongestant pills. A full 12-hour dose is 120 mg, but that is more than many people need. When doctors prescribe fancy expensive decongestant pills, they are almost always just time-release pseudoephedrine mixed with a mucus thinner. There are dozens of brand names — the only difference between them is small changes in the amounts.  The decongestant is the most helpful part for a cold, so save money by buying just the decongestant on its own.

Cough medicines (dextromethorphan and codeine) 

Dextromethorphan may not work as well as we used to think. Recent studies suggest it doesn't help kids at all. It's still one of only two ingredients likely to do anything, and it's the most common cough ingredient in over-the-counter cough medicines.

Codeine and other narcotic ingredients can help a little.  Honestly, nothing really stops a cough well when you are sick.  The narcotic is usually mixed with an antihistamine or mucus thinner and sold as an expensive brand-name.  Plain low-dose generic narcotics are much cheaper and do the same thing.  Narcotic prescribing is being watched more carefully now, which makes these prescriptions harder to get.