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Cold Medicine and Tylenol PM

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Posted 2/18/2009 3:12 AM (GMT 0)
Ok.  Can I just say this whole UC stuff stinks.  I don't what came first, the UC or the cold or did the cold flare the UC??  The chicken or the egg question all over again!  blush

Anyway, I was diagnosed last Friday (the 13th) and now have a horrible cold (cough, sneezing, body aches, etc).  I am on Asacol and Rowasa.  I have no clue what I can or can not take.  Is there any cold medicne that is safer than any others?  Any that cause less problems than others? 

I am also having a horrible time sleeping.  Just to much stress.  Not only from the UC, but other life issues.  Is Tylenol PM safe to take when you have UC?  I NEED sleep.  My daughter is in a play every day this week which means long days. 

One last question...has anyone else had trouble explaining to friends, family how serious this disease can be?  How just because one day is good doesn't mean tomorrow will be?  That just because you are on meds that it doesn't keep UC at bay?  I have a few that think that now that I am on meds all will be hunky dorey again.  It isn't fun feeling so alone. 

At least everyone here "gets" it.

Thanks in advance

 

Posted 2/18/2009 3:59 AM (GMT 0)
My doctor always told me to take tylenol. He said it is the best for the gut so I almost never take anything else. You can get tylenol cold and night time too. As far as the friends thing there are only a trusted few that I tell I have a problem to. I don't think most people want any details and it's uncomfortable for me to share. It does make it difficult if you are out thougha nd have to go to the bathroom for 20 minutes a few times in an hour. It also makes me frustrated when people at work ask how my weekend was and I want to say I was a prisoner to my house (I'm in the middle of my worst flare up yet) but instead I just say it was nice. Good Luck!
Posted 2/18/2009 4:04 AM (GMT 0)
I wouldn't take tylenol PM for extended periods (like every night) to help you get to sleep. It is basically bendadryl (or the generic diphenhydramine or something) plus tylenol.

I was taking benadryl every night to help me fall asleep - but it was leaving me groggy and making my nose run. I think it led to me getting colds more often. I also wondered if it had to do with my getting UC as I had been having trouble sleeping and taking the benadryl for a year or so before the UC.

Anyway, I found some supplement "Lunasom PM" at Walgreens. It's natural like -willow bark, melatonin and valerian root I think. It works pretty well, I'm nowhere near as groggy in the AM. I do wake up several times during the night but fall right back asleep.

Always best to ask a doctor, even a pharmacist in a pinch.
Posted 2/18/2009 1:18 PM (GMT 0)
When I get a cold I take either Mucinex, Tylonel cold/sinus or Dayquil. I stay away from the cold meds that contain any sort of Nsaid. At night to help me sleep when I am really congested, I use Vicks 4-way nasal spray. I don't use that though for more then a couple days or it can have a rebound effect.

For sleeping I take Tylonel Simply Sleep. I have been using this now for quite a while and I found that it doesn't leave me groggy the next day. It lasts for 8 hours and in my opinion works better then Tylonel PM. If you are looking for a more natural way, you can try Melatonin. Or if you prefer prescription, you can ask your doctor for Ambien. I was on Ambien for a while but I built up a tolerance for it and it didn't work that well after a while. Not to mention the Ambien made me do some strange things in my sleep!

I only tell my closest friends and family exactly how Uc affects my daily life. Others, well I don't get into extreme details but I just let them know...well for instance, if I have plans with an acquaintance I will mention that I have a chronic illness that varies from day to day and I will try to make that planned date and I will call them and let them know if something happens. I have never ran across anyone that gets offended if I have to cancel plans because of my Uc.
Posted 2/18/2009 1:23 PM (GMT 0)
My doctor said you can take any cold meds as long as they don't have any NSAIDs in them, so Tylenol Cold should be fine, as well as Dayquil. I take Tylenol PM to help me sleep some nights as well, but like Sherry suggested they also carry Simply Sleep which is the same without the pain reliever and it works well too.

It is very hard to get people that don't have UC to understand what we are going through....they seem to treat it like a 24 hour stomach bug...it can be VERY frustrating, but education is the best thing and the more you can talk to them about it, it will get through to them the seriousness of any IBD :)
Posted 2/18/2009 4:03 PM (GMT 0)
I get all my meds. from the doctor and always ask if they are ok for me. Last week I had bronchitis, almost pnemonia and he put me on AllerRx and breathing treatments. I also had to take an antibiotic and it didn't bother my UC.

Very few people know about my UC. My in-laws knew about my first flare because it was hard to hide the Pred. face but they think I was cured. I don't talk about it with anyone besides my parents, sister, and husband. There's nothing anyone else can do about it, and I don't want them thinking about my poop every time they see me. I even feel weird when I have to see a new doctor and have to say I have UC. I just don't tell anyone.
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