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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →To reduce drowsiness, check the medicine’s Active ingredient and Warnings on its Drug Facts label, ask a pharmacist or clinician about a symptom-appropriate alternative, and avoid alcohol or sedatives when the label warns against them. If you feel sleepy or impaired, do not drive or operate machinery. No cold or flu medicine is guaranteed to leave everyone alert.
Check the active ingredients and warnings
Look past front-of-package terms such as “daytime,” “nighttime” or “non-drowsy.” On U.S. nonprescription medicines, the Drug Facts label lists active ingredients, directions and warnings. Read it each time you choose or use a product, especially if you are taking more than one medicine.
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Some cold and flu products contain antihistamines that can cause sleepiness or affect driving. Chlorpheniramine and diphenhydramine are examples with drowsiness cautions. The FDA includes some OTC cold remedies containing antihistamines among medicines that may impair driving: FDA: Some Medicines and Driving Don’t Mix.
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Some antihistamines tend to cause less sleepiness than others, but “less sleepy” does not mean that drowsiness is impossible. MedlinePlus identifies cetirizine, desloratadine, fexofenadine, levocetirizine and loratadine as options that cause less sleepiness than some other antihistamines, while advising people to learn how a medicine affects them before driving or using machinery: MedlinePlus: Antihistamines for allergies.
#1 Best Overall
- ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Compare to the active ingredients in Vicks DayQuil Cold & Flu and Vicks NyQuil Cold & Flu
- NON-DROWSY DAYTIME COLD AND FLU MEDICINE provides multi-symptom relief of headache, fever, sore throat, nasal congestion, cough, and minor aches and pains
- NIGHTTIME COLD AND FLU MEDICINE provides multi-symptom relief of headache, fever, sore throat, sneezing, runny nose, cough, and minor aches and pains
- PAIN RELIEVER AND FEVER REDUCER: Both Daytime and Nighttime cold medicine contain acetaminophen to help relieve aches, fever and sore throat
- COLD AND FLU: Influenza (flu) and the common cold are respiratory illnesses caused by viruses. A cold medicine like Cold & Flu Relief Multi-Symptom Daytime/Nighttime can help
Those medicines are not automatically suitable substitutes for a cold-and-flu product: the right choice depends on the symptoms, the exact product and the person. Ask a pharmacist or clinician before switching, particularly if you take other medicines, have a relevant health condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are unsure what is safe for you.
Avoid alcohol and check for interactions
Alcohol, sedatives and tranquilizers can increase drowsiness with some antihistamines. Check the warning on your exact product and ask a pharmacist or clinician about your own medicines rather than assuming a combination is safe. For example, the FDA’s chlorpheniramine Drug Facts information warns that alcohol, sedatives and tranquilizers may increase drowsiness: FDA chlorpheniramine Drug Facts label.
Rank #2
- 24-count combo pack of Tylenol Cold + Flu Severe Day/Night Caplets for multi-symptom cold and flu symptom relief. Combo pack includes 16 Daytime and 8 Nighttime caplets for relief when you need it
- The Daytime relief caplets are formulated to reduce fever, loosen phlegm and relieve headache, body aches, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion and chest congestion
- The Nighttime relief caplets help reduce fever and relieve runny nose, sneezing, headache, cough, sore throat, nasal congestion, sinus congestion, and pressure
- Each cold & flu caplet contains 325 mg of acetaminophen, a pain reliever and fever reducer; 5 mg of phenylephrine HCl, a nasal decongestant; and 10 mg of dextromethorphan HBr, a cough suppressant
- The Daytime caplets also contain guaifenesin 200 mg, an expectorant to help loosen phlegm (mucus) to make coughs more productive. The Nighttime caplets also contain 2 mg of chlorpheniramine maleate, an antihistamine
Check for duplicate ingredients before combining products
Combination cold and flu medicines can contain several active ingredients. Before adding another OTC product, compare the active-ingredient lists to spot duplicates and review the warnings for interactions. If you cannot tell whether the products can be taken together, ask a pharmacist or clinician. Do not change doses or add a stimulant to try to counteract sleepiness without professional advice.
Do not drive while drowsy or impaired
The FDA advises taking a nonprescription medicine for the first time when you will not need to drive, and following the Drug Facts label. If you feel sleepy, dizzy, confused or otherwise impaired, do not drive or operate machinery until you are safe to do so. Follow the product’s directions and seek product-specific advice from a pharmacist or clinician; there is no universal waiting interval that establishes when every person can safely drive.
Rank #3
- COLD AND FLU MEDICINE: Mucinex Fast-Max Daytime Cold & Flu & Nighttime Cold & Flu liquid gels give powerful relief for headache, sore throat, body pain, fever, cough, runny nose and more
- PAIN & FEVER RELIEF: Acetaminophen helps reduce fever and relieve pain like headache, body aches, sore throat including those associated with cold & flu
- COUGH SUPPRESSANT: Contains Dextromethorpan HBr which helps suppress the urge to cough during the day and at night to help you get to sleep
- RUNNY NOSE RELIEF: Doxylamine succinate helps relieve runny nose, sneezing, itchy throat, & itchy/watery eyes (nighttime liquid gels only)
- NOTHING WORKS FASTER**: Fast dissolving liquid gels for powerful multi-symptom cold and flu relief day and night
Why “non-drowsy” is not a guarantee
Labels and product names can help you identify candidates, but they do not establish that a medicine will have no sedating effect on you. Drowsiness risk depends on the ingredients and on factors such as other medicines or alcohol. Check the warnings and learn how the medicine affects you before taking on a task that requires alertness.
These sources reflect U.S. FDA and MedlinePlus consumer guidance, alongside UK NHS medicine guidance; formulations and advice can vary by country and product. For UK-specific information about antihistamines, see NHS: Antihistamines.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- ACTIVE INGREDIENTS: Amazon Basic Care Vapor Ice Daytime and Nighttime Severe Cold and Flu help to relieve common cold and flu symptoms, day and night; compare to the active ingredients in Vicks DayQuil and NyQuil Severe VapoCOOL
- EFFECTIVE: Daytime relieves minor aches and pains, fever, nasal congestion, sinus pressure, cough and chest congestion; Nighttime relieves minor aches and pains, fever, nasal congestion, sinus pressure, sneezing, runny nose and cough
- COMBINATION PACK: Amazon Basic Care Vapor Ice Daytime and Nighttime Severe Cold and Flu comes in a combination pack for around-the-clock maximum strength, multi-symptom relief for your worst cold and flu symptoms
- COATED CAPLETS: Contain pain reliever/fever reducer, cough suppressant, nasal decongestant, antihistamine, expectorant (antihistamine in nighttime only, expectorant in daytime only)
- MAXIMUM STRENGTH: Get day and night cold and flu relief with these max strength coated caplets. Relieve sore throat and other cold and flu symptoms with Amazon Basic Care Vapor Ice Daytime and Nighttime Severe Cold and Flu
Rank #4
- COUGH COLD AND FLU MEDICINES FOR ADULTS: This combo pack of Maximum Strength Mucinex Fast-Max Cold & Flu and Nightshift Severe Cold & Flu provides powerful multi-symptom cold and flu relief for your worst cold and flu symptoms
- SORE THROAT RELIEF: Both liquids contain Acetaminophen, which helps reduce fever and relieves sore throat, headache, and body pain
- COUGH MEDICINE FOR ADULTS: Both liquids contain Dextromethorphan HBr, which helps suppress and quiet cough
- CHEST CONGESTION RELIEF: Daytime liquid contains Guaifenesin, an expectorant, which helps relieve chest congestion and thins and loosens mucus
- NASAL DECONGESTANT: Both liquids contain Phenylephrine HCl, a nasal decongestant, which helps relieve stuffy nose, sinus pressure, & nasal congestion
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
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