Common Head Cold

Everyday living
1

Hi Everyone,

I was diagnosed with RRMS back in July 2011. I am currently off work with a relapse, which I am recovering well from and planning to return to work next week.

However I now have a head cold, a common cold, with all the usual running nose, cough, headache etc…,and I feel really tired and “washed out”.

Could anyone advise please on what meds perhaps I should be taking or what I should be doing to best get through this? For my MS I’m currently only on Amitriptiline 20mg at night and have just come off Lyrica to dampen down the exaserbated sensory symptoms.

I have read that a common head cold can exaserbate symptoms… :frowning:

Thanks and Happy New Year

Julie x

2

Hi Julie,

And happy - well, happier New Year!

I don’t think there’s anything special to take for a cold - only the normal stuff anybody takes.

If you are running a temperature, paracetamol to try keep that down may help, as some people find it’s the rise in body temperature that aggravates the MS symptoms.

However, I would caution against anything like echinacea, that’s supposed to boost the immune-system. If, as the theory goes, MS is caused by an over-active immune system, the last thing we want is anything that encourages it.

To be honest, I’m not even sure echinacea does what’s claimed, but I always steer clear of it, just in case. No turbo-charged immune system for me, thanks very much - enough trouble already.

Tina

x

3

Thanks for your reply Tina, I’ve just been drinking a lot of water to keep my fluids up and taking Lemsips.

…and just staying indoors…groan on New Years Day too :frowning:

Hope you are keeping well

Cheers

Julie x

4

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21736791

Each 10 nmol/l increase in 25(OH)D was associated with a 7 % lower risk of

Most UK adults have a 25(OH)D vitamin d level around 30nmol/l and if they could raise that to above 130nmol/l that would virtually eliminate their risk of seasonal colds/flu.

Initially each 1000iu extra vitamin d3 daily raises 25(OH)D approx 25nmol/l however this drops to about 18nmol/l when you get to 70nmol/l and it drops further the nearer you get to 125nmol/l when each extra 1000iu/daily produces only a 12nmol/l increase.

So as you get nearer the point of natural vitamin d homeostasis the less new vitamin d your body absorbs (and if it were summer the less extra vitamin d would be created on your skin)

It’s never too late to improve your vitamin d status the sooner you start the sooner your immune function will improve and the better able you will cope with infection. If you could find some 5000iu oil based gel cap vitamin D3 capsules then for the next 8~12 weeks you could safely take 10,000iu daily (2 capsules every day with food) and then drop down to 1 x 5000iu/daily through the summer.

Grassrootshealth.org is a vitamin d information charity that will send postal 25(OH)D tests so you can check your vitamin d level after the intital 8~12 weeks to be sure that is sufficient to get your level to around the 150nmol/l = 60ng/ml mark.

I find it cheapest to buy vitamin D3 direct from the discount providers in the USA. Amazon and Ebay have people supplying them but are generally more expensive. Aim for £6.00 for 200 x 5000iu plus £2.50 postage. VAT is now charged on orders above £15 so you can safely order 2 pots approx £12 + £2.50 postage and you’ll save money compared to buying from the UK. (unless someone here knows a cheaper sources)

For ideas that may help shorten the current cold you may like to look at this study.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3048339/?tool=pubmed