The Flu has made me and OTC junkie

I came down with the Flu on tuesday night and ive got in pretty hardcore - aches and pains everywhere, my head feels like it is about to explode, it feels like and elephant has stampeded all over my back, im sweating like a pig with my temperature constantly rising and falling (highest so far 39.8C), head spins, coughing like there is no tomorrow and the works........ summed up I feel like absolute crap....
My mediactions for this?
Panadol
Nurofen Plus
Panadeine Forte
Bromazepam (a benzo similar to Valium)
Nucosef
Demazin
During the most times of the day I have lost the plot..... not only does the panadeine forte take away most of the pain - it sends me insane - my face is numb, im in and out of consciousness....... i feel like im floating around and loopy as all hell......
At some point i think im having one of my drug whoring weekends........
Its insane............. but just a warning to all.......... if you havent done it already HAVE YOUR FLUVAX!!!!
Its soo not worth feeling like crap......

I'm sitting here with the beginnings of a flu, wondering why I didnt get vaccinated...
The shot is worth getting. A few years ago, my old workplace lost a lot of workers at once to the flu. The following year they paid for everyone to get the shot, rather than risk it happening again.
For memory, only one or two people were off that winter with the flu, compared to around 30 the previous winter. It's a great feeling watching your family and friends get struck down while you carry on like Superman

RushingRococco: I think I know how you feel. I was KO'd for about 2 weeks with a flu. Started with a bit of an ichy throat then two days later all hell broke loose. Fever, lethargy, coughing, headache, then another 2-3 days later watery nose started which lasted another 3 days, then the phelm thing started and went for another 3 days.
Thats a lot of days to have a cold for. Difficult when you are on the dole and don't have a medical certificate for it as well heh, lucky I managed to find some short term work during the final days of the cold.
Anyhoooo my OTC helpfulness was:
Paracetamol <-- problably the best remedy. It helps with everything. Helps bring down fever, reduces minor swelling to help get rid of headaches, sinus trouble and coughing. Don't discount it because you've had it since you were a child
Some sort of sore throat lozange <-- Pharmacy Only Medication (S2 I think). I forget the name. Contains Benzocaine which is a local anestetic(spelling?). Numbs the throat good enough so you can sleep. You can get extra strength varieties and ones which help stop coughing. Go the extra strength.
Once your cold hits the runny nose stage get yourself some Demazine. I has enough psudoeffedrine to clear the nose without causing sleepnessness and anxiety. Also contains a good antihistamine which will help stop the running and give you a good nights sleep. Stopping the nose running will help with any nausa you may get from an overactive nose running down the back of your throat all the time. With the cold that I just had, I was a nasal machine.

It didn't take the flu to make me an OTC junkie.

I've never HAD the flu or had a vaccination. I'm proof that if you keep your immune system reasonably strong you don't get sick. Actually I hardly ever get sick anyway, disgusting really.
*hugs to the sufferers*
-plaz out-

i feel kinda responsible here, and i apologies to all if it's true.
i came back from bangkok about 8 weeks ago, and about 3 days after arriving back, i came down witha hideous flu that lasted at least 2 weeks, and promptly gave it to all my flatmates. oh yeah, i also went to see anthony pappa the night i came back.
i am very sorry for potentially introducing another crazy asian flu to the melbourne community...

the flu has just knocked me out too and im hoeing into the codral like nothing else! codral rocks...plenty of pseudoephidrene (sp?) to get me through work and a nice dose of codiene to numb the pain...
other than that the best medicine is vitamin c

Anyone with actual flu (all the symptoms RushingRococco described) as opposed to some other miscellaneous viral infection needs to stay at home in bed for days. This is the best treatment for flu, along with plenty of fluids and analgesia. In fact, if you do have flu, no amount of drugs will allow you to get to work - it is that heinous.
For people who can't take time off, there are two drugs (Relenza and Tamiflu) that shorten the duration of the flu by 1-2 days, providing they are started within 48 hours of flu symptoms appearing. They are expensive - $50 - $60 and are not subsidised for health care card holders. A Fluvax costs about $20 if I remember rightly.
Be careful if you have flu (or other viral infections) if using multiple OTC meds/syrups etc. Some formulations contain stuff like paracetamol or pseudoephedrine that you may have in other meds, and you could double up your dose if you don't read the labels.

Fluvax costs $22.40 or $3.60 for Health Care Card/Pension entitlements, plus the prescription writing fee (if your doctor does charge for it - usually it's around $2) and then the consultation to get it injected. You should not have to have 2 consults just to get the fluvax.
I'm sure I should have got the vaccine this year, hoping this sore throat I've had for a few days isn't the sign of worse things to come

MezZedUp: the good news is your sore throat is unlikely to be a sign of impending flu (unless you have the mild form influenza C). Flu (influenza A and B) hits you like a freight train - the onset is very sudden,

Typical influenza illness is characterized by the abrupt onset of high fever, chills, a dry cough, headache, runny nose, sore throat and muscle and joint pain. Unlike other common respiratory infections which are often called "the flu", influenza can cause extreme fatigue lasting several days to weeks.
from Facts About Influenza. Another good page is Is It The Cold Or The Flu?.

Click to expand...

I have the opposite problem to you guys. Got symptoms of impending flu, stocked up on pharmaceuticals, had one and a half days of the flu, then back to normal. I almost feel cheated.

It could be worse! Imagine, if you will, a situation where a person favours using pharamaceutical products recreationally. They might develop a tolerance to certain pharmaceuticals, impeding their ability at normal doses to abate the symptoms of colds and flu. So, basically they are stuck with symptoms they can't get rid of... lovely example of 'what goes up, comes down hard'.
I don't mind the idea of certain pharmaceutical products for occasional recreational use (while other people may assume they are cheap alternatives or 'gutter' drugs) because they are quality assured and fairly reliable in availability and ease of procurement. However, I think that the idea of being tolerant to medicines I may have to depend upon to get me out of pain or get me back on my feet when sick is a sobering influence.
BigTrancer