Lung Disease & Respiratory Health Center

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Many people use alternative medicines or supplements to prevent colds or to shorten their cold symptoms. Before using any treatment for your cold symptoms, it is important to consider the risks and benefits of the treatment. For more information, see the topic Complementary Medicine. Some of the common alternative medicines or supplements used are:

• Echinacea. Study results differ about whether echinacea can keep you from getting a cold or can help you get better faster. Echinacea can cause severe allergic reactions in some people with a history of asthma, allergies, hay fever, or eczema.
• Vitamin C . Long-term daily use of vitamin C in large doses does not appear to keep you from getting a cold or help you get better faster. There may be a slight reduction in the length of time cold symptoms last when high doses are taken. Additional studies must be done to determine how much vitamin C is needed to reduce the length of time cold symptoms are present.
• Zinc. Experts disagree about the usefulness of zinc to shorten the duration of common cold symptoms. In adults, the use of zinc nasal gel has been shown to reduce the length of a cold. But zinc products that you use in your nose to treat cold symptoms may cause a permanent loss of the ability to smell in a very small number of people.

If you decide to use an alternative medicine or supplement, follow these precautions.

• As with all conventional medicines and supplements, it is important to follow the directions on the label.
• Do not exceed the maximum recommended dose.
• If you are or could be pregnant, talk with your doctor before taking any medicine or supplement.
• If you have another health problem or take prescription medicines, talk with your doctor before taking an alternative medicine or supplement.

Symptoms to Watch For During Home Treatment

Use the Check Your Symptoms section to evaluate your symptoms if any of the following occur during home treatment:

• Increasing difficulty breathing develops.
• Wheezing develops.
• New pain develops or pain localizes to one area, such as a sinus area, ear, throat, or chest.
• Symptoms persist in spite of home treatment.
• Symptoms become more severe or frequent.