Sick on tour?
Use this guide to help you choose what meds to buy if you’re sick on the road. Remember that in most cities you’re touring in, the pharmacy will close earlyish, probably before you play. So get your meds early or ask for a 24 hour pharmacy. Or better yet, pack a First Aid Kit before you leave!
Good active ingredients:
Pseudoephedrine (pseudo-ef-ed-rin) or Phenylephrine. Everyone is different though. I prefer Phenylephrine (fee-null-eff-rin) because I feel relatively normal but Pseudoephedrine makes me feel spacey. You may react in the opposite way. If you can figure out how you react personally try to remember which one works for you and stick to it. Pseudoephedrine is found in Mucinex D, Zyrtec D, Sudafed and Claritin-D. Phenylephrine is found in Benadryl Allergy, Robitussin CF Allergy, Tylenol Sinus Congestion, Theraflu and Excedrin Sinus Headache.
If you’re congested or its allergy related:
Begin taking allergy meds at the first sign of sickness.
-If you have itchy eyes and nose, you need an antihistamine.
-If you can’t breathe through your nose, you need a decongestant
-Most allergy medicines come with an antihistamine but you have to make sure you get the decongestant
Make sure that if you’re congested and having trouble breathing that you’re getting the right allergy medicine. Usually you need the stuff BEHIND THE PHARMACY COUNTER. There is Zyrtec and then there is ZYRTEC-D. Big difference between the two. The meds with just the antihistamine are out in public aisles and the stuff with the decongestants is locked up behind the pharmacy counter!
Always look at the active ingredients. Double check that there is an antihistamine and a decongestant in the medicine. Look at the number of milligrams too. If you’re really congested you want as many milligrams as they offer—you can ask the pharmacist for help with this.
If you are coughing:
You want a cough suppressant. Dextromorphan is the active ingredient that does that. So is Guaifenesin. Singers like Guaifenesin and its widely used among opera singers.
Other Important Tips:
-Mucinex D works for bad congestion. It has 60 milligrams of active ingredient AND Guaifenesin which helps with coughing.
-Zyrtec D is also great with 120 milligrams of active ingredient but doesn’t have cough ingredient.
-Take Aspirin to reduce fever.
-Drink hot tea.
-Drink plenty of water.
-Sleep as much as you can.
-Avoid dairy products: They will thicken mucus in your throat, making congestion worse.
-Take a supplement like ZICAM: It helps you bounce back faster from a cold. My favorite Zicam products are their spoons that you dip in a cup of tea and their bottles of liquid cough suppressant you put in hot tea. They’re mostly for nighttime use because they’ll make you sleepy. I always wake up feeling better.
