How do I tell if I'm over a cold

[Greatshield17]

My cold has subsided quite a bit, but I'm not sure if I'm over it yet or not, how do I tell? I feel quite good, I do have a bit of a cough but that's it, and it's not much of a cough, I'm over it, should I stop taking cough syrup?

 

[Progster]

Yeah, it's not like there's a cold test, like there is a covid test. If the cough is still irritating you and the syrup is helping, you could take it a bit longer until the cough subsides, I guess.

 

[GrownupGirl]

There is really very little evidence that cough medicine is actually effective. But I do find sucking cough drops to be soothing. I think if you feel better, then you are better, but it can take a while longer for your lungs and nasal passages to fully heal.

 

[George Newman]

I hope you are on the mend and feeling much better.

 

[Yeshuasdaughter]

Once you don't feel miserable and your nose isn't running, throat mostly not scratchy, I'd say you're over it. Once you can do regular work without feeling fatigued.

You know, coughs usually linger after a virus. The bronchioles in your lungs take a wee bit of time to reduce inflammation. Go ahead and take your cough syrup if you need it, or an inhaler. You won't be a sissy. It feels good to be able to breathe.

But no headache, no sniffles, throat almost back to normal, no lightheadedness, strength back, sounds like you're over it.

 

[NDR2]

My father was a doctor. Here’s what he used to say:

“If you treat a cold, it usually lasts 2 weeks. If you don’t treat a cold, it usually lasts 14 days.”

 

[MyLifeAsAnAspie]

I used to get a lot of colds. Eventually I realized that colds were over before I felt 100%. I would hold off resuming my running too long and found it better to start running again before my cough was completely gone, for example. I haven't had a cold still starting COVID prevention, which was Feb. 2019 for me. I had N95 masks stockpiled for the pandemic which finally arrived.

I was on a train today, and someone is walking through the car and sees someone cough. Apparently, the cougher didn't do enough to cover their cough because the person walking admonished the cougher for not covering it and said something about "all the crazy stuff going around". The recommended technique is to cough into your upper arm sleeve, not your hand. Coughs are easily spread nose/mouth to hand to object to hand to nose/mouth. So wearing a mask can break that route even if you pull down the mask to sneeze into your sleeve.

 

[Fino]

When you've forgotten you have it.