Mari,

just a note. beware of paradoxical reactions notably with antihistamines - i have a problem specifically with Benadryl (diphenhydramine) which may also be found in certain cold concoctions. it used to be in that ... "no more coughy sneezy runny bla bla bla ..... so you can sleep" medicine and boy i took it and it made me crazy. sleep???? who could sleep????? i mean like major psychomotor agitation. runnin around, head in a jumble. it seems to do me worse in higher (50mg) dose which often knocks ppl out. just 25mg is a bit like russian roulette - i might grog out or perk up.

pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is an activating medication - a decongestant. it is often found in combination cold medicines. that is something you could be sensitive to. the issues with pseudoephedrine are more related to those with heart condition as it can cause tachycardia. i personally do not have any problem with it. and i can take Actifed for instance (might be called Actifed D there) which has triprolidine + pseudoephedrine in it. that's antihistamine + decongestant respectively. the other stuff they put in other blends are cough stuff (either expectorants or suppressants) and pain killers. i have always preferred to buy my drugs "a la carte" so i could take ONLY what i deemed necessary.

if you try something, the best thing is to use the drug for the first few times when you do not have to be somewhere, or be asleep or alert... so whatever happens you can then gauge. also, you can take a halfdose the first time. if you tolerate that, try the proper dose. however do not split any extended release tablets..

maybe you are feeling better by now. i hope so.

oh. one thing that has helped me in the past - but it is best taken early on... now is a bit late, is Echinacea, an immune system stimulant. but at this point you would have to do the acute treatment (usually multiple times instead of 2ce a day). However, echinacea - of any type - can interact with medications by significant hepatic enzymes induction.

As such, the herb can cause excessive elimination of our meds depending on the extent to which the involved enzymes coincide with those affected by Echinacea. A pharmacist, and if not, an Herbalist, should be able to help with that. I do not know how verapamil is metabolized and i am not sure what else you take. also must go to bed. been up late rummaging as it happens on my own...

because right now i am fighting allergies and possible infection. FWIW, i am taking Echinacea - as a preventive - but probably not beyond a week because i also take valproate (heavily metabolized by glucuronidation). At that point i will break for a couple of weeks and/or have a blood draw with full liver panel for safety. ideally would be to have 2 draws, one before and one after the treatment, so i know for next time but.... sigh, no doctor will prescribe 2 draws 1 week apart. Would be nice to get my free valproate levels too, pre-, post-, heck, just ANY, ... but it isn't fashionable i guess. nope. noooo med level testing.

and after all that, maybe you are feeling much better by now... hey that would be nice.

~ waves ~ hoping you feel better soon!