What do you stock up on for cold & flu season?

[LuxLiving]

What do you stock up on for cold & flu season?

Also if you get one yearly - you might want to look around early this year - today I noticed one of our local grocery stores was advertising a Flu Shot date coming up at a $28.00 charge. Around here there was a shortage last year.

[JanH]

My daughter loves chicken soup, dumdum suckers, and peppermints. I love werther's candy for throats and honey for coughs. We drink lots of orange juice, water, and lemon water. My Bible belt mom cracked me up when she told me her "new" remedy for colds is Jack Daniel's and something or other. I don't remember the other--maybe lemon. I just remember her hiding the Jack Daniels in the laundry room so her church ladies wouldn't see it. Gotta love her. But not too many things have worked for her like this does. (She makes my dad buy the Jack Daniels)

[pearlieq]

I've never proactively bought things in anticipation of a cold. I get 2-3 a year, and when they come along I usually don't do anything special but drink more water and rest more. I do usually treat myself to a shot of NyQuil before bed, but generally a generic twin pack for about $6-7 dollars gets me through a few colds.

[LuxLiving]

Sure JanH - you mix JackD (or any whiskey usually works) with lemon and honey. This is lightly warmed and called a 'Hot Toddy' by my tee-totalling mother. I'll not tell you where my Toddy is stashed in it's little brown sack, but sure do have it in the house, because there are just some colds and congestions that all that will cut it and allow me to breathe is my Hot Toddy!

I stock Sprite and/or 7-up, orange sherbert, Puffs Plus, and Vicks Vapor Rub and Mentholatum, Campbells Chicken Noodle and their Tomato Soup, lomotil (diarehha med) and TP.

[Gruntina]

I got flu shots the last two years. I am not doing them this year and dont plan on it for years to come.... I end up getting the nasty bout of flu after both shots on the very next day. Nope, nadda not this time!

[twinsmommy]

I am going to start stocking up on canned food (chicken broth, canned chicken, veggies, fruit) so that I don't have to go to the store if I get sick or the babies get sick. Also, egg noodles so that I can make soup.

I try to keep enough baby medicince, supplies, diapers and wipes for two weeks on hand too.

When I get the Costco rebate I will stock up on medicine and paper goods.

[disneysteve]

1. There is no flu shot shortage this year. Every doctor and other vaccination site should have adequate supplies this year. Our supply came in today. Last year, we got 1/6 of what we ordered and didn't receive it until December.

2. You can not get the flu by getting a flu shot! The influenza vaccination is not a live vaccine and can not give you the flu.

[mountainmist]

enteric coated acidophilus capsules
large jars of minced garlic
oregano
ginger root
honey
jalepino peppers
"gypsy cold care" tea
Listerine mouthwash
Vademacum mouthwash
Scope mouthwash
Various throat lozenges

We always have a large array of soups and eat many homemade soups, too. So, no need here to stock up on chicken noodle soup.

I won't pick up any OTC remedies until someone is seriously ill, there are years when noone gets anything all winter, and I've had to toss all sorts of cold/flu medicines in the past.

I can't remember the last time I had the flu. Occasionally I will start to get a sore throat, and then I brew a cup of strong ginger tea and then take a very hot bath, after sitting in boiling water for as long as I can stand it, then I immediately get under the covers and go to sleep.

Usually wake up the next morning just fine, if not there's all sorts of other stuff to try which typically wards off illness in me.

[mountainmist]

enteric coated acidophilus capsules
large jars of minced garlic
oregano
ginger root
honey
jalepino peppers
"gypsy cold care" tea
Listerine mouthwash
Vademacum mouthwash
Scope mouthwash
Various throat lozenges

We always have a large array of soups and eat many homemade soups, too. So, no need here to stock up on chicken noodle soup.

I won't pick up any OTC remedies until someone is seriously ill, there are years when noone gets anything all winter, and I've had to toss all sorts of cold/flu medicines in the past.

I can't remember the last time I had the flu. Occasionally I will start to get a sore throat, and then I brew a cup of strong ginger tea and then take a very hot bath, after sitting in boiling water for as long as I can stand it, then I immediately get under the covers and go to sleep.

Usually wake up the next morning just fine, if not there's all sorts of other stuff to try which typically wards off illness in me.

[aurielle]

Theraflu daytime formula

Theraflu nighttime formula - Theraflu tastes like crap but works really well. And the daytime formula doesn't make me groggy. So many OTC cold medications wipe me out so I have to be careful.

I usually have a prescription of Allegra around, clears up congestion really well without grogginess.

And of course my asthma meds.

[Jacklad]

We get flu shots free here, but it's amazing how many people don't bother getting immunized. We always round up the entire crew and make sure we get them.

For colds, it's clear fluids, vitamin C and a warm bath followed by Neo-Citran for bedtime. Oh, and Vicks Vaporub for tradition's sake, Halls lozenges for sore throats, lotion tissues for sore noses. Just symptom relief and comfort.

My sister, on the other hand, is into Echinachea and Zinc lozenges. I haven't noticed that her family recovers any faster than mine.

Jackie

[aurielle]

I forgot about the vitamin C. Yep we stock up on some of that too. And I make DH go to the store and buy me OJ and chicken soup when I have a cold.

[PrincessPerky]

my husband gets a shot at work, we figure that takes care of the family

[Jacklad]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

my husband gets a shot at work, we figure that takes care of the family

You're lucky - with our crew, it's always the kids who drag the plague home from school. Next to hospitals, I don't think there's any better germ factory than the average classroom.

Jackie

[PrincessPerky]

the joys of homeschooling (people stay home from church when sick, but not school or work...)

[Bookie]

Finally learned that it's not economical for me to stock much of anything of that sort. I don't take enough to make it cost effective.

Cleaned out my medicine cabinet this summer. The aspirin had an expiration date of 2003, and the Tylenol was even older.

[Jacklad]

Originally Posted by PrincessPerky

the joys of homeschooling (people stay home from church when sick, but not school or work...)

That's because we trust God to understand.

Jackie

[getforfree]

We don't stock up on anything.

I got one, forgot what it's name, medicine frome walgreens free after rebate. And that's it. We don't usually get sick. My dd was never sick in her life. My son got cold with fewer once, but I just gave him some tylenol and it went away in a few days. If I get runny nose or caugh, I don't use anything, in either case it will last a week.

I think, my kids don't get sick like some of my friend's kids is because they drink lots of juice and eat lots of vegetables. I also brestfed both of them for a year each, so I just hope, nobody will get sick.

[Cheetahwoman7]

Airborne and Zicam!!! Since I teach, I'm exposed to EVERYTHING. Seems anymore parents think it's OK to send their sickly kids to school so they can still go to work! Some will even not answer their cell phones when the school calls because they think that leaving their sickly child in the nurse's office all day is just fine.

Anyway, I started to get sickly at school on Thursday this week. Went out at lunchtime and bought some Airborne to take. Had one of the Zicam swabs in my purse. Did both the Zicam and Airborne untill the next day and am OK, thank goodness. We had a fieldtrip planned for Friday to the local airshow. My students would NOT have been happy if I would have been too sickly to go!

[Ima saver]

My husband swears by george dickel . lemon and honey for his throat. I think I will buy some vitamin c. I have never had a flu shot either.