Stopping a runny nose!

thriftymanc

Sorry in advance - a bit yucky.

Anyone got any failsafe tips on stopping a constantly runny nose?

I'm doing a Christmas temp job this week, alongside my normal fulltime job. The idea being that I fit some extra hours in this month so my January pay is a little higher and helps out after the Christmas season spending! Except I've come down with an absolutely honking cold over the course of today

My normal job is largely office based and it's pretty dead at the moment anyway so I can sit at a desk blowing my nose to my heart's content tomorrow and it won't matter. But I'm meant to be working on a checkout in the temp job so I really need to stop my nose from running, I can't be leaking everywhere and serving customers, it'll be disgusting.

I've literally been wiping my nose non-stop since lunchtime. I've been through an entire box of mansize tissues. I've taken cold and flu decongestant tablets, anti-histamines and Berocca, used one of those Olbas inhaler things, tried stuffing cotton balls up there and leaving them for a bit to see if the running would stop (just got soggy and fell out!). I must have leaked at least five litres of water so I'm surprised I don't look like a raisin right now.

Edited to add: I've also tried herbal tea with honey, lemon, ginger etc. And inhaling steam which just makes it worse!

Of course it's a temp job and I'm only there for three more days so it's not the end of the world if I don't go in. But I could really do with the money! Stupid cold!

I don't expect to get rid of it entirely in a day of course, but if something could ease this one symptom...

Help?!

vasseur

In the past I've used Contac 400 tablets but I'm not sure if you an still get them - they are blimmin good though! Or sudafed tablets work too but they always made me really thirsty - stands to reason really because they literally dry everything up

Alton_Towers

Contac are still available and brilliant, as is day nurse and sudafed, I suffer with sinusitis and these do help to dry it out. Night nurse is also fab so you can breath through the night.

betony

I have always found Otrivine invaluable as a temporary quick-fix for a runny nose. It's available as a nasel spray or drops, costing £2.15 and £3.15. The drawback is that that when it wears off the runniness gets worse for a short while. Definitely worth it though for a day of clear nosedness!

elfen

The Halls sweets in the black package do the job quite well and clear your nose a bit so you don;t sound bizarre

sugarsuze

Hoping you are feeling better now. As someone said earlier, Contac capsules are brilliant at drying up a runny nose but even better is a bottle of Night Nurse in the bathroom cabinet for over the festive season, I swear by the stuff. It completely dries up runny noses and seems to make colds clear up quickly. It will make you drowsy though thats the only side effect I have noticed with it. I always make sure I have a bottle in the house, especially over the festive season when someone is guaranteed to be snotty with a cold!

boots_babe

I read somewhere a couple of years ago that antihistamines helped stop a runny nose.

I was not convinced but gave it a try (as I have them in stock for hayfever anyway) and was pleasantly surprised to find it did actually work, and pretty quickly too.