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Antioxidants are generally safe as they're easy on kidneys and have been used historically in the flu and cold season - you can safely shop and take vitamin C and zinc supplements to aid your body's immune response to the disease. Vitamin C and zinc: Supplements are often used to boost one's immunity before falling ill, but they're not shown to actively impact COVID-19 progression in any way, Dr.Bailey explains that persistent dry cough is a COVID-19 symptom that can cause pain, and cough medicine (particularly those that suppress coughing fits) can help you be more comfortable in recovery. If you have high blood pressure, liver disease, or other pre-existing conditions, acetaminophen may be a safer choice compared to NSAIDs.
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Theodore Bailey, MD, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at the Greater Baltimore Medical Center, says that a doctor may prescribe an antiviral drug or anti-inflammatory medications after you've been diagnosed, but over-the-counter medications are only intended to "make the process of being sick more comfortable."Ĭertain categories of drugs at your pharmacy or sold online can help reduce the severity of some of the most common COVID-19 symptoms. Which medications are best for COVID-19?Įveryone's COVID-19 treatment recommendations will be different, and since this is a relatively new disease, there isn't a single drug that can speed up your recovery.
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The views reflected in this article are educational in nature and are shared to supplement individual treatment plans you can find more recommendations from the CDC, World Health Organization, and your local public health department. Dial 911 if you are experiencing life-threatening symptoms, and seek medical advice from a healthcare provider after a COVID-19 diagnosis. It is not intended to replace or substitute medical or treatment advice from a licensed healthcare professional. This guide generalizes care recommendations prescribed by health officials for those impacted by SARS-CoV-2, the virus that leads to a COVID-19 diagnosis. Below, we recap the right ways to help your body overcome an initial infection, and the best tools available to help. With the help of a pair of leading infectious disease doctors, Good Housekeeping reviews ways in which you can ease a myriad of COVID-19 symptoms at home. Heed your doctor's advice first before considering other ways to help yourself get through COVID-19 symptoms. Even if you don't require immediate aid in an emergency room, you may have pre-existing health conditions that render some of the advice and instructions from leading health agencies (including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) unadvisable for your wellbeing. If you test positive for COVID-19, your very first course of action should be to contact your primary healthcare provider for help. Most people affected by the disease will self-isolate, however, and push past a range of mild to moderate symptoms that can be treated while recovering at home. For some, symptoms will become too severe for you to remain at home, and you will need to seek immediate care from health providers in an emergency room, hospital, or clinic to prevent serious risk to your long-term health and life.
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There are a wide array of symptoms associated with COVID-19, and the severity of symptoms can vary greatly from person to person, even among those considered high-risk for complications. The likelihood of you or someone you love becoming infected (even following precautionary measures) may be higher than ever, depending on where you live. According to information curated by monitors at Johns Hopkins University, the United States reported more cases of COVID-19 in the first week of 2021 than at any other point in 2020, and a record number of hospitalizations have occurred after the holiday season, per analysis by The Atlantic. The height of the novel coronavirus pandemic has arrived this winter - and unfortunately, data seems to project that things will only get worse.
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