Hi

Thanks for the query

All the above symptoms described by you are the features of viral infection of the upper respiratory tract, commonly termed as flu.

Sometimes, when an individual takes chilled beverages, the blood vessels in the mucosa of the throat and nose goes in for spasm and thus reducing the blood supply to the mucosa of the nose and the throat and causing pooling of the blood. This is perceived as nasal stuffiness and sore throat. Once there is insufficient blood supply, the viruses and bacteria attack the mucosa of the throat and the nose, instigating an inflammatory process in the body. Thus the fever and other symptoms of flu are a result of an invasion by the micro-organisms.

I do not believe that all your symptoms could be due to the intake of cough medicine. It is just an onset of viral infection, which is usually self-limiting and weans off with-in a few days.

You need to prevent worsening of the symptoms and secondary bacterial infection with a few home remedies and medicines. I would suggest you to drink plenty of warm water - this will help in reducing the congestion in the nose and the throat and also keeps the body hydrated. Please do steam inhalations 3-4 times a day; avoid smoking, alcohol and coffee for few days till you recover. Also, you can try taking symptomatic medicines such as paracetamol for relief from fever and body ache and use saline nasal spray to reduce the nasal stuffiness.

Hope I have answered your query; I will be available for the follow-up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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