What to Do for Cough & Cold With High Blood Pressure?

People with high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) must be careful when selecting medications to treat their cold and cough symptoms. Some of these medications may cause blood pressure to rise, and therefore must be avoided. Making careful choices about cough and cold medication when you have high blood pressure can bring relief of your symptoms without raising your blood pressure.

Decongestants

• Decongestants work by constricting blood vessels in the nose in order to reduce blockage. These medications can affect other blood vessels as well, however, and that can cause blood pressure to rise. The Mayo Clinic recommends that people with high blood pressure avoid over-the-counter decongestants and multi-symptom medications that contain decongestants, including pseudophedrine, ephedrine, phenylephrine, naphozoline and oxymetazoline.

Alternative Choices

• Some over-the-counter medications are specifically formulated for people with high blood pressure, such as Coricidin HBP. These medications combine antihistamines with other drugs, rather than using decongestants.

Alternate Remedies

• You can also try some at-home remedies for your cold and flu symptoms in order to avoid raising your blood pressure. For example, if you have a sore throat you can gargle with salt water or drink a warm beverage such as warm lemon water with honey. You can use a humidifier in your home to ease your congestion, and always drink plenty of fluids (at least 64 oz. a day) and get enough rest (eight hours per night and don't overdo your day-to-day activities). It is also safe for you to take a pain reliever, such as acetaminophen, and a saline nasal spray.