9 Best OTC Daytime Cold and Flu Medicine for 2025 | U.S. News (2025)

For most, cold and flu symptoms are inconvenient enough to hinder work performance and home productivity but not severe enough to require a trip to the doctor's office or hospital. Knowing which home treatment you can trust to kick your cold and flu symptoms is key to feeling your best.

The best daytime cold and flu medicine for adults below can help you stay alert while offering relief from your symptoms.

OTC Daytime Cold and Flu Treatments

The common cold and the flu are caused by viruses that spread easily through droplets in the air and on surfaces, impacting millions of people each year. Children, older adults and those with weakened immune systems are most affected by the cold and the flu.

Fortunately, OTC products and home care are typically enough to manage cold and flu symptoms. During the day, this allows you to rest easier and maintain some normalcy for the duration of your illness.

Despite the two ailments sharing some similarities, the common cold and the flu are not interchangeable.

What makes an OTC cold and flu medicine for daytime? It is simply the absence of medications that generally cause sleepiness, says Dr. Lori Solomon, chair and clinical associate professor of ‌family and community medicine at New York Medical College in Valhalla, New York. The most common of these is diphenhydramine. Some of the nighttime liquid medications also have alcohol in them.

"Be sure to read the label on the bottle," Solomon says.

Ingredients in daytime over-the-counter medications available to cold and flu sufferers include:

Decongestants to decrease nasal congestion

Decongestants reduce swelling in your nasal passages and sinuses, making it easier to breathe. They can be taken orally in tablet, capsule or syrup form or delivered as a nasal spray. Oral decongestants include pseudoephedrine. Topical nasal sprays often contain oxymetazoline or phenylephrine and typically provide faster relief than oral medications.

Oral phenylephrine is no longer considered effective as a nasal decongestant, according the Food and Drug Administration. While there are no safety concerns regarding oral phenylephrine, the FDA proposed in late 2024 that companies stop marketing oral phenylephrine as an effective decongestant.

Antihistamines to relieve runny nose and sneezing

Antihistamines block chemicals called histamines that are involved in the overactive immune response that results in allergic-type symptoms, such as runny nose, sneezing and watery eyes. Some available antihistamines are brompheniramine, chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, fexofenadine and clemastine.

Antitussives to decrease cough

Antitussives are cough suppressants that provide short-term symptomatic relief. The most commonly found medicine is dextromethorphan. It's available as a cough syrup, a tablet and in combination, multisymptom products.

Try not to suppress your cough too much unless it's keeping you from being able to sleep or perform your normal daily activities. Coughing can help expel the germs and mucus making you sick, especially in the case of "wet" or "hacking" coughs.

Expectorants to loosen and remove mucus through coughing

Guaifenesin is approved by the FDA as an expectorant, though not specifically for use in treating the common cold. It is found in many OTC oral tablets and syrup preparations, both as a stand-alone medicine and in combination cough and cold remedy products.

Expectorants work by increasing the volume and decreasing the viscosity of mucus, rendering it easier to cough up and expel from the airways. This is usually a better option than a cough suppressant because you will continue to expel mucus and bacteria.

Analgesics and antipyretics for fever and headache relief

Over-the-counter analgesics, or pain relievers, and antipyretics, or fever reducers, include the following:

These medications work by relieving generalized pain, headache and fevers associated with the flu or common cold. Ibuprofen and naproxen work well in combating inflammation and body aches, and acetaminophen works best to reduce fever. Speak to a medical provider about which pain reliever is best for you.

Symptoms

Cold and flu symptoms often overlap, making it challenging to tell them apart. Both cold and flu symptoms can cause congestion, coughing and fatigue.

However, the flu often hits harder and more suddenly. Flu symptoms usually expand to involve a fever, nausea or stomach upset or full-body aches and chills. In contrast, many colds start more gradually and involve more runny nose and sneezing symptoms.

Treatment for the cold and flu also overlap. Treating both with OTC daytime cold and flu medications and home care are often successful.

Side Effects of OTC Daytime Cold and Flu Medications

Even though daytime cold and flu medications are over the counter, they aren't without side effects. The side effects will depend on the active ingredients in the medication.

Precautions for OTC Cold and Flu Medications

Over-the-counter daytime cold and flu medications are not safe for everyone, says Dr. Brintha Vasagar, a Milwaukee-based family medicine physician with the American Academy of Family Physicians and chief medical officer of Progressive Community Health Centers.

Many OTC cold and flu treatments can increase blood pressure or increase blood sugar in people with diabetes. Your family medicine physician can help you decide which over-the-counter medicines are safe if you have other medical problems, Vasagar says.

Treating Kids

Many cold and flu symptoms can be managed at home, Solomon says, so consider trying home remedies first.

Try:

"A fever is a body's natural way of fighting infection, so unless your child is achy, in pain or has a history of seizures with a fever, you don't need medication to bring down the fever," Solomon says.

She also warns that children should never be given aspirin for a fever or cold, as they can develop a dangerous condition called Reye's syndrome.

Always make sure to check the active ingredients and pediatric dosing recommendations when giving a child medication. Not all daytime cold and flu medications are safe and formulated for children.

Daytime Cold and Flu Home Remedies

Natural remedies can help ease cold symptoms.

"Nasal saline sprays and rinses, honey and topical ointments containing camphor or menthol are among the most effective treatments for colds," says Dr. Katharine DeGeorge, associate professor of family medicine at the University of Virginia.

You can try measures like these at home:

Vitamin C

Regular supplementation of high doses of vitamin C, an average of 1-2 grams per day, may help decrease the severity of illness, according to a 2023 analysis published in BMC Public Health. High doses of vitamin C, over 2 grams per day, can cause diarrhea and nausea.

Zinc

A Cochrane review published in 2024 showed a small benefit of taking zinc, shortening cold symptoms by about two days.

"However, that is only if you start taking zinc immediately at the onset of symptoms," DeGeorge adds.

To combat the cold, she says you'll need to take 80 milligrams of zinc per day.

Some people have reactions to zinc as well, such as headache, stomachaches or a bad taste in their mouth. The cost of an effective dose of zinc is another limiting factor, DeGeorge says.

Home care

There are other nonpharmacological approaches to treating the common cold.

"Rest, plenty of fluids and time may in many cases be all you need to get through a cold," DeGeorge says.

Here's where to get started:

How can you prevent colds and the flu?

There are several ways to decrease your risk of catching a cold or spreading cold viruses:

A common misconception is that exposure to cold temperatures increases the chances of infection. However, it’s more likely that colds happen more often during cooler months because the drop in temperature encourages more time spent indoors where there is close proximity to potentially infected people.

When to See a Doctor About Daytime Cold and Flu Symptoms

Patients often self-diagnose based on the familiar set of symptoms, especially if they have been exposed to the flu through a family member, friend or coworker. However, the diagnosis process may require a flu test at the doctor’s office or hospital.

If you have an underlying condition – such as asthma, heart failure or chronic immunosuppression – you should check with your doctor before starting any new OTC medications. If you have high blood pressure, diabetes or are taking medications that weaken your immune system, including chemotherapy and transplant medications, you should also consult a physician before taking any medications.

Most patients with a mild cold treat symptoms with home remedies and OTC medicines. Ask a pharmacist for advice if you aren't sure which OTC products are best for your symptoms. However, there are certain serious symptoms that mean you should consult a physician.

If any of the following situations apply, talk to your doctor:

Any fever in an adult that goes above 105 degrees Fahrenheit and does not come down with treatment is a life-threatening medical emergency, and you should seek medical care right away.

The Best OTC Medicine & Health Products are based on the reviews of nearly 500 independent pharmacists and dermatologists.

U.S. News partnered with The Harris Poll, a global market research and consulting firm with more than 65 years of experience conducting surveys. For the 2025 rankings, The Harris Poll randomly assigned 133 over-the-counter categories of health or personal care products to 357 pharmacists and 134 dermatologists who practice in the U.S. and asked them to rank their top three brands for each category based on what products they would most recommend to consumers.

Independence and transparency

Across the 133 categories that were evaluated, each category included between five and 10 products representing their respective brands that could be ranked. More than 1,100 products were included in the survey. The products included in each category were selected to represent their respective brands based on input by several independent pharmacists and dermatologists on our

. The list of products were finalized by the health editorial team to ensure all products can be purchased without a prescription and are readily available at most pharmacies or pharmacy sections of grocery stores in the U.S.

We independently evaluate the products we recommend. Brands do not pay to be included or ranked in our survey. When you buy through our links, we may earn a commission. The dermatologists and pharmacists who participated in the survey were paid a small honorarium by The Harris Poll for their time.

OTC category winners

Pharmacists and dermatologists selected their top three brands from representative products in each OTC category assigned to them. At least 112 dermatologists evaluated each skincare-related category and at least 108 pharmacists evaluated each of the other categories. For each evaluation, the top-ranked brand received 5 points, the second-place brand was awarded 3 points and the third-place brand earned 1 point. All unranked brands were given 0 points. Points were averaged for each brand. The results were then rescaled so the winner in each category scored 100 points, and the scores for other brands were expressed as percentages of the top score. Brands were then ranked according to their rescaled scores. Scores were rounded to the nearest whole number.

Category winners and brands that scored within the margin of error of the category winner and achieved a score of 80 or higher were given a Gold Badge in that category. The results: 196 brands received a Gold Badge. In total, 849 products are displayed. Brands that received a score of less than 10 were not included in the final display list. See our full methodology here.