Best cold and flu medicine deals - Insider

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• We're currently in the thick of cold and flu season, which peaks in February.
• Stocking up on medication is a proactive way to help yourself through a cold or the flu.
• Below, we've highlighted the best deal on all of the major cold and flu medications.

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If you or your loved ones are feeling sick right now, you're not alone. In the US, flu infections typically peak in February, and cold season runs through the winter and spring. Add COVID into the mix, and there are a ton of upper respiratory infections circulating that might have you reaching for cold and flu medicine. 

Antiviral medications can help with flu or COVID symptoms, but unfortunately, there's no cure for a cold. However, there are home remedies that help with symptoms from all three types of infection. 

Those remedies include over-the-counter medicines like Advil or Tylenol to reduce fever, decongestants to alleviate stuffy noses, and cough suppressants to help keep you comfortable, says Dr. David Cutler, a family medicine physician at Providence Saint John's Health Center. 

Since you never know when cold, flu or COVID might strike, and you don't want to go to the store while you're ill, it can be helpful to keep cold and flu essentials on hand. 

We took Cutler's advice for the cold and flu essentials to keep on hand. Then, we compared prices at four major retailers: Costco, Amazon, Walmart and Target. We learned that off brands often offer the best deals for the same active ingredients, but even the price for brand-name medicines can vary between retailers. Here's where to find the best deals on cold and flu medicines. 

Note: Prices are accurate as of publishing time, and we have rounded the prices to the nearest cent per pill. 

Acetaminophen (Tylenol)

Best deal: When it comes to Tylenol, Walmart is probably your best place for finding a good deal. You can grab 200 capsules (500 mg each) of acetaminophen from Walmart's Equate brand for about $3.50 at Walmart. You'll pay over triple the price at Target for just 100 capsules (325 mg each) of Tylenol.

When to use it: Tylenol is the brand name of a fever-reducer called acetaminophen. In addition to helping bring a fever down, it also soothes pain from body aches that often accompany cold and flu. 

Acetaminophen is a good choice if you don't have much of an appetite, since it can be taken on an empty stomach, Cutler says. 

However, taking too much acetaminophen can damage your liver, so it's important to take it only as directed. Adults should never take more than 4,000 milligrams (mg) of acetaminophen per day. That's the equivalent of six extra-strength Tylenol in 24 hours. 

Ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin)

Best deal: Costco is the most budget-friendly place to shop for ibuprofen. There, you can get Kirkland brand ibuprofen for just a penny per pill. But ibuprofen is also very inexpensive at other retailers, costing 2 cents per pill at Walmart and Target, and 3 cents per pill on Amazon. 

When to use it: Ibuprofen is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) pain reliever that can be used to treat body aches and fight fever. It should be taken with food, Cutler says, or it may upset your stomach. 

While ibuprofen is considered safe and effective for reducing fever, NSAID medications including ibuprofen are associated with a higher risk of heart attack and stomach ulcers, among other serious conditions. 

The maximum dose of over-the-counter ibuprofen for adults is 1,200 milligrams per day. That's the equivalent of six 200-mg Advil pills in 24 hours (or 3 400-mg extra strength Advil). 

Decongestants (Sudafed)

Best deal: For decongestants, Amazon has far and away the best deal. There, you can purchase HealthA2Z brand decongestants for 4 cents per pill. Those have the same active ingredients as Sudafed PE, which costs 36-40 cents per pill at Target and Walmart.

When to use it: Having a stuffy nose is one of the more miserable cold symptoms. Decongestants can help clear mucus from your nose and sinuses, helping you breathe easier and relieve  facial pressure. 

There are two common decongestants used to treat cold and flu, Cutler says. Pseudoephedrine is a nasal decongestant found in cold, flu and allergy medicines including Sudafed, Claritin-D and Allegra-D. 

Phenylephrine is another decongestant found in many Sudafed products, Theraflu, and other over-the-counter products. 

Decongestants might leave you feeling dry in the nose and sinus, Cutler says. In addition, they can be dangerous for people with high blood pressure, since they cause blood vessels to contract, leading to increased blood pressure. 

If you have high blood pressure, don't take medications that contain pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine. 

Expectorants (Robitussin and Mucinex)

Best deal: The price of expectorants, which clear mucus, varies widely, but Walmart has the best deal. There, Spirit360 brand pill costs just 6 cents. You'll pay 5-10 times that at other retailers or for brand-name products. 

When to use it: Guaifenesin is an expectorant that thins mucus in the nose and lungs so that it can more easily be cleared by coughing or sneezing, Cutler says. It's an active ingredient in cold and flu medications including Robitussin and Mucinex Fast Max. It's also sold as generic mucus relief. 

While guaifenesin will help you feel better in the long term, it might have the opposite effect at first, Cutler says. That's because when the medication kicks in and mucus thins, you might experience increased coughing or runny nose as your body clears the mucus. 

Cough Suppressants 

Best deal: Amazon also has the best bargain for cough suppressants. RoboHBr Cough Suppressant costs 24 cents per pill. Brand name cough suppressants, like Delsym, can cost nearly four-times that amount. 

When to use it: Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant found in many cold and flu products. It's usually used in combination with some of the medications listed above. Dextromethorphan is an active ingredient in:

• Alka-Seltzer Plus products
• Robitussin Cough products
• Theraflu products
• Tylenol Cold and Flu
• Vicks DayQuil and more. 

"This is a safe drug which has been used for colds since the 1950's," Culter says. However, when you're using products with more than one active ingredient, it's important not to combine them with other medications, since that can increase your risk of accidental overdose. 

Insider's takeaway

When cold or flu hit, over-the-counter medications can provide relief, at an affordable price. 

"The most important thing to remember in treating a cold is to weigh the benefits of any treatment against the risks," Cutler says. 

Kelly Burch

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