I just finally recovered from a cold yesterday, after having it since last Monday. That was actually a short cold... mine usually last about 3 weeks.
Anyway, my advice isn't exactly helpful, because I don't know what I take... I take two small red pills and this one yellow pill during my major nose-blowing-period. Then, during my hard-mucus-stuck-in-throat-period, I take Robotussin (thanks Gil for that!).
Thing is, I don't really mind what happens during the day... what really annoys me is not being able to fall asleep due to a cold. By far, the best thing I have found is TheraPatch. It's expensive ($6.35 for 6 patches), but it works so damn well.