NyQuil, prouced by the Vicks company, is the brand name of a family of cold medicine designed to help relieve many symptoms of the common cold. Because all of the medications within the NyQuil imprint contain sedating antihistamines and/or hypnotics, they are typically taken at night, just before bedtime. Its daytime counterpart is DayQuil, which does not contain sedating antihistamines and is not intended to induce drowsiness.