The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recently announced its proposal to ban oral phenylephrine, the active ingredient widely used in cold and cough syrups, from products and remove these drugs from the market. This comes after an outside panel of experts last year concluded that the active ingredient in over-the-counter drugs for nasal congestion is not effective.
Phenylephrine is widely used in a variety of OTC flu and cold medicines, including popular products such as Benadryl, Advil, and Tylenol. It is also an ingredient in nasal sprays to treat congestion. However, the FDA's action is only related to orally administered phenylephrine and not the nasal spray form.
According to Prevention, phenylephrine constricts blood vessels to alleviate congestions. Several studies and scientific reviews found that the drug doesn’t provide substantial relief when compared to a placebo. Although phenylephrine was approved by the FDA and has been on store shelves for nearly 90 years, American Chemical Society recently called it a “fake decongestant.”
Common oral medications that contain phenylephrine include:
• Sudafed PE.
• Vicks DayQuil
• Mucinex Sinus-Max
• Theraflu
• Tylenol Sinus
• Advil Congestion
• Vicks NyQuil Severe Cold and Flu
Stacia Woodcock, pharmacy editor at GoodRX says that there is another oral decongestant that works better than phenylephrine: its cousin pseudoephedrine, says CNET.
“The idea that phenylephrine doesn’t work isn’t a new idea for most healthcare professionals,” she said. “Pseudoephedrine or Sudafed has clearly been the superior decongestant for quite some time.” But you may have to ask the pharmacist for this product as pseudoephedrine is the main ingredient used to make methamphetamine, and its use is restricted.
Instead of using phenylephrine, consider the following OTC meds for nasal congestion:
• Zyrtec.
• Nasacort nasal steroid spray.
• Flonase nasal steroid spray.
Using saline sprays and elevating your head when you sleep can also help, advises Dr. Linda N. Lee, an assistant professor of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery at Harvard Medical School and an otolaryngologist at Massachusetts Eye and Ear:
Elevating your head “is a more natural way of reducing congestion by reducing the strong flow of blood to the nose,” she explains. See your doctor if these suggestions don’t relieve your discomfort. For the time being, there’s no need to discard products that contain phenylephrine, even though they may not offer optimal relief. Some products contain other ingredients such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen that make you feel better.