“That coldness can constrict or tighten the blood vessels in the nose and that can actually cause them to get a little bit of relief,” he said.President Joe Biden left Vietnam Monday after a visit that deepened economic ties between Washington and Hanoi as part of efforts to reduce America’s reliance on China. The opposite is also helpful: Going out in the cold air. Maybe a popsicle, too, he said.įor children, “about the only things I’ll recommend for a cold might be some Tylenol if there’s some fever, and possibly some dextromethorphan to calm the cough, and I only do that if they’re coughing so hard that they’re going to throw up,” he said, referring to an ingredient found in over-the-counter cough medicines.Ĭreech said steam from a humidifier or a hot shower can help break up the mucus. Koelzer said that simple, nonmedical approaches can also help, like making sure kids get plenty of rest and water when they are sick. “So if it is used, we would only use it with direct supervision and keeping the drug in a safe place.” “It is difficult because, given the doses that you really need it to be most effective, it does have those side effects of mental alertness but also heart racing,” he said. ![]() In some cases, teens can take pseudoephedrine, Creech said. Instead, she recommends oral antihistamines like Zyrtec, Allegra and Claritin. ![]() Purvi Parikh, the national spokesperson for the Allergy & Asthma Network, an advocacy group, said that she usually does not recommend pseudoephedrine to her patients because of its effects on blood pressure. Like phenylephrine nasal spray, prolonged use of oxymetazoline nasal spray can also cause rebound congestion. Oxymetazoline, a common ingredient in over-the-counter nasal sprays including Afrin and Zicam, is also an effective alternative, Koelzer said. Prolonged use can lead to so-called rebound congestion, she added. With a nasal spray, it’s delivered directly to the nose.Īrmand said that people using decongestant nasal sprays should not use them for more than three days. Studies have shown that when taken as a pill, too much of the drug is broken down in the body before it gets to the nose to relieve congestion. The FDA panel on Tuesday specifically considered the effectiveness of oral phenylephrine. Wynne Armand, a primary care physician at Massachusetts General Hospital. Phenylephrine is also still thought to be effective when used as a nasal spray, said Dr. Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist and an affiliate faculty member at the University of Washington in Seattle.įor people who can’t take pseudoephedrine, Gupta, who is an MSNBC medical contributor, said he recommends using a corticosteroid nasal spray like Flonase, a common over-the-counter allergy medication that can also relieve congestion. While people tend to prefer taking a pill to using a nasal spray, the sprays are effective at relieving congestion, said Dr. “But that being said, if you’re using it for a short-term course of therapy, and not chronically, that’s really not as much of an issue because you’re only going to be using it for a few days,” she said. It may also increase blood pressure, a potential drawback for people with heart problems. Pharmacists have long known that phenylephrine was potentially ineffective and have been recommending alternatives like pseudoephedrine.Īmirshahi noted that pseudoephedrine comes with side effects, including dizziness, nervousness and trouble sleeping. ![]() ![]() Mike Koelzer, a pharmacist in Grand Rapids, Michigan, said he doesn’t expect any issues with more people requesting pseudoephedrine. Phenylephrine - the ingredient deemed ineffective - took off in popularity as a replacement for pseudoephedrine.
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