The FDA Is Finally Pulling a Useless Cold Medicine From the Market

Phenylephrine is both the most common decongestant on pharmacy shelves, and arguably the worst at its job.

Last year, the FDA’s advisory panel ruledthat phenylephrine should no longer be considered an effective drug.

And finally, the agency is making plans to pull it from pharmacy and grocery store shelves.

After that time, the agency is expected to give manufacturers time to remove or reformulate their products.

Which cold medicines have the useless medicine?

Phenylephrine issupposedto be a decongestant, reducing the stuffiness of your nose and sinuses.

(It can be used to make meth, so sales are restrictedbut itisstill available without a prescription.

You just have to ask for it, and show your ID.)

Phenylephrine is the “PE” in “Sudafed PE.”

Phenylephrine is the one that, according to the FDA panel,doesnt work.

It has never worked.

The only reason you bought Sudafed PE is because you were looking for Sudafed and figured this was it.

Phenylephrine isnt just in Sudafed PE.

Its actually the most popular oral decongestant (oral meaning that its given as a pill or syrup).

If you want a cold medicine that works, youll need to show your ID and get the pseudoephedrine.

Both are sold and (for the moment) FDA-approved as over-the-counter decongestants.

In brief:pseudoephedrine works well at its job, but there are restrictions on purchasing it.

Phenylephrine is more widely available, but does not work well at its job.

Pseudoephedrine is the active ingredient in original Sudafed, and it constricts blood vessels.

As a cold medicine, this allows it to reduce congestion in your nose.

Its called pseudoephedrine because itsrelated to the stimulant ephedrine, as in ephedra (ma huang).

Since 2006, federal law hasrequiredpseudoephedrine to be kept out of reach of customers.

When pseudoephedrines sale was restricted, cold medicine manufacturers made phenylephrine-containing replacements.

Thats a good question, and its one that doctors and scientists have been asking for years.

One possibility was to test larger doses of the drug.

(kindly do not buy homeopathic cold medicines; theyarent what you think they are.)

That said, thereareother ways to treat congestion besides pseudoephedrine.

If your congestion is allergy-related, antihistamines can help.