WVXU: FDA says decongestant in over-the-counter cold medicines doesn't work
An advisory panel to the Food and Drug Administration agreed unanimously last month that an ingredient found in many over-the-counter cold medicines called phenylephrine doesn't work to clear nasal congestion when taken orally.
Ahmad Sedaghat, MD, PhD, director of the Division of Rhinology, Allergy and Anterior Skull Base Surgery at the University of Cincinnati's College of Medicine and a UC Health physician, and Michael Hegener, PharmD, associate professor of pharmacy at UC's James L. Winkle College of Pharmacy, joined WVXU's Cincinnati Edition to discuss the recent announcement.
Hegener explained phenylephrine is a decongestant that works by shrinking blood vessels in the nose, which opens up the nasal cavities and helps people breathe easier. Many drug companies replaced the drug pseudoephedrine with phenylephrine in their over the counter products after federal legislation made it harder to access pseudoephedrine because it can be used to make methamphetamines.
Hegener noted the FDA recommendation was for oral tablet products that contain phenylephrine, not nasal sprays.
"The effectiveness of the nasal spray has been established more firmly and that’s not what’s up for debate today," Hegener said. "It’s the oral form that everyone is talking about."
Sedaghat said oftentimes cold medicines have a combination of active drugs in them, so consumers may not want to throw away products with phenylephrine because the other ingredients could still be helpful.
"One thing that I’ve also recommended to patients to do is to look at their favorite cold medication and see what the active ingredients are in that medication, and because that cold medication will potentially have had other ingredients that will not get pulled off of shelves, the patients can go ahead and get the other medications that are in their favorite combination cold medicine," he said.
While effective, Sedaghat said the nasal sprays can raise blood pressure and become addictive, so patients are advised to use the spray no more than two to three days in a row. Patients can also seek out saline rinses to help clear congestion, he said.
Listen to the Cincinnati Edition segment.
Featured photo at top of a man sneezing. Photo/dragana991/iStock.
Related Stories
WVXU: FDA says decongestant in over-the-counter cold medicines doesn't work
October 4, 2023
The University of Cincinnati's Ahmad Sedaghat, MD, PhD, and Michael Hegener, PharmD, joined WVXU's Cincinnati Edition to discuss the recent FDA announcement that an ingredient found in many over-the-counter cold medicine oral tablets does not help relieve congestion.
WVXU: UC study tests tongue exercises to improve swallowing function after stroke
January 11, 2024
WVXU highlighted a new trial at the University of Cincinnati that will test an at-home tongue endurance exercise to improve patients’ swallowing function after a stroke.
HealthDay: Immunotherapy drug did not increase adverse surgery events
September 15, 2022
HealthDay highlighted recent University of Cincinnati research that found administering immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab before surgery for oral cavity cancer did not increase rates of complication during and after surgery.
Choir director uses synesthesia to inspire, lead Little Miami High School choir
June 14, 2024
The University of Cincinnati's Daniel Sun was featured in a WLWT story about a local choir teacher with synesthesia, a condition where two senses overlap in the brain.
WLWT: Tips to fight off bad allergy symptoms
April 18, 2024
The University of Cincinnati's Ahmad Sedaghat spoke with WLWT about how Cincinnati's geography tends to make allergy symptoms worse and tips to fight off those symptoms.
The scientific reason songs get stuck in your head
June 21, 2024
The University of Cincinnati's Steven Gordon was featured in a Prevention article discussing the science behind earworms, when a song gets stuck in your head and you can't get it out.
WVXU: HEPA purifiers for indoor gatherings could prevent COVID-19 infections
June 21, 2021
University of Cincinnati ear, nose and throat expert Ahmad Sedaghat, MD, PhD, says investing in an HEPA air purifier might be a good idea as residents open their homes to gatherings as COVID-19 restrictions ease. Air purifiers with HEPA filters can be used as a very effective means to decontaminate the air above and beyond what many HVAC systems may offer, says Sedaghat, director of the UC Division of Rhinology, Allergy and Anterior Skull Base Surgery.
Discover Magazine: Why bacteria are the new disease fighters
January 10, 2022
UC's Dr. Nalinikanth Kotagiri was featured in a Discover Magazine article focused on the use of bacteria to fight diseases including cancer.
Journal-News: UC researchers engineer bacteria to weaken cancer cell walls
November 22, 2021
University of Cincinnati researchers from the College of Pharmacy were featured in a Journal-News article detailing the development of a new probiotic bacteria designed to break down cancer cell walls.
55KRC: Grants aid UC research of pediatric brain tumors
March 14, 2022
55KRC featured the University of Cincinnati's Dr. Timothy Phoenix on the Simply Medicine program, discussing his research into treatments for diffuse midline glioma, a deadly pediatric brain tumor.