Your Popular Cold Medicine doesn’t Work

Do you take cold medicine? It is quite common when one has a cold to walk into the pharmacy and request for cold medication. There are some popular ones that readily come to mind and are easily obtained over the counter. These medications contain phenylephrine. They go with various brand names suggestive of their ability to fight cold and decongest the nostrils.

Indeed one can swear by this cold medicine which has been passed down from one generation to another.

However a recent panel report by the Food and Drug Administration of the USA says such drugs don’t really work. What they do is to make you more comfortable while the cold runs its course. The panel also found that our prior belief about the effectiveness of this drug needs to be questioned as initial studies are not as reliable as we thought

Should you stop buying such drugs and what should you do now?

The truth is these drugs will not cure your cold but they might make you feel better e.g relaxes you while the cold runs its course.

The drug has side effects like poor sleep, nervousness and headaches and the FDA is looking closely into it. If they come out with a final pronouncement it may leave us unable to get any cold medication over the counter. You will need a prescription for one (maybe not in Nigeria though).

The good news is that there are many alternatives. A qualified pharmacist or Doctor will be able to advise you better.