Summary

The FDA has proposed phasing out oral phenylephrine, a common decongestant in cold medicines like Sudafed PE and DayQuil, after studies showed it is no more effective than a placebo.

The drug, ineffective when swallowed due to breakdown in the stomach, remains usable in nasal sprays.

Alternatives include pseudoephedrine, nasal sprays, and steroid treatments like Flonase.

The regulatory process to remove phenylephrine could take over a year, but experts argue removing ineffective options will help consumers choose better remedies for congestion. Drugmakers are expected to challenge the proposal.

  • @Rivalarrival@lemmy.today
    link
    fedilink
    English
    42 months ago

    PPA was better, but they banned it around 2000.

    PE pills have never worked for me, but PE nasal spray works great.

      • @tedd_deireadh
        link
        English
        12 months ago

        They work great for me! Ex-girlfriend swore by them and convinced me to try them years ago. It’s been my go to ever since.

        • @placatedmayhem
          link
          English
          62 months ago

          You can thank to phenylephrine’s placebo effect for your improvements:

          https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19230461/

          Note: Some people do feel better on placebos than on nothing. It’s a quark of the human brain. So, if it’s working for you, don’t switch. Or, maybe try pseudoephedrine and feel even better…

          • @tedd_deireadh
            link
            English
            22 months ago

            Apologies, I misunderstood PE as the initialism for pseudoephedrine. I agree about phenylephrine being ineffective. I never use it.