Always ask a doctor before giving a cough or cold medicine to a child. Death can occur from the misuse of cough and cold medicines in very young children.
Do not use any other over-the-counter cough or cold medication without first asking
your doctor or pharmacist. If you take certain products together you may accidentally take too
much of a certain drug. Read the label of any other medicine you are using to see if it contains
pseudoephedrine.
Do not use a cough or cold medicine if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as
isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam),
or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past 14 days. Serious, life-threatening side effects can
occur if you take cough or cold medicine before the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.
What is pseudoephedrine?
Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant that shrinks blood vessels in the nasal passages.
Dilated blood vessels can cause nasal congestion (stuffy nose).
Pseudoephedrine is used to treat nasal and sinus congestion, or congestion of the tubes
that drain fluid from your inner ears, called the eustachian (yoo-STAY-shun) tubes.
Pseudoephedrine may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking pseudoephedrine?
Do not use a cough or cold medicine if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as
isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam),
or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past 14 days. Serious, life-threatening side effects can
occur if you take cough or cold medicine before the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.
Do not use this medication if you are allergic to pseudoephedrine or to other
decongestants, diet pills, stimulants, or ADHD medications.
Before taking pseudoephedrine, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you
have:
If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment
or special tests to safely take pseudoephedrine.
FDA pregnancy category C. This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell
your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
Pseudoephedrine can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not use
this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Artificially-sweetened liquid forms of cold medicine may contain phenylalanine. This
would be important to know if you have phenylketonuria (PKU). Check the ingredients and
warnings on the medication label if you are concerned about phenylalanine.
Print
Email
Save
Media Gallery
Drug Info Tools
Medicare's drug plans are subsidized by the US federal government and offered through insurers.
