DailyMed - DOLLAR GENERAL- nasal phenylephrine hydrochloride spray (2024)

FAQs

How much phenylephrine should I take for a stuffy nose? ›

Adults and children 12 years of age and older—Use two or three drops of a 0.25 to 0.5% solution in the nose every four hours as needed. Children 6 to 12 years of age—Use two or three drops of a 0.25% solution in the nose every four hours as needed.

Nasal sprays containing either oxymetazoline or phenylephrine are the rebound congestion-inducing nasal sprays to use with caution. If a nasal spray contains either of these active ingredients, be sure to use only as directed on the label — three days or less.

Phenylephrine is used for the temporary relief of congestion or stuffiness in the nose caused by hay fever or other allergies, colds, or sinus trouble. It may also be used in ear infections to relieve congestion.

It is also used to relieve sinus congestion and pressure. Phenylephrine will relieve symptoms but will not treat the cause of the symptoms or speed recovery. Phenylephrine is in a class of medications called nasal decongestants. It works by reducing swelling of the blood vessels in the nasal passages.

Symptoms of overdose may include: severe dizziness/fainting, hallucinations, fast/irregular heartbeat, slow/shallow breathing, vomiting, seizures.

Researchers have conducted many more studies on the drug that have shown overwhelmingly that the oral formulation is clinically ineffective in reducing symptoms of congestion. The resulting advisory committee decision does not apply to nasal sprays, which are still thought to be effective.

Rhinitis medicamentosa typically lasts for as long as you overuse nasal sprays. The more you continue to use nasal sprays, the worse your symptoms could get. Rhinitis medicamentosa is a type of nasal congestion resulting from overusing nasal sprays. It may cause an itchy, stuffy or runny nose.

Response and effectiveness

The decongestant effect of phenylephrine in cold or flu remedies should be noticeable within 15 to 30 minutes, and the effects last less than 4 hours. A rapid increase in blood pressure is usually seen following an intravenous dose that persists for up to 20 minutes.

Since phenylephrine was included in the OTC decongestant monograph, they still sell OTC Sudafed and legitimately say, “We've got a decongestant in our product.” The problem is that there was a growing body of evidence that phenylephrine did not work as a decongestant when administered orally.

Can phenylephrine make congestion worse? ›

Rebound congestion develops when you use nasal sprays containing phenylephrine and oxymetazoline for too long. Rebound congestion is tough to treat and can take up to 1 year to go away. You can avoid rebound congestion by stopping decongestant nasal sprays after 3 to 5 days.

The FDA and drug makers believed that constricting blood vessels that supply mucus glands in the nasal passages and sinuses would cause a drop in mucus production. However, new research shows that oral phenylephrine is no more effective than a placebo.

Decongestants. These medicines help reduce the swelling in your nasal passages and ease the stuffiness and sinus pressure. They come as nasal sprays, like naphazoline (Privine), oxymetazoline (Afrin, Dristan, Nostrilla, Vicks Sinus Nasal Spray), or phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine, Rhinall, Sinex).

Studies in 2006 and 2009 found pseudoephedrine to be more effective than phenylephrine in the treatment of nasal congestion.

Top alternatives to phenylephrine include pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), oxymetazoline (Afrin), and fluticasone propionate (Flonase). Saline rinses and sprays are effective, medication-free options to consider. Oral phenylephrine isn't dangerous to take if you have these products at home.

Typical dosing for Phenylephrine (Sudafed PE)

Age 12 years and up: The typical dose is 10 mg by mouth every 4 hours. Don't take more than 60 mg in a 24-hour period.

adults and children 12 years and over: take 1 tablet every 4 hours. Do not take more than 6 tablets in 24 hours. children under 12 years: do not use this product for children under 12 years of ...

Following oral administration or topical application of phenylephrine to the mucosa, constriction of blood vessels in the nasal mucosa relieves nasal congestion associated with allergy or head colds. Following oral administration, nasal decongestion may occur within 15 or 20 minutes and may persist for up to 4 hours.

Response and effectiveness

The decongestant effect of phenylephrine in cold or flu remedies should be noticeable within 15 to 30 minutes, and the effects last less than 4 hours. A rapid increase in blood pressure is usually seen following an intravenous dose that persists for up to 20 minutes.