Afrin Alternatives Compared
| Afrin | Pseudoephedrine | Phenylephrine |
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| Afrin oxymetazoline | Pseudoephedrine | Phenylephrine |
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Prescribed for Nasal Congestion. Afrin may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide. |
Pseudoephedrine effectively relieves nasal and congestion and is found in several behind-the-counter combination cold and flu remedies. Photo ID must be produced to purchase it and pharmacies must... View more |
Phenylephrine relieves congestion of the nasal passages and is found in many cold and flu remedies. There is some controversy over whether it works at the dosages usually found in over-the-counter... View more |
Choose a suggestion below |
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| More about Afrin (oxymetazoline) | More about Pseudoephedrine | More about Phenylephrine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Over-the-counter |
Prescription and OTC |
Prescription and OTC |
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| Ratings & Reviews | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Afrin has an average rating of 3.2 out of 10 from a total of 119 ratings on Drugs.com. 18% of reviewers reported a positive effect, while 71% reported a negative effect. |
Pseudoephedrine has an average rating of 6.5 out of 10 from a total of 76 ratings on Drugs.com. 60% of reviewers reported a positive effect, while 31% reported a negative effect. |
Phenylephrine has an average rating of 5.8 out of 10 from a total of 17 ratings on Drugs.com. 56% of reviewers reported a positive effect, while 44% reported a negative effect. |
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| Drug Class | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Side Effects | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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See the full Afrin side effects document. |
See the full pseudoephedrine side effects document. |
See the full phenylephrine side effects document. |
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| Pricing and Coupons * Prices are without insurance | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
View all Afrin prices and generic prices |
View all pseudoephedrine prices |
View all phenylephrine prices |
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| Dosage Form(s) Available | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Brand Names | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Other oxymetazoline brands include: 12 Hour Nasal, 12 Hour Nasal Decongestant Spray, Afrin Allergy Sinus Nasal Spray, Afrin NoDrip Allergy Sinus, Afrin NoDrip Extra Moisturizing, Afrin NoDrip Original, Afrin NoDrip Severe Congestion, Afrin NoDrip Sinus, Afrin Original, Afrin Severe Congestion, Afrin Sinus, Allerest 12 Hour Nasal Spray, CVS Health Sinus Relief, Dristan 12 Hour Nasal Spray, Duramist Plus, Duration, Four-Way Nasal Spray, Genasal, Giltuss Severe Sinus, Mucinex Sinus-Max Clear & Cool, Mucinex Sinus-Max Full Force, Mucinex Sinus-Max Moisture Smart, Nostrilla, Nostrilla 12 Hour, Todays Health Nasal Relief Extra Moisturizing, Vicks QlearQuil 12 Hour Nasal Decongestant Moisturizing Spray, Vicks Sinex 12-Hour Decongestant Nasal Spray, Vicks Sinex 12-Hour Decongestant UltraFine Mist, Vicks Sinex Moisturizing 12-Hour Decongestant UltraFine Mist, Vicks Sinex Severe Nasal Spray, Zicam Extreme Congestion Relief, Zicam Sinus Relief View more | 12 Hour Decongestant, 12 Hour Nasal Decongestant, Afrinol, Allermed, Cenafed, Children's Dimetapp Decongestant Infant, Chlor-Trimeton Nasal Decongestant, Contac Cold, Decofed, Decofed Liquid, Drixoral Decongestant Non-Drowsy, Efidac, Elixsure Decongestant, Entex, Genaphed, nasofed, Nexafed Nasal Decongestant, Novafed, Silfedrine, Sudafed 12-Hour, Sudafed 24-Hour, Sudafed Congestion, SudoGest, SudoGest 12 Hour, Suphedrin, Suphedrine, Zephrex-D View more | AH-Chew D, Biorphen, Congest Aid II, Contac-D, Despec-SF, Dimetapp Toddler's Drops Decongestant, Gilchew IR, Little Colds Decongestant, Nasal Decongestant PE, Nasop, Nasop12, Neo-Synephrine, Ricobid-D, Sudafed PE Children's Nasal Decongestant, Sudafed PE Congestion, Sudogest PE, Suphedrine PE, Vazculep View more | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Half Life The half-life of a drug is the time taken for the plasma concentration of a drug to reduce to half its original value. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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N/A |
16 hours |
N/A |
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| CSA Schedule** View glossary of terms | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Not a controlled drug
Is not subject to the Controlled Substances Act. |
Not a controlled drug
Is not subject to the Controlled Substances Act. |
Not a controlled drug
Is not subject to the Controlled Substances Act. |
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| Pregnancy Category | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Category C
Risk cannot be ruled out
See the full Pregnancy Warnings document. |
Category N
Not classified
See the full Pregnancy Warnings document. |
Category C
Risk cannot be ruled out
See the full Pregnancy Warnings document. |
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| Drug Interactions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A total of 48 drugs are known to interact with Afrin:
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A total of 153 drugs are known to interact with pseudoephedrine:
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A total of 180 drugs are known to interact with phenylephrine:
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| Alcohol/Food/Lifestyle Interactions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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No known alcohol/food interactions. This does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider. |
No known alcohol/food interactions. This does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider. |
No known alcohol/food interactions. This does not necessarily mean no interactions exist. Always consult your healthcare provider. |
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| Disease Interactions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First Approval Date | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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N/A |
N/A |
N/A |
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| WADA Class View World Anti-Doping Agency classifications. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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N/A |
N/A |
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N/A |
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| Related Treatment Guide | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
** The Controlled Substances Act (CSA) schedule information displayed applies to substances regulated under federal law. There may be variations in CSA schedules between individual states.
Further information
Always consult your healthcare provider to ensure the information displayed on this page applies to your personal circumstances.