Comparing Phenylephrine vs Pseudoephedrine
| Phenylephrine | Pseudoephedrine |
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| Phenylephrine | Pseudoephedrine |
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Prescription and OTC
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 |
Prescription and OTC
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 |
Related suggestions Nasal Congestion
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| More about Phenylephrine | More about Pseudoephedrine | ||||||||||||||||
| Generic Status | |||||||||||||||||
| Ratings & Reviews | |||||||||||||||||
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Phenylephrine has an average rating of 6.0 out of 10 from a total of 19 ratings on Drugs.com. 59% of reviewers reported a positive effect, while 41% reported a negative effect. |
Pseudoephedrine has an average rating of 6.6 out of 10 from a total of 78 ratings on Drugs.com. 61% of reviewers reported a positive effect, while 31% reported a negative effect. |
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| Side Effects | |||||||||||||||||
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See also: phenylephrine side effects in more detail. |
See also: pseudoephedrine side effects in more detail. |
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| Pricing and Coupons * Prices are without insurance | |||||||||||||||||
View all phenylephrine prices |
View all pseudoephedrine prices |
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| Dosage Form(s) Available | |||||||||||||||||
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| Brand Names | |||||||||||||||||
| 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 | 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 | ||||||||||||||||
| 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 |
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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. |
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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. |
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| Drug Interactions | |||||||||||||||||
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A total of 182 drugs are known to interact with phenylephrine:
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A total of 155 drugs are known to interact with pseudoephedrine:
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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. |
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| Disease Interactions | |||||||||||||||||
| First Approval Date | |||||||||||||||||
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N/A |
N/A |
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| WADA Class View World Anti-Doping Agency classifications. | |||||||||||||||||
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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.