Pseudoephedrine

Pseudoephedrine relieves sinus and nasal congestion. If you have high blood pressure, this medication may not be safe for you to use.

Pseudoephedrine Overview

Updated: July 29, 2015

Pseudoephedrine is an over-the-counter medication. It is used to treat stuffy nose. Pseudoephedrine belongs to a group of drugs called nasal decongestants. It works by shrink the size of blood vessels in your nose that cause congestion when symptoms occur.

This medication comes in tablets and extended release tablet form. Regular tablets are taken four to six times per day as needed. The extended release tablets are taken up to twice a day with a glass of water.

Do not chew, divide, or break pseudoephedrine extended release tablets. Swallow pseudoephedrine extended release tablets whole.

Pseudoephedrine also comes as a solution and chew tablets for dosing in children.

Pseudoephedrine can also cause fast pounding heart beat (that you can feel in your chest), dizziness, and ringing in your ears. Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how pseudoephedrine affects you.

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Asthma
Common Cold
Rhinitis, Allergic, Perennial
Sinusitis

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Uses of Pseudoephedrine

Pseudoephedrine is a behind-the-counter medication used to relieve sinus congestion and pressure cause by common cold, hay fever or other allergies.

This medication may be prescribed for other uses. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information

Pseudoephedrine Brand Names

Pseudoephedrine may be found in some form under the following brand names:

Pseudoephedrine Drug Class

Pseudoephedrine is part of the drug class:

Sympathomimetics

Side Effects of Pseudoephedrine

Serious side effects have been reported with pseudoephedrine. See the “Pseudoephedrine Precautions” section.

Common side effects of pseudoephedrine include the following:

loss of appetite
warm tingling skin
restlessness or excitability
difficulty sleeping

This is not a complete list of pseudoephedrine side effects. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for more information

.Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to the FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Pseudoephedrine Interactions

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take, including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

No drug interactions have been determined by the manufacturer. However, you should tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and non-prescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements. Not all drug interactions are known or reported and new drug interactions are continually being reported.

Pseudoephedrine Precautions

Serious side effects have been reported with pseudoephedrine including the following:

Fast pounding heartbeat. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms:
- heartbeat you can feel in your chest
- thumping feeling in your chest

Severe dizziness or anxiety. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms:
- lightheaded
- loss of balance
- nausea
- excited or panic feeling

High blood pressure. Tell your healthcare provider right away if you have some or all of the following symptoms:
- severe headache
- blurred vision
- ringing in you ears
- chest pain

Pseudoephedrine can cause drowsiness or feelings that may impair your ability to drive . Do not drive or operate heavy machinery until you know how pseudoephedrine affects you.

Do not take pseudoephedrine if you

are allergic to pseudoephedrine or any of its ingredients
do not take pseudoephedrine if you are taking a monoamine oxidase (MAO) inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), and tranylcypromine (Parnate), or if you have stopped taking one of these medications within the past 2 weeks.

Pseudoephedrine Food Interactions

Medications can interact with certain foods. In some cases, this may be harmful and your doctor may advise you to avoid certain foods. In the case of pseudoephedrine, there are no specific foods that you must exclude from your diet when receiving this medication. However, foods and drinks that contain large amounts of caffeine can make the side effects of pseudoephedrine worse.

Inform MD

Before taking pseudoephedrine, tell your doctor about all of your medical conditions. Especially if you:

are allergic to pseudoephedrine or to any of its ingredients
have or have had high blood pressure
have liver problems
have heart problems
have thyroid disease
are pregnant or breastfeeding
have diabetes

Tell your doctor about all the medicines you take including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.

Pseudoephedrine and Pregnancy

Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant.

The FDA categorizes medications based on safety for use during pregnancy. Five categories A, B, C, D, and X, are used to classify the possible risks to an unborn baby when a medication is taken during pregnancy.

There are no well controlled studies that have been done in pregnant women. Pseudoephedrine should be used during pregnancy only if the possible benefit outweighs the possible risk to the unborn baby.

Pseudoephedrine and Lactation

Tell your doctor if you are breastfeeding or plan to breastfeed.

Pseudoephedrine has been detected in human breast milk. Because of the possibility for adverse reactions in nursing infants from pseudoephedrine, a choice should be made whether to stop nursing or to stop use of this medication. The importance of the drug to the mother should be considered.

Pseudoephedrine Usage

Take pseudoephedrine exactly as prescribed.

This medication comes in tablets and extended release tablet form.

Regular tablets and the solution forms are taken four to six times per day, as needed.
The extended-release 12 hour tablets usually is taken no more then every 12 hours or two doses in a 24 hour period.
The extended-release 24 hour formulation is taken once a day, usually in the morning. The 24 hour formulation is not to be taken more than once a day.

Do not chew, divide, or break pseudoephedrine extended release tablets. Swallow pseudoephedrine extended release tablets whole.

Take the last dose of pseudoephedrine a few hours before bedtime to avoid problems falling asleep.

If you miss a dose, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for the next dose, skip the missed dose and take your next dose at the regular time. Do not take two doses of pseudoephedrine at the same time.

Pseudoephedrine Dosage

Take this medication exactly as prescribed by your doctor. Follow the directions on your prescription label carefully.

The dose your doctor recommends may be based on the following:

the condition being treated
other medical conditions you have
other medications you are taking
how you respond to this medication
your weight
your height
your age
your gender

Pseudoephedrine Overdose

If you take too much of this medication, call your healthcare provider or local Poison Control Center, or seek emergency medical attention right away.

If this medication is administered by a healthcare provider in a medical setting, it is unlikely that an overdose will occur. However, if overdose is suspected, seek emergency medical attention.

Other Requirements

Store pseudoephedrine at room temperature.
Keep this and all medicines out of the reach of children.

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