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Colds: no to decongestants!

The presence of vasocontrictors in cold remedies is unacceptable, given their sometimes serious, even fatal, adverse effects.

In 2005, the US drug regulatory agency, the FDA, reported 3 infant deaths associated with cough and cold remedies containing pseudoephedrine.

It is outrageous that children should die from a cold because of the use of vasoconstrictors as decongestants.

The reappearance on the French market of Pernazene°, a drug sold to relieve the symptoms of nasal congestion, is also regrettable. This drug contains oxymetazoline, a vasoconstrictor which can cause serious neurological, psychiatric and cardiovascular adverse effects. It exposes the patient to further nasal congestion when treatment stops, and its interactions with other drugs are numerous.

There are better means of relieving benign cold symptoms without running a disproportionate risk, such as steam inhalations or rinsing out the nose with saline solution.

©Prescrire June 2007

Source: "Décongestionnants mortels chez des nourrissons" Rev Prescrire 2007 ; 27 (284) : 429.

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