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Pseudoephedrine (soo-doe-e-FED-rin) is used to relieve nasal or sinus congestion caused by the common cold, sinusitis, and hay fever and other respiratory allergies. It is also used to relieve ear congestion caused by ear inflammation or infection.
Some of these preparations are available only with your doctor's prescription. Others are available without a prescription; however, your doctor may have special instructions on the proper dose of pseudoephedrine for your medical condition.
Pseudoephedrine is available in the following dosage forms:
If you are taking this medicine without a prescription, carefully read and follow any precautions on the label. For pseudoephedrine, the following should be considered:
Allergies—Tell your doctor if you have ever had any unusual or allergic reaction to pseudoephedrine or similar medicines, such as albuterol, amphetamines, ephedrine, epinephrine, isoproterenol, metaproterenol, norepinephrine, phenylephrine, phenylpropanolamine, or terbutaline. Also tell your health care professional if you are allergic to any other substances, such as foods, preservatives, or dyes.
Pregnancy—Studies on birth defects have not been done in humans. Pseudoephedrine has not been shown to cause birth defects in animal studies. However, studies in animals have shown that pseudoephedrine causes a reduction in average weight, length, and rate of bone formation in the animal fetus.
Breast-feeding—Pseudoephedrine passes into breast milk and may cause unwanted effects in nursing babies (especially newborn and premature babies).
Children—Pseudoephedrine may be more likely to cause side effects in infants, especially newborn and premature infants, than in older children and adults.
Older adults—Many medicines have not been studied specifically in older people. Therefore, it may not be known whether they work exactly the same way they do in younger adults or if they cause different side effects or problems in older people. There is no specific information comparing use of pseudoephedrine in the elderly with use in other age groups.
Other medicines—Although certain medicines should not be used together at all, in other cases two different medicines may be used together even if an interaction might occur. In these cases, your doctor may want to change the dose, or other precautions may be necessary. When you are taking pseudoephedrine, it is especially important that your health care professional know if you are taking any of the following:
For patients taking pseudoephedrine extended-release capsules:
For patients taking pseudoephedrine extended-release tablets:
To help prevent trouble in sleeping, take the last dose of pseudoephedrine for each day a few hours before bedtime. If you have any questions about this, check with your doctor.
Take this medicine only as directed. Do not take more of it, do not take it more often, and do not take it for a longer period of time than recommended on the label (usually 7 days), unless otherwise directed by your doctor. To do so may increase the chance of side effects.
Dosing—
The dose of pseudoephedrine will be different for different patients. Follow your doctor's orders or the directions on the label. The following information includes only the average doses of pseudoephedrine. If your dose is different, do not change it unless your doctor tells you to do so.
The number of capsules, tablets, or teaspoonfuls of solution or syrup that you take each day depends on the strength of the medicine. Also, the time between doses depends on whether you are taking a short-acting or long-acting form of pseudoephedrine.
Missed dose—
If you miss a dose of this medicine and you remember within an hour or so of the missed dose, take it right away. However, if you do not remember until later, skip the missed dose and go back to your regular dosing schedule. Do not double doses.
Storage—
To store this medicine:
If symptoms do not improve within 7 days or if you also have a high fever, check with your doctor since these signs may mean that you have other medical problems.
Along with its needed effects, a medicine may cause some unwanted effects. Although not all of these side effects may occur, if they do occur they may need medical attention.
Check with your doctor as soon as possible if any of the following side effects occur:
Other side effects may occur that usually do not need medical attention. These side effects may go away during treatment as your body adjusts to the medicine. However, check with your health care professional if any of the following side effects continue or are bothersome:
Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some patients. If you notice any other effects, check with your health care professional.
Copyright© 2003 Thomson MICROMEDEX. All rights reserved. USP DI® and Advice for the Patient® are registered trademarks of USP used under license to Micromedex, a business of Thomson Healthcare Inc. Information is for End User's use only and may not be sold, redistributed or otherwise used for commercial purposes.
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Page last updated: 22 October 2004 |