Pseudoephedrine vs. Phenylephrine

[group_theory]

Which one works better as a nasal decongestion?


On a unrelated note (to the poll) - I recently went to a pharmacy to get the 12-hr pseudoephedrine for my stuffy nose. So of course, I had to bring that card to the pharmacy counter. The entire time, the pharm tech kept looking at me as if I just brought in a script for "Oxycontin SR 80mg, disp qs, sig ii tab q6h atc x 3 months, 5 refills"

Anyway, after showing my ID, giving my home phone, getting fingerprinted, and having my photograph taken*, I finally got my single box of 12-hr pseudoephedrine The pharmacist was nice though, telling me that she believes pseudoephedrine not only last longer, but is more effective that phenylephrine. Which is what prompted this poll. So I just want your opinons, experiences, unfounded bias, etc

Cheers!!

group_theory - who is now enjoying a clear nasal passage =)

*slight exaggeration on my part

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[WVUPharm2007]

It's been sufficiently proven that pseudoephedrine works better.

 

[Moxxie]

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=253992

 

[RxRob]

Well I can tell you with certainty that the new Ripped Fuel sucks compared to the old formula.

 

[YO YO YO]

I would like to officially thank all the adddicts, dealers, and synthesizers of methamphetamine. Thanks to your efforts when I have a stuffy/runny nose, I have to carry around a box of PUFFS everywhere I go, because the phenylephrine doesn't do squat.

 

[njac]

our pharmacology prof things phenylephrine is weenie crap.

I think it works just fine, but pseudoephedrine cracks me out and I don't mind taking the PE more often because I can still be a functional member of society when I take it.

 

[Jbuprepharm]

phenylephrine is a joke

I need the good stuff

 

[anagama]

I know this an old thread, but my anecdotal experience from this weekend tells me that phenylephrine is complete junk. Not only does it not work, the packaging for the generic phenylephrine based "sudafed" I bought looks just like the old packaging for the pseudoephedrine based generic sudafed I usually get when I have a cold. Anyway, I spent two days taking 2 pills every 4-6 hours (the usual sudafed dose) without realizing that I wasn't taking sudafed. Turns out, I was taking twice the suggested dosage for the phenylephrine -- and probably more as its uselessness would prompt me to take an extra every now and then. Despite the doubled dose, the phenylephrine did absolutely nothing for me except give me a headache. I've been a miserable mouth breather for two days. In contrast, I got back from the drug store with the real sudafed (well, generic) 30 minutes ago. I took some and for the first time this weekend, I can breathe through my nose. I'm really looking forward to sleeping tonight. Anyway, I just wanted to rant about how bad phenylephrine is, and how packagers need to take special care to change the packaging so people don't think its the same stuff with the same dose. I've used sudafed for years when I have a head cold and though I suppose I should look at the instructions every time, one doesn't always make those perfect decisions when in the middle of a miserable cold.

 

[GatorRxGirl]

I'm weird but phenylepherine works better for me than pseudoephedrine. Old Sudafed does nothing for me. Give me the "watered-down Sudafed" and I'm golden. Weird, huh?

 

[psychoandy]

Pseudophedrine all the way. Save phenylephrine for the ICUs.

 

[Asor]

I read a really good article from Pharmacy Today (it was the supplement issue dated April 2007) titled "The decongestant shuffle. Phenylephrine, pseudophedrine battling efficacy, access concerns" Anyhow, there was a section on how the drugs differ as far as efficacy is concerned. Here is a quote from the article that some of you may find interesting...

" The major difference between phenylephrine and PSE affecting efficacy is a pharmacokinetic one. After oral administration, phenylephrine is subject to extensive presystemic metabolism by monamine oxidase in the gut wall. As a result, only 38% of an orally administered dose of phenylephrine reaches the bloodstream compared with 90% of a PSE dose. Only a scant amount of scientific data explore whether this difference in bioavailability has relevance to the efficacy of orally administered phenylephrine, and most of that is in company studies from the early 1970s that have never been published."

Pretty interesting stuff--thought I'd share

Asor