Simple answers to common cold med questions

Though they were staples of medicine cabinets for decades, cold remedies have suddenly become controversial. As a result, you may be wondering whether the old standbys are safe or if they even work. We'll help you find the truth.

• For years, congested consumers have turned to cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine to relieve blocked nasal passages. But this highly effective ingredient has a dark side: it can be used to manufacture the illegal stimulant drug methamphetamine.
• Because drug dealers were purchasing or stealing large amounts of pseudoephedrine from pharmacies and other retailers, some countries now limit the sale of products containing it. In the United States, stores must keep pseudoephedrine products behind the counter. Consumers can purchase only small amounts at a time and must show identification.
• In response to these restrictions, drug companies reformulated many cold remedies by replacing pseudoephedrine with another decongestant, phenylephrine. Consumers can easily find them on store shelves, but it might not be worth it to bother.
• Doctors and pharmacists say legions of people have come forward complaining that these cold remedies don't work, and studies suggest that they're right.
• One review of eight studies found that the legally allowed dose of phenylephrine in the United States (10 milligrams) does nothing to unblock clogged nasal passages.
• Decongestants work by causing blood vessels to constrict. Taken in pill form, they have this effect throughout the body, which can slow circulation and raise blood pressure. To clear a stuffy nose, try nasal sprays containing phenylephrine or oxymetazoline.

• Many cold and flu remedies include several different drugs, each intended to treat different symptoms. But if you don't have all of those symptoms, more isn't better.
• When it comes to battling a case of the sniffles or a nasty flu, mercy is not an option: you want to clobber the bug with all the ammo that you can get a hold of. But before you reach for a pill that contains every symptom buster around, make sure you actually have all of those symptoms.
• These pills and elixirs often contain a pain reliever such as acetaminophen for aches and fever, an antihistamine for a runny nose, a decongestant for a stuffy nose, and a cough suppressant and/or expectorant. At the very least, these medications will put you to sleep, either from the antihistamine or from reading the ingredients list.

Though some are still effective, a lot of medications have side effects like drowsiness. It's up to you to read the ingredients and instructions carefully to ensure that you take the right treatment for you and that you don't mix medicines that contain the same ingredient. Be cautious and informed and you can still find remedies that will ease your symptoms.