VUMC doctor agrees with FDA push to remove popular cold medicines off shelves

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - With cold season coming up, don’t be surprised if you can’t find some of your usual medicines.

The FDA is pushing to ban phenylephrine which is in medications like NyQuil, Mucinex Sinus-Max, and Sudafed PE. This comes after research shows it’s ineffective when taken orally.

Courtney Lamb says she uses natural remedies when she gets colds, while her husband turns to decongestants.

“As soon as he gets a sniffle, he’s like ‘NyQuil. I’m taking that.’ And it’s funny, he ends up actually being more sick than I am,” Lamb said.

Now we may know the reason behind that.

“Now that the FDA has done a very careful analysis of all the literature related to this medication, phenylephrine, they’ve decided it’s not a good decongestant after all. It doesn’t work,” Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Dr. William Schaffner said.

Some stores like CVS have already pulled all items with phenylephrine from their shelves, but you still can get the products at pharmacies like Walgreens for now.

“Some people may hoard it, but the phenylephrine obviously hasn’t worked as a decongest. There may be other ingredients in that product that will help you out a little bit,” Dr. Schaffner said.

So what do doctors think should you do if you get a cold?

“I don’t think we have another decongestant that’s ready to go into these products, so we’re going to have to go to the tried and true,” Dr. Schaffner said.

Those tried-and-true methods - Dr. Schaffner says - are hot showers, lots of fluids, and exercise, which is the route Lamb has been taking.

“I drink teas, honey and cinnamon, things like that. Getting outside, taking walks, just doing things that will boost my immune system basically,” Lamb said.

Dr. Schaffner says the reason so many of these products made it onto the shelves in the first place is that over-the-counter drugs were approved using an alternative route. There may be other drugs out there that aren’t as effective as we think, and the FDA is in the process of reviewing all over the counter medications.

“I think there are many grandfathered products that deserve a very careful look by the Food and Frug Administration. Those things are underway, but they usually take a long time,” Dr. Schaffner said.

The ban won’t go into effect immediately. It first has to go through a six month comment period before the FDA makes a final decision.

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