I've Sinus-ed off on this one (Sudafed)

Member Name: TheChocolateLady

Product:	Sudafed
Date:	13/01/09 (277 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Works effectively, doesn't overly dry me out, reduces pressure

Disadvantages: Not for everyone

I've been using Sudafed for so many years now that I'm surprised I've never written a review on it before. Sudafed is an over-the-counter medication, for relief of nasal and sinus congestion caused by allergies, hay fever or colds. There are many types of Sudafed available on the market today, but the one I've use the most are the classic little red round pills. More recently, I've bought their 12 hour tablets but these are the ones I prefer to use. The active ingredient in these is Pseudoephedrine Hydrochloride (although in some countries there are restrictions on this drug and you can only buy a version of with Phenylephrine Hydrochloride over the counter freely). Anyone allergic to either of these, or has high blood pressure, heart disease or is taking anti-depressants should stop reading this review right now - since this is unsuitable for them.

I don't know what I'd do without Sudafed in my life. I often get severe headaches which come from pressure in my sinuses. This happens to me mostly during the transitional seasons when there are allergens in the air, or when there is a sudden change in the weather. I get a feeling under my cheekbones and beneath my forehead of pressure that can even become sensitive to the touch. If not checked, this can turn into a stabbing, sharp pain that also makes my vision blurry and can get so severe as to cause dizziness, nausea and even vomiting. Sounds pretty dreadful, doesn't it? Well it certainly is and I can promise you that.

Before I found Sudafed, the only thing I could do when these headaches came on was take a couple of non-aspirin pain relievers (since I'm allergic to aspirin) and crawl into bed, hoping to sleep it off. Of course, that put me immediately out of action for both work and home - not something a working mother can afford to do on a regular basis, I assure you. But ever since I started using Sudafed, I've actually been able to keep myself functioning until bed-time. If I catch one of these attacks early enough on, taking one of these pills will reduce the pressure I feel, and lessen the residual pain. This is especially useful if the attack comes on during the daytime, or if I wake up feeling this way. Since Sudafed is a non-drowsy medication, I can keep going throughout the day and while I might not be at the top of my form, at least I am able to get done what's needed. At night, if I take one of these, I know my sleep won't be disturbed with increased pressure - which also helps my husband sleep, since it keeps me from snoring more than usual.

While my condition doesn't manifest itself in a stuffy nose, I've also used Sudafed when I've gotten colds to help reduce nasal congestion. I find that Sudafed really helps me breathe better than most cold medications I've tried. Combined with some Vicks on my chest at night, Sudafed can really reduce cold symptoms and this - together with drinking a nice bowl of chicken soup - has become my favourite tried-and-true cold recipe.

I can't really say what it is about Sudafed that makes it work for me better than any of the other decongestants on the market today. From what I can see, most of them seem to have the same active ingredients, but for some reason Sudafed works where others I've tried have failed. I'm thinking it is psychological, much akin to the fact that I find acetaminophen (the name of the ingredient in American non-aspirin pain relievers) to work better for me than paracetamol does (which is just another name for the exact same thing). By the way, I find that the 12 hour tablets of Sudafed dry me out too much and although they work fine, I don't like how they make me feel and so I prefer these that you take every four hours.

After all that, even though Sudafed may not be the cheapest decongestant on the market, I'll continue buying it for as long as it keeps helping me. I'll give Sudafed five stars out of five and highly recommend it to anyone who is stuffed up or feeling sinus pressure (but don't forget to read the label carefully and follow the directions properly).

Thanks for reading, and wishing you all the best of health!

Davida Chazan © January 2009
(Also published on Ciao.com)

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Technical Stuff:

Sudafed can be purchased at any chemists and Boots sells this online for £2.30 for a package of 12 tablets, or from http://www.superliving.co.uk/pharmacy/sudafed.html for £2.10.

The webpage for Sudafed can be found at http://www.sudafed.com/ and there you'll find information regarding the different products they offer. Sudafed is produced by Johnson & Johnson, which is part of the McNeil Consumer Healthcare Division of McNEIL-PPC, Inc.

Further information about this can be found at http://www2.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/showpreparat ion.asp?id=2479 and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudafed
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Summary: Sinus and Nasal Decongestant that works for me