Many consumers are finding it harder and harder to find the cough and cold medicines they’ve been buying for years.
Some pharmacies and stores have pulled the medications from their shelves and posted signs apologizing to customers. And that’s driven up demand for alternative medicines.
The change came after an initial order earlier this month by the Federal Drug Administration to remove the ingredient, phenylephrine, from those medicines after an advisory committee found it to be ineffective.
If a federal advisory committee finds an ingredient is still safe but not effective, the FDA can issue a proposed order to remove the ingredient from over-the-counter medications.
The proposed order is then open for public comment.
In the case of phenylephrine, public comments are being accepted through May 7, 2025.
The FDA will then decide whether or not to move forward with a final order to remove it from medicines and will work with manufacturers on adjusting their products. Then medications with the ineffective ingredient will no longer be sold.
But some stores aren’t waiting for a final order. They’ve already stopped selling phenylephrine products and consumers were left scrambling to find something different.
There was such a big demand for alternative medications, such as Sudafed, that the Costco in Tri-Cities ran out entirely in mid-November, according to a sign posted at its pharmacy. More was expected in this week.
What medicine has phenylephrine?
The current order is specifically for orally-administered phenylephrine and does not include nasal products.
Medications using phenylephrine for congestion relief include:
- Advil sinus congestion
- Dayquil (some products)
- Mucinex (some products)
- Nyquil (some products)
- Robitussin (some products)
- Sinex liquicaps
- Sudafed PE
- Theraflu (some products)
- Tylenol sinus
So, what alternatives are there for nasal congestion relief?
Alternatives to phenylephrine
There are several other alternatives available when it comes to over-the-counter medicine for congestion.
For example, pseudoephedrine, more commonly known as Sudafed, is recommended by healthcare professionals. The product Sudafed PE specifically has phenylephrine, but other options do not.
Antihistamines can also help, like Claritin and Zyrtec.
Nasal sprays are an option as well, with or without phenylephrine.
But with such a change has caused an increase in demand and some stores are having trouble keeping non-phenylephrine options in stock.
Nasal congestion relief
Since stores are still allowed to sell the medications, many are still offering medicine with phenylephrine.
Rite Aid, Safeway, Target and Walmart still have some of the most popular options with phenylephrine, like Sudafed PE.
No other pharmacies reported a shortage of products with Sudafed, though several declined to comment for this story.