Is Louisiana Taking Popular Cold Medicine Off Shelves?

When you’re feeling sick, it’s easy to reach for your favorite cough and cold medicine, hoping it will help clear up stuffy noses and ease symptoms. But could Louisiana stores be removing a popular cold medicine from their shelves? Here's everything we know...

For me, when I get the sniffles, have a cough, or maybe even feel a slight temperature coming on, the first medicine I reach for is DayQyuil or NyQuil. That is a medicine I have lived and died by, for better or for worse...

It is starting to sound like those items might be in jeopardy moving forward.

CNN reported on Thursday that the FDA is taking steps to remove a popular decongestant from store shelves, saying it doesn’t actually work to relieve congestion when taken in pill form. Phenylephrine, found in well-known brands like Sudafed PE, Vicks DayQuil, and Mucinex Sinus-Max, has been a go-to ingredient for many people looking for relief from stuffy noses. However new studies show that it might not be effective when taken orally.

Phenylephrine is a common ingredient in many cold and allergy medicines. It’s used as a decongestant to help relieve stuffy noses, especially in products you can buy without a prescription, like DayQuil and Sudafed PE. Phenylephrine became popular after another decongestant, pseudoephedrine, was moved behind the pharmacy counter due to misuse.

The FDA’s announcement isn’t an immediate ban. Instead, there’s a six-month period for the public to share their thoughts. After that, the FDA will decide if phenylephrine should be pulled from stores. CVS stopped selling products with phenylephrine last year after the FDA said it doesn’t work, but other major pharmacies, like Walgreens and Rite Aid, still have them for now.

If the FDA officially bans phenylephrine from oral medications, manufacturers will have to decide whether to create new formulas or stop making these products.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL REPORT FROM THE FDA

Per the Report from CNN and other major National Sources, it sounds like this change might only affect oral medicines, not nasal sprays, which also use phenylephrine. For now, Louisiana residents can still find cold medications with phenylephrine in many stores, but the future of these products is uncertain.