Opinion: Phenylephrine is no better than a placebo. What if that’s still better than nothing?
As the temperatures cool, the season of colds, flu, and now Covid-19 is heating up. If you’re like many people, you’ve probably stocked up on over-the-counter cold medicine to help thwart the cough and runny nose circulating this time of year.
But you might be questioning your arsenal right now. An FDA advisory panel just concluded that a very common decongestant called phenylephrine is not effective when taken orally. Phenylephrine is found in everything from some Sudafed products (namely, those not behind the counter) to Dayquil.
