Decongestants Archives - Jeffrey Sterling, MD

From the Health Library of SterlingMedicalAdvice.com: “Why would my doctor tell me not to take a decongestant?”

As you struggle from allergies season, the lede is a reasonable question, here is its answer.
Based on how ubiquitous cold and flu remedies are, you would think they were the safest medications known to man. That’s actually not the case and in some instances can be quite far from the truth. The reason for this is simple. Decongestants work by manipulating blood vessels. Specifically, they narrow nasal blood vessels, creating more room for air flow and mucous drainage while reducing swelling and other effects of inflammation. This is a major part of how you treat upper respiratory viral infections like colds and the flu; antibiotics don’t work against viruses.
Unfortunately, if you have certain medical issues, you should not take decongestants. Here’s a list situations that can make it dangerous to take decongestants:

Allergies to pseudo-ephedrine
Children under age 4
Diabetes
Glaucoma
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Kidney disease
Prostate disease
Pregnant
Breast feeding women
Thyroid disease

So … even if it’s an over the counter preparation, if you’re not sure, head over to the pharmacist before you make that purchase at the store. Of course, you can always connect with your SterlingMedicalAdvice.com consultant as well.
Feel free to ask your SMA expert consultant any questions you may have on this topic.
Order your copy of Dr. Sterling’s new book Behind The Curtain: A Peek at Life from within the ER at jeffreysterlingbooks.com, iTunes, Amazon, Barnes and Nobles and wherever books are sold.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) and 844-SMA-TALK offers. Please share our page with your friends on WordPress, like us on Facebook @ SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and follow us on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.
Copyright © 2016 · Sterling Initiatives, LLC · Powered by WordPress

From the Health Library of SterlingMedicalAdvice.com: "Why would my doctor tell me not to take a decongestant?"

Thanks for all the reader submissions on Blog and FAQ ideas. Here’s my first response.
Based on how ubiquitous cold and flu remedies are, you would think they were the safest medications known to man. That’s actually not the case and in some instances can be quite far from the truth. The reason for this is simple. Decongestants work by manipulating blood vessels. Specifically, they narrow nasal blood vessels, creating more room for air flow and mucous drainage while reducing swelling and other effects of inflammation. This is a major part of how you treat upper respiratory viral infections like colds and the flu; antibiotics don’t work against viruses.
Unfortunately, if you have certain medical issues, you should not take decongestants. Here’s a list situations that can make it dangerous to take decongestants:

Allergies to pseudo-ephedrine
Children under age 4
Diabetes
Glaucoma
High blood pressure
Heart disease
Kidney disease
Prostate disease
Pregnant
Breast feeding women
Thyroid disease

So … even if it’s an over the counter preparation, if you’re not sure, head over to the pharmacist before you make that purchase at the store. Of course, you can always connect with your SterlingMedicalAdvice.com consultant as well.
Thanks for liking and following Straight, No Chaser! This public service provides a sample of what http://www.SterlingMedicalAdvice.com (SMA) offers. Please share our page with your Friends on WordPress, and we can be found on Facebook at SterlingMedicalAdvice.com and on Twitter at @asksterlingmd.