They are sold without a prescription and available in all pharmacies.
They can be purchased without a prescription in all French pharmacies, but these drugs are dangerous and should therefore be avoided. The cause is their pseudoephedrine content. It is thanks to this that these drugs called “vasoconstrictors” quickly unblock the nose and relieve cold symptoms, but it is also because of this that they can cause “myocardial infarctions and strokes” warned theMedicines Agency in 2023. The risk is “very weak but these events can occur regardless of the dose and duration of treatment”. In spring 2024, the authority also shared other adverse effects after use of drugs containing pseudoephedrine: ischemic optic neuropathy, convulsions and serious skin reactions such as acute generalized exanthematous pustulosis. Given the seriousness of the accidents and the persistence of the cases, the ANSM advises against using them in case of colds. Data have also reported posterior reversible encephalopathy syndromes and syndromes of reversible cerebral vasoconstriction after taking an oral vasoconstrictor containing pseudoephedrine.
As these drugs are available in many other European countries, the ANSM has requested their re-evaluation at European level. Medicines to avoid in case of cold are:
- Actifed Cold
- Actifed Cold day and night
- Dolirhume Paracetamol and Pseudoephedrine
- Dolirhumepro Paracetamol Pseudoephedrine and Doxylamine
- Humex Cold
- Nurofen Cold
- Rhinadvil Cold Ibuprofen/Pseudoephedrine
- Rhinadvilcaps Cold Ibuprofen/Pseudoephedrine
As a reminder, a Cold heals spontaneously in 7 to 10 days. To reduce symptoms without endangering your health:
- Take paracetamol for headache.
- Wash the nose with physiological serum, thermal water sprays or sea water.
- Drink water regularly throughout the day.
- Elevate your head while sleeping (with a pillow for example).
- Do not exceed 20 degrees in the room (18-19°c is even better).
- Ventilate the rooms regularly.
- Put a few drops of eucalyptus radiata essential oil in hot water and let it diffuse in the room.
The Medicines Agency also points out that the simultaneous use of tablets containing pseudoephedrine (Dolirhume, Actifed, etc.) and a nasal spray containing other vasoconstrictor molecules such as oxymetazoline, ephedrine, naphazoline, tuaminoheptane is “an additional risk factor for neurological and cardiovascular adverse effects.”