Rare side effects but can be very serious. It is for this reason that the National Medicines Safety Agency (ASNM) is once again warning, this Monday, October 23, against anti-cold treatments.
Often sold without a prescription in pharmacies, these vasoconstrictor tablets such as Humex, Actifed, Nurofen, Rhinadvil or Dolirhume are nevertheless very popular with the French. They are used to relieve a cold but are strongly discouraged by the ANSM. “I want to say to the French: don’t use them anymore!”, says her boss Christelle Ratignier-Carbonneil At Parisian.
In question, rare side effects but recurrent enough to raise an alert. These treatments result in a reduction in the size of blood vessels, and in the event of infection, decongest and deflate the mucous membrane of the nose relatively quickly. Problem: they are suspected of increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.
Favor natural methods
Control of the dispensing of these medications has been strengthened in recent years: advertising ban since 2017, dispensing assistance sheet for pharmacists in 2020, numerous contraindications (children under 15, pregnant women, hypertension, diabetes, history of stroke, convulsion, coronary insufficiency, hyperthyroidism, etc.).
In the future, “we are not going to prioritize this drug, this is what the ANSM is asking us: to be careful and not to put too much emphasis on this molecule”, explains Pierre-Olivier Variot, president of the Union of Community Pharmacists’ Unions, on BFMTV.
Only tablets are covered by the ANSM warning. Vasoconstrictors in the form of nasal sprays are not affected. They are already regulated and only issued by prescription, unlike the tablets available without a prescription at the pharmacy counter.
In the event of a cold and a blocked nose, it is better to favor anti-inflammatories, paracetamol or even more natural methods such as nose washes with serums concentrated in sea water.