Sold without a prescription, cold medications are not recommended in October 2023 by the Medicines Agency due to a risk of cardiovascular accidents.
You can buy them without prescription in all pharmacies French but really be cautious with cold medicines containing pseudoephedrine. Although they are known for their rapid action on nasal congestion and other cold symptoms, vasoconstrictors can lead to “myocardial infarctions and strokes” warns the Medicines Agency (ANSM) in a communicated from October 22. The risk is “very weak” reassures the authority “but these events can occur regardless of dose and duration of treatment”. In view of the severity of accidents and some persistence of cases, the ANSM now advises against using these medications. In addition, recent data have reported cases of reversible encephalopathy syndromes posterior and cerebral vasoconstriction syndromes reversible after taking a oral vasoconstrictor containing pseudoephedrine.
Actifed, Dolirhume, Humex Rhume…
As these drugs are available in many other European countries, the ANSM has requested their re-evaluation at European level. In the meantime, the reinforced surveillance put in place in France is maintained and other restrictive measures could be taken to protect patients. THE medicines affected by this warning are :
- Active 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
How to treat a cold without taking these medications?
As a reminder, a cold heals spontaneously in 7 to 10 days. In the meantime, to reduce the symptoms and better tolerate them:
- Take paracetamol for headache.
- Wash the nose with physiological serum, thermal water or sea water sprays.
- 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 radiant eucalyptus essential oil in hot water and let it diffuse in the room.
THE College of General Medicine, the National Professional ENT Council, as well as theNational Order of Pharmacists and the community pharmacists’ unions have joined the recommendations of the ANSM to do not use oral forms of vasoconstrictor medications to relieve cold symptoms.