Compare Phenylephrine vs. Nyquil Cold And Flu
Head-to-head comparisons of medication uses, side effects, ratings, and more.
Clears your sinuses.
Sudafed Pe (Phenylephrine) is a good medication for relieving stuffy nose. It doesn't work as well as pseudoephedrine (Sudafed), but it has fewer side effects.
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3.1/ 5 average rating with 164 reviewsforPhenylephrine
Relieves cold and flu symptoms, and helps you sleep.
Nyquil Cold And Flu (Acetaminophen / Dextromethorphan / Doxylamine) is a useful combination medicine that relieves cold and flu symptoms and will help you sleep. Make sure you really need all of its ingredients.
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3.8/ 5 average rating with 1188 reviewsforNyquil Cold And Flu
Upsides
- Works to clear nasal congestion and helps you breathe better.
- Helpful in relieving congestion-related headaches.
- Has fewer side effects than other decongestants like pseudoephedrine.
- It doesn't raise your blood pressure and heart rate as much, or cause as much trouble falling asleep.
- Doesn't give you rebound congestion (worse symptoms when you stop taking it) like nasal spray decongestants do.
- Nyquil Cold And Flu (Acetaminophen / Dextromethorphan / Doxylamine) is a combination medicine that relieves multiple cold symptoms. It's good to use if you have watery eyes, a cough, fever, and pain.
- The cough medicine (dextromethorphan) works well and has very few side effects.
- The pain reliever (acetaminophen) is easier on your stomach and has fewer drug interactions than other pain medications like aspirin or ibuprofen.
- The antihistamine (doxylamine) will help you sleep.
Downsides
- Phenylephrine doesn't last as long as other decongestants like pseudoephedrine (Sudafed).
- You shouldn't use it if you have high blood pressure.
- Can make your heart race or make you feel anxious and restless.
- Shouldn't use it before you want to sleep.
- Not as effective after using it for 4 days in a row.
- If you don't really need all of the medications in this combination, you're taking extra medicine and might have extra side effects for no reason.
- You shouldn't use it if you have high blood pressure.
- To avoid hurting your liver, you have to keep track of the total amount of acetaminophen (APAP) you're taking since it's a very common ingredient in pain and cold/flu combination medicines.
Used for
- Nasal congestion
- Pupil dilation
- Glaucoma
- Uveitis
- Hemorrhoids
Dosage forms
- Pill
- Nasal spray
- Eye drops
- Suppository
- Pill
- Liquid
No pricing information available
No pricing information available
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Reviews
164 reviews so far
44%
saidit'sworth it
24%
saiditworked well
10%
saidit'sa big hassle
Have you used Sudafed Pe (Phenylephrine)?
Leave a review1188 reviews so far
83%
saidit'sworth it
42%
saiditworked well
7%
saidit'sa big hassle
Have you used Nyquil Cold And Flu (Acetaminophen / Dextromethorphan / Doxylamine)?
Leave a reviewSide effects
The Sudafed Pe (Phenylephrine) FDA package insert doesn’t have numbers about how common side effects are.
The Nyquil Cold And Flu (Acetaminophen / Dextromethorphan / Doxylamine) FDA package insert doesn’t have numbers about how common side effects are.
Risks and risk factors
- High blood pressure
- History of high blood pressure
- Taking MAO inhibitors
- Heart problems
- History of heart problems
- Age 65 years or older
- Harm to fetus
- Women of childbearing age
- Liver damage
- Drinking more than 2 alcoholic beverages a day
- Taking with other Tylenol-containing medicines
- History of liver disease
- Serotonin syndrome
- Using other medications that affect serotonin
- Driving impairment
- Taking with alcohol
- Taking with other medicines that make you less alert
- Antihistamine side effects
- Age 65 years or older
- Glaucoma
- Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH)