Changes in Cold Medicines Can Reduce Effects
Posted February 7, 2007 6:24 p.m. EST
Some familiar-looking products may not even work as well as they used to because of changes in the ingredients. WRAL’s Health Team took a look at why that is.
Last year, a new law required products with pseudo-ephedrine to be sold behind the counter at stores. You have to sign for it, and there are restrictions on the amount you can buy.
That was because some people used mass quantities of pseudo-ephedrine to make meth, an illegal drug.
Now, pharmacy shelves display decongestants like Sudafed-PE—which does not contain pseudo-ephedrine. Instead, it has a new ingredient called phenyl-ephrine, or PE. Some new research shows, however, that PE doesn't work any better than a placebo for stopping symptoms.