| acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine |
| Pronunciation: a SEET a MIN oh fen and SOO doe ee FED rin |
| Brand: Alka-Seltzer Cold and Sinus, Allerest No Drowsiness, Bayer Select Decongestant, Benadryl Allergy Sinus Headache, Dristan Cold Non-Drowsy, Ornex, Ornex Maximum Strength, Sinarest Sinus, Sine-Off Maximum Strength, Tavist Sinus, Triaminic Softchews Allergy Sinus |
| What is the most important information I should know about acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine? |
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Do not take this medication without a doctor's advice if you have ever had alcoholic liver disease (cirrhosis) or if you drink more than 3 alcoholic beverages per day. You may not be able to take medicine that contains acetaminophen. |
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Do not take more of this medication than is recommended. An overdose of acetaminophen can damage your liver or cause death. |
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Avoid drinking alcohol. It may increase your risk of liver damage while taking acetaminophen. |
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Do not give this medication to a child younger than 4 years old. Always ask a doctor before giving a cough or cold medicine to a child. Death can occur from the misuse of cough and cold medicines in very young children. |
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Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any other cold, allergy, pain, or sleep medication. Acetaminophen (sometimes abbreviated as APAP) is contained in many combination medicines. Taking certain products together can cause you to get too much acetaminophen which can lead to a fatal overdose. Check the label to see if a medicine contains acetaminophen or APAP. |
| What is acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine? |
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Acetaminophen is a pain reliever and fever reducer. |
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Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant that shrinks blood vessels in the nasal passages. Dilated blood vessels can cause nasal congestion (stuffy nose). |
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The combination of acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine is used to treat stuffy nose, sinus congestion, and pain or fever caused by the common cold. |
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Acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide. |
| What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine? |
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Do not use this medication if you are allergic to acetaminophen or pseudoephedrine. |
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Do not take this medication without a doctor's advice if you have ever had alcoholic liver disease (cirrhosis) or if you drink more than 3 alcoholic beverages per day. You may not be able to take medicine that contains acetaminophen. |
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Do not use acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as furazolidone (Furoxone), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) in the last 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur, leading to serious side effects. |
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Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to take this medicine if you have: |
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cirrhosis or other liver disease; |
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a history of alcoholism; |
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heart disease or high blood pressure; |
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It is not known whether this medication is harmful to an unborn baby. Do not take acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine without medical advice if you are pregnant. |
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Acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine may pass into breast milk and could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. |
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Artificially-sweetened liquid forms of cough-and-cold medications may contain phenylalanine. This would be important to know if you have phenylketonuria (PKU). Check the ingredients and warnings on the medication label if you are concerned about phenylalanine. |
| How should I take acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine? |
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Use this medication exactly as directed on the label, or as it has been prescribed by your doctor. Do not take more of this medication than is recommended. An overdose of acetaminophen can damage your liver or cause death. Cold medicine should be taken only for a short time until your symptoms clear up. |
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Do not give this medication to a child younger than 4 years old. Always ask a doctor before giving a cough or cold medicine to a child. Death can occur from the misuse of cough and cold medicines in very young children. |
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Drink extra fluids while you are taking acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine. |
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One acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine tablet may contain up to 500 mg of acetaminophen. Know the amount of acetaminophen in the specific product you are taking. |
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Measure liquid medicine with a special dose measuring spoon or medicine cup, not with a regular table spoon. If you do not have a dose measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one. |
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Talk with your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after 7 days of treatment, or if you have a fever with a headache, cough, or skin rash. |
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If you need surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time if you have taken a cold medicine within the past few days. |
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Store at room temperature, away from heat, light, and moisture. |
| What happens if I miss a dose? |
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Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. Skip the missed dose if it is almost time for your next scheduled dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose. |
| What happens if I overdose? |
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Seek emergency medical attention or call the Poison Help line at 1-800-222-1222. |
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The first signs of an acetaminophen overdose include loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, sweating, and confusion or weakness. Later symptoms may include pain in your upper stomach, dark urine, and yellowing of your skin or the whites of your eyes. |
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Overdose symptoms may also include feeling restless or nervous, dizziness, drowsiness, diarrhea, increased sweating, seizure (convulsions), or coma. |
| What should I avoid while taking acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine? |
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Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any other cold, allergy, pain, or sleep medication. Acetaminophen (sometimes abbreviated as APAP) is contained in many combination medicines. Taking certain products together can cause you to get too much acetaminophen which can lead to a fatal overdose. Check the label to see if a medicine contains acetaminophen or APAP. |
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Avoid drinking alcohol. It may increase your risk of liver damage while taking acetaminophen. |
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Avoid taking diet pills, caffeine pills, or other stimulants (such as ADHD medications) without your doctor's advice. Taking a stimulant together with a decongestant can increase your risk of unpleasant side effects. |
| What are the possible side effects of acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine? |
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Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat. |
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Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects: |
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fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat; |
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severe dizziness, anxiety, restless feeling, or nervousness; |
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easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness, fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms; |
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increased blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, trouble concentrating, chest pain, numbness, seizure); or |
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nausea, upper stomach pain, itching, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes). |
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Less serious side effects may include: |
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warmth, tingling, or redness under your skin; |
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feeling excited or restless; |
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sleep problems (insomnia); or |
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This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088. |
| What other drugs will affect acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine? |
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Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs: |
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zidovudine (Retrovir, AZT); |
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medicines to treat high blood pressure; |
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gout medications such as probenecid (Benemid); |
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seizure medication such as phenytoin (Dilantin) or phenobarbital (Luminal, Solfoton); |
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stimulants (caffeine, diet pills, ADHD medications such as Ritalin or Adderall); |
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an antidepressant such as amitriptyline (Elavil, Vanatrip, Limbitrol), clomipramine (Anafranil), desipramine (Norpramin), imipramine (Janimine, Tofranil), and others; or |
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a beta-blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin, Tenoretic), carvedilol (Coreg), labetalol (Normodyne, Trandate), metoprolol (Dutoprol, Lopressor, Toprol), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal, InnoPran), sotalol (Betapace), and others. |
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This list is not complete and other drugs may interact with acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine. Tell your doctor about all medications you use. This includes prescription, over-the-counter, vitamin, and herbal products. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor. |
| Where can I get more information? |
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Your pharmacist can provide more information about acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine. |
Remember, keep this and all other medicines out of the reach of children, never share your medicines with others, and use this medication only for the indication prescribed.
Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.
Copyright 1996-2011 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version: 12.01. Revision Date: 8/23/2011.
