# I took the decongestant phenylpropanolamine for my cold! Plus, a prison anecdote **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 3, 2007, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468 "2007-03-03T21:59:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/21 "2007-03-04T03:33:34Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Hell, no! I don’t believe in doctors! 😉 Pretty sure. It follows my typical viral pattern: Sore throat, worsening head congestion, tight cough, tight painful cough, loose painful cough, loose cough, then resolution of the cough in about 4-5 days. The adults I’ve seen with pertussis have a pretty bad paroxysm of coughing that lasts for a few weeks. Heh. I’m tempted. But I’ll pass. I do wonder what the shelf life of that stuff is. It’s all nearly 7 years old at best. It’s degradation products aren’t particularly toxic, but noone has really studied how long the molecule remains intact. My old ones worked like a charm, though. [/QUOTE] Ok then. 😛 I looked at the expiration date, so they’re in the trash now. Sorry, too late to change your mind. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/22 "2007-03-04T03:39:54Z")
[QUOTE=picunurse] I looked at the expiration date, so they’re in the trash now. Sorry, too late to change your mind. [/QUOTE] I can always go to my vet! I bet yours weren’t liver-flavored! ---
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/23 "2007-03-04T03:47:05Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] I now have two doses remaining, then there will be no more. If I’m fortunate, I’ll never need them. But should the next killer congestive cold grip me despite conventional methods of relief, I will have a nuclear option! [/QUOTE] [post=8062770]Ah, scheudenfreude.[/post] Or to quote Nelson, “HA ha!” Of course you realize that Murphy’s Law dictates that if you no longer need PPA, it’s because you’ve entered what’s clinically called, “terminal living.” :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/24 "2007-03-04T03:48:38Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] No, not that muffin! [/QUOTE] I don’t know if I’d want to have Marmite spread on me (I don’t think it helps dealing with colds), but I’m a good löyly master if you need to loosen up and blow out the congealed sinus crap (that being a medical term, don’t cha know). I spent Tuesday evening through Friday afternoon in bed due to a cold. The fever is just about gone, so tomorow after skiing, I’m off to the sauna. Today was a bitch, though, for although I was up and about skiing, I simply didn’t have the usual strength – on the way skiing home from the hill I had to stop and rest every hundred yards, and when I finally made it home, I slept for four hours. I’m looking forward to the sauna – should get the crap out, which will stop the headache. ---
**Author:** ![lokij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/5e9695/32.png) [@lokij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lokij)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 4:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/25 "2007-03-04T04:50:20Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] It’s been years since I’ve had a nasty cold. I guess I’ve built up some immunity, for which I am grateful. I used to get them all the time, despite hand-washing, etc. I think it helps that I no longer have virus-ridden toddlers coughing in my face anymore. But my current cold has hit me harder than any other in a long time. It’s _not_ influenza by any stretch, but I still took two days off of work due to feeling poorly, and coughing so hard that I couldn’t function for a few minutes at a time. And man, the head congestion was nassssssssssssty! I used my neti pot frequently, even resorted to oxymetazoline spray, but my head was packed so tight I still couldn’t stand it. Steam didn’t work either. Those measures usually took care of 90% of my congestion. In days of yore when it got this bad, I’d take a decongestant. Phenylpropanolamine, in particular. That’s because pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine, and ephedrine never helped much, and I didn’t care for their side-effects. I scrupulously avoid antihistamines during colds, as they just dry out and thicken those nasty secretions. But waaaay back in 2000, the FDA banned phenylpropanolamine! Seems that there were one or two articles showing a possible concern: its use by young perimenstrual women for appetite suppression seemed to be associated with an increased risk of stroke. So it was whisked off the shelves, not just in the US, but all over the world, it seems. [/QUOTE] I feel your pain. My favorite over the counter painkiller has been discontinued, not banned (I looked) but just.. _poof_ gone. It really really sucked because it was the only thing that could reliably take care of my headaches.. sorta my nuclear option. Orudis KT, in case you’re wondering… don’t suppose you being a doc and all would know why it’s suddenly gone? ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/26 "2007-03-04T06:40:08Z")
[QUOTE=lokij] Orudis KT, in case you’re wondering… don’t suppose you being a doc and all would know why it’s suddenly gone? [/QUOTE] Going by [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketoprofen) it looks to have been discontinued (i.e. it wasn’t selling well enough.) But you can get larger doses by prescription. ---
**Author:** ![DrMemory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DrMemory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrMemory)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/27 "2007-03-04T14:15:50Z")
Guess I’ll hafta throw out that box of Bayer Heroin in Grandma’s medicine chest. It _Must_ be out of date, by now… Helluva painkiller, tho. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/28 "2007-03-04T14:39:22Z")
I forgot to mention, the exp date was 1996. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![StGermain](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/stgermain/32/2868_2.png) [@StGermain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StGermain)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/29 "2007-03-04T18:06:14Z")
**Qadgop** - Here you go: [Proin](http://www.1800petmeds.com/pgroup.asp?LV=295&PG=Proin&SP=dog&MG=75) (Rhymes with groin?). [Here’s](http://www.1800petmeds.com/pdetail.asp?SK=10847&SP=dog) another one which might not be liver-flavored. StG ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/30 "2007-03-04T18:57:09Z")
Sounds like there might be a need out there for some clandestine PPA labs. You find a chemist and I’ll spring for the trailer. ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [March 4, 2007, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/31 "2007-03-04T18:57:49Z")
Colds suck now that Nyquil has gone strictly no-decongestant. I have 1 full bottle of the good stuff left in the cabinet, and the other day at work I found miraculously 1 bottle of regular Robitussin Cough & Cold with pseudoephedrine left in it. This is several months now since all PSE products went behind the counter and all OTC formulations switched to phenylephrine, which is absolutely useless. I have no idea how the thing lasted on the shelf that long. I’ve been rationing anything with PSE in it for a long time. You can still get some stuff behind the counter, but I am very sensitive to the jittery side-effects of straight PSE and if I don’t take it with some formulation that has an antihistamine in it, I will be awake for days on end. Your happiness at finding the PPA probably rivaled my excitement at finding PSE Robitussin on the shelf. It’s a gold mine, I tell you! -foxy ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/32 "2007-03-05T03:24:08Z")
[QUOTE=MannyL] Looks like 1-800-Pet-Meds has it [/QUOTE] I thought you said “ethical”. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/33 "2007-03-05T03:36:28Z")
[QUOTE=Rue DeDay] I thought you said “ethical”. [/QUOTE] They need a scrip from your vet before they send it out. And I don’t have a dog anymore! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Rue\_DeDay](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/41988e/32.png) [@Rue\_DeDay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rue_DeDay)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/34 "2007-03-05T03:46:00Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] They need a scrip from your vet before they send it out. [/QUOTE] Oh, you’re right. My mistake. ---
**Author:** ![dogbutler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dogbutler/32/428_2.png) [@dogbutler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dogbutler)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/35 "2007-03-05T04:23:32Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] They need a scrip from your vet before they send it out. And I don’t have a dog anymore! ☹ [/QUOTE] You can borrow mine! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 1:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/36 "2007-03-05T13:14:48Z")
Is it scary that I know how to draw that thing **QtM** took? Ought’a be able to synthesize it, too… Oops! Oh please don’t tell the DEA! I’m not doing it, I just _know how_! ---
**Author:** ![lee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lee/32/7455_2.png) [@lee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lee)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/37 "2007-03-05T13:48:55Z")
At least all you have is congestion, temporary at that. You can still work. When vioxx was whisked off the market, my husband’s health took a nose dive. He has low blood pressure and firbromyalgia. We did not know about the fibromyalgia until the vioxx was taken away. It successfully treated the symptoms so that he could work. They assumed his pain was arthritis related, but apparently it is not so straightforward. His low blood pressure is not low enough that the doctors feel it warrants medical intervention, but is is severe enough to cause him problems everyday, especially if he tries to lay down. His blood pressure seems to be low enough that his hands and feet don’t get good circulation. He can’t take most drugs that are used to treat the symptoms of fibromyalgia due to bad reactions and stomach upset. For a while his stomach upset was so bad that he was apparently inhaling stomach acid during the night and had lung damage from that. He also started getting migraines for the first time in his life. Debilitating migraines which don’t respond to medication often several times a week. His doctors have speculated that the blood pressure increase with vioxx was one of the reasons he did so well on it. He can’t get it now, and is on disability. His condition is steadily deteriorating now. He is losing sensation and control in his fingertips. I don’t know if going back on would reverse the deterioration, but it according to his doctors it likely prevented it for a long while. ---
**Author:** ![Yeeter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/96bed5/32.png) [@Yeeter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yeeter)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/38 "2007-03-05T15:44:38Z")
You know, I had just gotten one of those stupid chain emails declaring the health risk of PPA and warning everybody to take a look at their drugs. I checked Snopes on it (like I do with all chain emails), and their article basically said it was outdated, however that the removal of PPA was voluntary for the drug companies. If it was so effective, why did they all voluntarily remove it? Couldn’t some rogue drug company take a stand and declare to the world, “We know this MAY cause a stroke under certain conditions, but DARNIT it works!” RE: Oxymetazoline. How long can you use this before your body gets “addicted” and you need steroids to eliminate the inflammation from not using it? It happened to me once and now I’m scared to use it – regardless of how effective it was. ---
**Author:** ![wolfman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a8b319/32.png) [@wolfman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wolfman)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/39 "2007-03-05T15:48:53Z")
I’m still pissed they took Terpin Hydrate away. The only cough medicine that actually worked. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [March 5, 2007, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468/40 "2007-03-05T15:51:32Z")
[QUOTE=Mindfield] Modern cold medications suck. My last cold – a solid 4 on the Richter scale – didn’t respond well even to the extra strength NyQuil, nor numerous other decongestants with antihistamines, unless taken in double doses. Even then it did nothing to clear my head. I’d even take NyQuil during the day because daytime cold medications did sweet bugger all. I want my PPA back! [/QUOTE] Really, folks ought to try the new ginseng-based cold/flu preventatives. They work. Studies show they work. My own anecdotal evidence plus those of associates shows they work. I’ve missed every virus going through the office since I started using Cold FX when I’ve felt symptoms. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-took-the-decongestant-phenylpropanolamine-for-my-cold-plus-a-prison-anecdote/394468.md?page=3)