# Sudafed keeping me awake? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 3, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380 "2013-05-03T03:44:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 3:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/1 "2013-05-03T03:44:16Z")
I bought some ‘real’ Sudafed, wanting to be able to breathe through my nose, and it seems to be interfering with my sleep. Is this a common side effect? Is there any other OTC thing I can try? I simply don’t know what to get! ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/2 "2013-05-03T03:50:10Z")
I have the same issue w/ anything containing sudafed , so I take a 12 hour dose during the day and a Benadryl generic at night. I can’t breathe well through my nose starting a few hours after I fall asleep but it beats NOT being able to fall asleep. ---
**Author:** ![GameHat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ed655f/32.png) [@GameHat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GameHat)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/3 "2013-05-03T03:51:30Z")
I used to find that Sudafed got me a little wired and kept me awake. Seems to have faded as I’ve gotten older. /an old man of 32 years ---
**Author:** ![Precambrianmollusc](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/precambrianmollusc/32/63_2.png) [@Precambrianmollusc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Precambrianmollusc)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/4 "2013-05-03T03:52:16Z")
Yes it is a side effect [Drugs.com](http://Drugs.com) is a usful website > **[Sudafed Children's Nasal Decongestant Side Effects: Common, Severe, Long Term...](https://www.drugs.com/sfx/sudafed-children-s-nasal-decongestant-side-effects.html)** > > Learn about the potential side effects of Sudafed Children's Nasal Decongestant (pseudoephedrine). Includes common and rare side effects information for consumers and healthcare professionals. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 3:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/5 "2013-05-03T03:52:54Z")
Oh yeah. It’s definitely a sympathomimetic drug. Nose sprays are too, but the dose is lower and not as systemic. The problem with them is they quit working after a few days and cause a rebound effect that can plug up your nose really good. If your need for a decongestant is temporary, a nose spray may be a better choice. ---
**Author:** ![dstarfire](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dstarfire/32/5762_2.png) [@dstarfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dstarfire)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/6 "2013-05-03T03:55:29Z")
sudafed is named for it’s active ingredient, psuedo ephedrin. Ephedrin is a stimulant similar in nature to adrenaline and amphetamine. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/7 "2013-05-03T04:34:09Z")
yes it’s a stimulant. It will have the opposite effect on those who are hyperactive. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/8 "2013-05-03T05:13:06Z")
Well, they make crystal meth out of the stuff, so that should be some sort of indication right there. My doctor was really happy when I told him I had kicked the stuff. He said something like “oh, good—that stuff is so Goddamned powerful. I know it’s OTC, but’s just so damn powerful.” Talk to your doc. I was able to completely cure my chronic rhinitis with mometasone (Nasonex) and daily irrigation. ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/9 "2013-05-03T05:19:11Z")
> [@Washoe](#): > > My doctor was really happy when I told him I had kicked the stuff. He said something like “oh, good—that stuff is so Goddamned powerful. I know it’s OTC, but’s just so damn powerful.” Really?? I take Sudafed all the time and have for many years and I haven’t noticed anything at all from it-aside from the relief. _Perhaps_ some slight rebound congestion if I take it too many days consecutively but it’s always struck me as a relatively benign substance. ---
**Author:** ![Washoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ecae2f/32.png) [@Washoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Washoe)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/10 "2013-05-03T05:29:04Z")
You’re lucky. It sends my BP right through the roof and makes me jump out of my skin at the sight of my own shadow. ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 5:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/11 "2013-05-03T05:48:45Z")
I know several people who just can’t take the stuff. Some get hyper, some can’t sleep even well after it’s supposed to have worn off, and one person I know gets the skin crawling effect that some methamphetamine users get. It’s not something to mess around with, it is also bad stuff for people with any kind of blood pressure or arrhythmia issues. At the same time, it’s the only stuff some of my friends with seasonal allergy issues get relief with. I take it when I have a cold, and I also take it when I’m tired if coffee isn’t enough. IIRC, it’s a true stimulant - the clearing of the sinuses is technically a side effect for which it was later marketed and works wonders for many. ---
**Author:** ![Polycarp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/82dd89/32.png) [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/12 "2013-05-03T06:22:27Z")
I used to use chlortimetron or generics of it in preference to Sudafed ™ and its generics for just this reason. I’ve been given to understand that for a large percentage but not all people phenylephrine works nearly as well as pseudoephedrine, without the side effects. I’m not a health care orifessuibak if any kind – heck, I barely qualify as a health care amateur 🙂 – but I have found that to be true for me. YMMV, of course, and it’s probably wise to ask your doctor or a pharmacist who knows something of your health history. ---
**Author:** ![Ann\_Hedonia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ann_hedonia/32/319_2.png) [@Ann\_Hedonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ann_Hedonia)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/13 "2013-05-03T14:19:25Z")
When I was in college we used to take Sudafed for the express purpose of staying awake. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2013, 2:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sudafed-keeping-me-awake/657380/14 "2013-05-03T14:36:33Z")
Back when you could buy it, I used Actifed at night and took Sudafed only through about noon or early afternoon, or it would keep me awake. I recently had a bout of severe sleeplessness and figured out it was because what I thought were my last stash of Actifed were actually Sudafed 12-hour caplets.:smack: