# Vick's No Longer a Nasal Decongestant? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 23, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicks-no-longer-a-nasal-decongestant/814693 "2018-05-23T19:03:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Jim\_B](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jim_b/32/4338_2.png) [@Jim\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_B)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicks-no-longer-a-nasal-decongestant/814693/1 "2018-05-23T19:03:26Z")
I use Vick’s medicated rub for a variety of reasons. Trust me, you don’t even want to know some of them. Anyway, I have an old jar in my medicine cabinet, perhaps from a couple of years ago, and one I just bought. And they are labeled differently. The old one says it’s a “Nasal Decongestant/Cough Suppressant/Topical Analgesic”. The new one is just a " COUGH SUPPRESSANT TOPICAL ANALGESIC ". Vick’s is still potent Nasal Decongestant. I love using it that way when I have a cold. But now it is no longer a Nasal Decongestant? What on earth are they talking about? 🙂 🙂 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [May 23, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicks-no-longer-a-nasal-decongestant/814693/2 "2018-05-23T19:37:38Z")
I poked around a little on google just because I was curious. I didn’t find any specific reason for the label change, but I did find this on the Mayo Clinic’s website: > [@](#): > > Answers from Jay L. Hoecker, M.D. > > Vicks VapoRub doesn’t relieve nasal congestion. But the strong menthol odor of VapoRub tricks your brain, so you feel like you’re breathing through an unclogged nose. By contrast, decongestant tablets and nasal sprays sold over-the-counter may narrow blood vessels in the lining of your nose, leading to reduced swelling in your nasal passages. > **[Vicks VapoRub: An effective nasal decongestant?](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/expert-answers/nasal-decongestant/faq-20058569)** > > Find out why you should not use this ointment to ease a stuffy nose during a cold. I suspect that a better understanding of what it was actually doing to your nasal passages led to Vick’s being forced to change the label. ---
**Author:** ![erysichthon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d07c76/32.png) [@erysichthon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/erysichthon)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicks-no-longer-a-nasal-decongestant/814693/3 "2018-05-24T05:03:25Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > I use Vick’s medicated rub for a variety of reasons. Trust me, you don’t even want to know some of them. Toenail fungus, perhaps? A [2011 study](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21209346) showed a “positive clinical effect.” If it’s something else, yeah, I probably don’t want to know about it. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [May 24, 2018, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/vicks-no-longer-a-nasal-decongestant/814693/4 "2018-05-24T11:59:46Z")
> [@engineer\_comp\_geek](#): > > I poked around a little on google just because I was curious. I didn’t find any specific reason for the label change, but I did find this on the Mayo Clinic’s website: > > [Vicks VapoRub: An effective nasal decongestant? - Mayo Clinic](https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/common-cold/expert-answers/nasal-decongestant/faq-20058569) > > I suspect that a better understanding of what it was actually doing to your nasal passages led to Vick’s being forced to change the label. “Tricks your brain”, huh? Hmmm, interesting. Well…it is a good trick!