# Why can't I find regular sinex?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-find-regular-sinex/649156>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 2, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-find-regular-sinex/649156 "2013-02-02T23:33:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![silvernblack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@silvernblack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silvernblack)\
**Post date:** [February 2, 2013, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-find-regular-sinex/649156/1 "2013-02-02T23:33:28Z")

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So I got a cold this season and went looking for the regular Sinex. Can’t find it? All I can find is that 12-hour stuff that just leaves me dried up for hours and feeling horrible.

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-find-regular-sinex/649156/2 "2013-02-03T02:07:49Z")

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What country are you in? Does “regular” Sinex contain pseudoephedrine? If so, it’s controlled in the U.S. You can still buy it without a prescription but you have to ask the pharmacist for it and show ID and they record the purchase. This is because [it can be used to synthesize meth](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoephedrine#United_States).

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**Author:** ![silvernblack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@silvernblack](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silvernblack)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-find-regular-sinex/649156/3 "2013-02-03T03:36:10Z")

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Thanks. Methinks this getting a bit much. I just wanted to breathe. I’ll ask at the pharmacy. Many thanks.

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**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 1:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-find-regular-sinex/649156/4 "2013-02-03T13:07:50Z")

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Are you talking about the spray? On the Vicks website, the only Sinex sprays listed are the 12 hour variety. The pills contain phenylephrine so they shouldn’t be behind the counter.

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**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-find-regular-sinex/649156/5 "2013-02-03T13:28:33Z")

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Yeah, looks like they stopped making it. No idea when. My suggestion is to go to an independent “mom and pop” drugstore, the kind with dust on the shelves and sun faded posters on the walls. They may still have some of the old stuff.

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**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\
**Post date:** [February 3, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-cant-i-find-regular-sinex/649156/6 "2013-02-03T15:10:39Z")

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[This article from Harvard Medical School](http://www.health.harvard.edu/fhg/updates/update0106c.shtml) talks about decongestants and mentions that

> [@](#):
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> Phenylephrine has been in nasal sprays such as Neo-Synephrine and Vicks Sinex for years

This article is from late 2005 so Sinex has probably not contained pseudoephedrine for many years, if it ever did to start with.

My guess is that Vicks just changed the formulation and 12-hour is what their marketing guys say the people want. It’s probably all that’s available. Similar products like Afrin seem to be the same.