# Why Do Decongestants Make Me Cranky? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 11, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-decongestants-make-me-cranky/233600 "2004-03-11T01:27:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Tuckerfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/eada6e/32.png) [@Tuckerfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tuckerfan)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 1:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-decongestants-make-me-cranky/233600/1 "2004-03-11T01:27:55Z")
Actually, they do more than just make me cranky, they make me come-on-OJ–grab-your-Bruno-Magli-shoes-and-let’s-go! angry (not that I’ve carved anyone up, yet). Needless to say I don’t take them at all. However, my doctor perscribed me [Flonase](http://www.flonase.com/), which doesn’t say that it’s a decongestant, nor is there any mention of irritability among the side effects, but I _do_ seem to be more irritable than usual. (Yes, I’m going to talk to my doctor about this, so don’t worry, you _won’t_ see my name mentioned in a story that starts out with, “He was a quiet, simple man…” And ends with, “…Before turning the gun on himself.”) So what’s the story? ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-decongestants-make-me-cranky/233600/2 "2004-03-11T01:39:36Z")
Well, most decongestants make you cranky becasue they’re “speed” – lots of people have an amphetamine-like reaction to, for instance, Sudafed. OTOH, Flonase is a synthetic corticosteroid, and irritability would be a very odd side effect, one that hasn’t been reported in clinical trials or practice. Perhaps it’s drying out your nasal tissues that makes you cranky? ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-decongestants-make-me-cranky/233600/3 "2004-03-11T02:00:00Z")
Perhaps it’s whatever’s making you congested that’s making you cranky. Peace. ---
**Author:** ![mischievous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c2a13f/32.png) [@mischievous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mischievous)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2004, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-decongestants-make-me-cranky/233600/4 "2004-03-11T02:34:37Z")
Like **Nametag** said, many people (including me) are hypersensitive to Sudafed (psuedoephidrine), and it induces speed-like reactions including heart palpitations, tension, rage (you, probably), or full-blown paraniod hallucinations (me, definitely). Vitually every combination cold medicine or decongestant contains psuedoephidrine. I’ve learned to get by in one of two ways: (1) I take expectorants rather than decongestants. They don’t dry you up, but they do thin out the mucus, which gets rid of it faster and easier. Take plenty of water. (2) If I’m NOT IN ANY POSITION OF RESPONSIBILITY (including driving) in the near future, I take a small dose of Sudafed and have a couple of drinks on top of it. The alcohol tones down the speediness and the sudafed counteracts the depressant effect of alcohol, so I end up with a clear nose and an abundance of energy (and somewhat drunk). Please note: this works for me but I can’t guarantee it will work for anyone else, and even for me I end up being very weird and twitchy - but happy. Be very cautious if you try to mix drugs, even over-the-counter ones. mischievous