Beware addictions to nasal decongestants!
Sounding the alarm
When someone develops a congested nose, they do not expect to find themselves addicted to an over-the-counter medicine after a few days of normal use. The other day I stumbled onto a YouTube video that I found very troubling.
Where have I been? There is even an article in the UK’s Daily Mail about these addictions, yet I receive a notification about the latest Pharmaceutical Journal every week, and this has not appeared to warn Pharmacists.
These nasal decongestants are available in the UK in pharmacies as well as grocery stores. The fact that they are available in grocery stores means their sale does not have to be supervised by a pharmacist. They are therefore on the General Sales List (GSL). The GSL is a legal category for medicines deemed to be safe. However, these medicines are known to have challenges in normal use in patients who may continue to use them for longer than recommended.
The ingredients that are known to cause the serious issues are:
Pseudoephedrine hydrochloride
Phenylephrine hydrochloride
Ephedrine hydrochloride
Oxymetazoline
Xylometazoline hydrochloride
In the UK, the MHRA (regulatory authority) and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society are supposed to ensure the safe use of medicines, including classification of medicines. What action should they take?
Firstly, the nasal decongestants should be removed from the General Sales List. The sales of these medicines clearly need to be supervised by a pharmacist.
If reclassification to Pharmacy only or [P classification] does not help to reduce the incidence of the addictions, the nasal sprays should be removed from the market completely.
Manufacturers of these medicines should proactively remove them from the marketplace.
A mild irritation like nasal congestion should not lead the unsuspecting down a garden path of destruction because of severe addiction.
This is happening in the UK, I suspect it is happening in the United States and many other countries, including throughout Europe.
The market for these products is expected to grow by 9% each year up to 2030. The current market size is $660 million in the UK alone, so not insignificant. These products are not vital to the management of respiratory ailments, and create dangers, risking the destruction of the lives of people with hay fever, allergies, colds and flu. Even if regulatory action is not taken, avoid these products.