What is acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine?
Acetaminophen is a pain reliever and a fever reducer.
Pseudoephedrine is a decongestant that shrinks blood vessels in the nasal passages. Dilated blood vessels can cause nasal congestion (stuffy nose).
The combination of acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine is used to treat headache, fever, body aches, stuffy nose, and sinus congestion caused by allergies, the common cold, or the flu.
Acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What is the most important information I should know about acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine?
Do not take more of this medication than is recommended. An overdose of acetaminophen can damage your liver or cause death. Do not take this medication without a doctor's advice if you have ever had alcoholic liver disease (cirrhosis) or if you drink more than 3 alcoholic beverages per day.
Do not use this medicine if you have untreated or uncontrolled diseases such as glaucoma, asthma or COPD, high blood pressure, heart disease, coronary artery disease, or overactive thyroid.
Avoid drinking alcohol. It may increase your risk of liver damage while taking acetaminophen.
Do not use acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as furazolidone (Furoxone), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) in the last 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur, leading to serious side effects.
Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any other pain, cold, allergy, or sleep medication. Acetaminophen (sometimes abbreviated as APAP) is contained in many combination medicines. Taking certain products together can cause you to get too much acetaminophen which can lead to a fatal overdose. Check the label to see if a medicine contains acetaminophen or APAP.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine?
Do not take this medication without a doctor's advice if you have ever had alcoholic liver disease (cirrhosis) or if you drink more than 3 alcoholic beverages per day. You may not be able to take acetaminophen.
Do not use this medicine if you have untreated or uncontrolled diseases such as glaucoma, asthma or COPD, high blood pressure, heart disease, coronary artery disease, or overactive thyroid.
Do not use this medicine if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as furazolidone (Furoxone), isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam, Zelapar), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) in the last 14 days. A dangerous drug interaction could occur, leading to serious side effects.
Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to take this medicine if you have:
liver disease, cirrhosis, or a history of alcoholism;
diabetes;
glaucoma;
epilepsy or other seizure disorder;
enlarged prostate or urination problems; or
pheochromocytoma (an adrenal gland tumor).
It is not known whether acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine will harm an unborn baby. Do not use this medicine without a doctor's advice if you are pregnant.
Acetaminophen and pseudoephedrine may pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Decongestants may also slow breast milk production. Do not use this medicine without a doctor's advice if you are breast-feeding a baby.