What is guaifenesin and phenylephrine?
There are many brands and forms of guaifenesin and phenylephrine available and not all brands are listed on this leaflet.
Guaifenesin is an expectorant. It helps loosen congestion in your chest and throat, making it easier to cough out through your mouth.
Phenylephrine is a decongestant that shrinks blood vessels in the nasal passages. Dilated blood vessels can cause nasal congestion (stuffy nose).
The combination of guaifenesin and phenylephrine is used to treat stuffy nose and sinus congestion, and to reduce chest congestion caused by the common cold or flu.
Guaifenesin and phenylephrine may also be used for purposes not listed in this medication guide.
What is the most important information I should know about guaifenesin and phenylephrine?
There are many brands and forms of guaifenesin and phenylephrine available and not all brands are listed on this leaflet.
Do not give this medication to a child younger than 4 years old. Always ask a doctor before giving a cough or cold medicine to a child. Death can occur from the misuse of cough and cold medicines in very young children.
Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any other cough, cold, or allergy medicine. Guaifenesin and phenylephrine are contained in many combination medicines. Taking certain products together can cause you to get too much of a certain drug. Check the label to see if a medicine contains guaifenesin or phenylephrine.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking guaifenesin and phenylephrine?
You should not use this medication if you are allergic to guaifenesin or phenylephrine, or to other decongestants, diet pills, stimulants, or ADHD medications.
Do not use guaifenesin and phenylephrine 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. Serious, life threatening side effects can occur if you use guaifenesin and phenylephrine before the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.
Ask a doctor or pharmacist if it is safe for you to take this medication if you have:
It is not known if this medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Do not use this medication without your doctor's advice if you are pregnant.
This medication passes into breast milk and could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Artificially-sweetened liquid forms of cold medicine may contain phenylalanine. This would be important to know if you have phenylketonuria (PKU). Check the ingredients and warnings on the medication label if you are concerned about phenylalanine.