What is Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine?

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).
Pyrilamine is an antihistamine that reduces the natural chemical histamine in the body. Histamine can produce symptoms of sneezing, itching, watery eyes, and runny nose.
The combination of guaifenesin, phenylephrine, and pyrilamine is used to treat runny or stuffy nose, sinus congestion, sneezing, watery eyes, and cough caused by allergies, the common cold, or the flu.
Guaifenesin, phenylephrine, and pyrilamine may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

What is the most important information I should know about Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine?

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.
This medication can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.
Tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you sleepy (such as pain medication, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression or anxiety). They can add to sleepiness caused by pyrilamine.
Avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking this medication. Alcohol can add to drowsiness caused by an antihistamine.
Avoid taking diet pills, caffeine pills, or other stimulants (such as ADHD medications) without your doctor’s advice. Taking a stimulant together with a decongestant can increase your risk of unpleasant side effects.
Do not use any other over-the-counter cough, cold, allergy, or sleep medication without first asking your doctor or pharmacist. If you take certain products together you may accidentally take too much of one or more types of medicine. Read the label of any other medicine you are using to see if it contains guaifenesin, phenylephrine, or pyrilamine.

What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine?

Do not use this medication if you are allergic to guaifenesin, pyrilamine, phenylephrine or to other antihistamines, decongestants, diet pills, stimulants, or ADHD medications.
Do not use a cough or cold medicine if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past 14 days. Serious, life-threatening side effects can occur if you take cough or cold medicine before the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.
Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any other drugs, or if you have:

• heart disease or high blood pressure
• diabetes
• a thyroid disorder
• glaucoma
• a peripheral vascular disorder (poor circulation)
• kidney disease
• an enlarged prostate; or
• problems with urination

If you have any of these conditions, may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take this medication.
This medication may be harmful to an unborn baby. Tell your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during treatment.
This medication may pass 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.

Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine Side Effects

What are the possible side effects of Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine?

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.
Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have any of these serious side effects:

• fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat
• severe dizziness, anxiety, restless feeling, or nervousness
• easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness, fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms
• increased blood pressure (severe headache, blurred vision, trouble concentrating, chest pain, numbness, seizure); or
• nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)

Less serious side effects may include:

• blurred vision
• dry mouth
• dizziness, drowsiness, headache
• problems with memory or concentration
• ringing in your ears
• restless or excitability (especially in children)
• warmth, tingling, or redness under your skin
• sleep problems (insomnia)
• skin rash or itching; or
• mild nausea, stomach pain, constipation

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Tell your doctor about any unusual or bothersome side effect. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine Interactions

What other drugs affect Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine?

Before taking this medication, tell your doctor if you are using any of the following drugs:

• an antidepressant
• a diuretic (water pill)
• medicines to treat high blood pressure
• medication to treat irritable bowel syndrome
• seizure medication
• bladder or urinary medications such as oxybutynin (Ditropan, Oxytrol) or tolterodine (Detrol)
• aspirin or salicylates (such as Disalcid, Doan’s Pills, Dolobid, Salflex, Tricosal, and others)
• a beta-blocker such as atenolol (Tenormin), carteolol (Cartrol), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol), nadolol (Corgard), propranolol (Inderal), sotalol (Betapace), timolol (Blocadren), and others; or
• antidepressants such as amitriptyline (Elavil), clomipramine (Anafranil), imipramine (Janimine, Tofranil), and others

This list is not complete and there may be other drugs that can interact with guaifenesin, phenylephrine, and pyrilamine. Tell your doctor about all the prescription and over-the-counter medications you use. This includes vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start using a new medication without telling your doctor.

What should I avoid while taking Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine?

This medication can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.
Tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you sleepy (such as pain medication, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression or anxiety). They can add to sleepiness caused by pyrilamine.
Avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking this medication. Alcohol can add to drowsiness caused by an antihistamine.
Avoid taking diet pills, caffeine pills, or other stimulants (such as ADHD medications) without your doctor’s advice. Taking a stimulant together with a decongestant can increase your risk of unpleasant side effects.
Do not use any other over-the-counter cough, cold, allergy, or sleep medication without first asking your doctor or pharmacist. If you take certain products together you may accidentally take too much of one or more types of medicine. Read the label of any other medicine you are using to see if it contains guaifenesin, phenylephrine, or pyrilamine.

Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine Dosage

How should I take Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine?

Use this medication exactly as directed on the label, or as it has been prescribed by your doctor. Do not use the medication in larger amounts, or use it for longer than recommended. Cold medicine is usually taken only for a short time until your symptoms clear up.
Always ask a doctor before giving cough or cold medicine to a child. Death can occur from the misuse of cough or cold medicine in very young children.
Measure the liquid form of this medicine with a special dose-measuring spoon or cup, not a regular table spoon. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one.
Drink extra fluids to help loosen the congestion and lubricate your throat while you are taking this medication.
Take this medicine with food or milk if it upsets your stomach.
Talk with your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after 7 days of treatment, or if you have a fever with a headache, cough, or skin rash.
Some antihistamines can cause you to have unusual results with allergy skin tests. Tell any doctor who treats you that you are taking this medication.
If you need to have any type of surgery, tell the surgeon ahead of time if you have taken a cold medicine within the past few days.
Store this medicine at room temperature, away from heat, light, and moisture.

What happens if I overdose on Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine?

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.
Overdose symptoms may include feeling restless or nervous, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, dizziness, drowsiness, dry mouth, warmth or tingly feeling, or seizure (convulsions).

What happens if I miss a dose of Guaifenesin/Phenylephrine/Pyrilamine?

Since cough or cold medicine is usually taken only as needed, you may not be on a dosing schedule. If you are taking the medication regularly, take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.
Sourced from everydayhealth.com