Pseudoephedrine

TL;DR

Pseudoephedrine is an effective decongestant, unlike phenylephrine (in oral tablet form) which is not. While it may be harder to obtain than some other decongestants, it's worth the effort.

Decongestant - effective.

Replaced by phenylephrine in most oral decongestant medicines in the US in the 1970s as it can be used to make methamphetamine. Phenylephrine does not work when taken orally (99% gets metabolized into inactive forms).

Not available OTC.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pseudoephedrine

All 2025-02-04