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Is there any debate? Phenylephrine doesn’t work. This is pretty widely documented at this point. Manufacturers shoved it into formulas because the thing that did work could no longer be left on the shelf for consumers to grab.

It’s unfortunate that this stuff remains on shelves and people are taking ineffective (but not side effect free) medications.

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There should be a class action lawsuit against the manufacturers of this stuff that have been defrauding us by claiming it works since ephedrine and pseudoephedrine was banned in 2005. They include it in countless formulas, like daytime cold and flu and so on and so forth.

Phenylephrine does, however, work when sprayed directly in the nasal passages, but like it's counterpart, Afrin (oxymetazoline hcl), it's addictive and only works for 4 hours.

they're not banned- they're just behind the counter.

> There should be a class action lawsuit against the manufacturers of this stuff

There is, though it was completely thrown out by the trial court and recently only partially revived on appeal.

https://www.courthousenews.com/decongestant-class-action-spu...

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