French doctors repeat warning of stroke risk from cold medicines
Health authorities want to ban the sale of remedies containing a vasoconstrictor due to the increased risk of complications
The French drug agency recommended banning the sale of remedies containing the vasoconstrictor pseudoephedrine in 2023
Subbotina Anna / Shutterstock
People with colds should avoid taking popular remedies containing a vasoconstrictor, a leading French GP warns, as they can increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. French health authorities want to ban their sale.
Many popular cold remedies, including Actifed, Dolirhume, Rhinadvil and Humex contain pseudoephedrine, a vasoconstrictor that improves cold symptoms by narrowing the blood vessels in the nose.
However, the molecule affects the whole body, which can lead to increased blood pressure and heart rate.
France’s health authorities first became aware of the potential risks posed by vasoconstrictors in 2006.
At that time, the use of a pseudoephedrine to unclog blocked noses via a vasoconstriction effect, was judged to present a “disproportionate risk” to patients by the medical review Prescrire.
The national health advisory board, the Haut autorité de la santé (HAS), said in 2012 that the medical value of such treatments was “low[…] due to their insufficiently established efficacy and the cardiovascular risk”.
The French drug agency, L'Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament, recommended banning the sale of the molecule in over-the-counter drugs in 2023.
However, drugs containing it are still available as France cannot unilaterally ban a drug approved for the European market.
Nonetheless, the president of doctors’ body la Fédération des médecins de France (FMF) again warned against taking drugs containing pseudoephedrine in an interview with French media on November 22
“It's a shame to run the risk of having a stroke or heart attack just for a cold,” Dr Jean-Paul Hamon - himself a GP - told franceinfo.
“Even if these events are very rare, it is not worth the risk just to clear your nose,” he said. “Especially as you can clean your nostrils with saline solution and take a little paracetamol if you have a headache.”
The common cold has no cure, Dr Hamon notes.
“A well-cared-for cold lasts seven days and an untreated one lasts a week,” he said.
