Cold and flu season often finds many people in their drugstore aisles, looking for relief from over-the-counter products. Tylenol has been a leading brand for decades. Tylenol Cold is a combination product designed to ease the symptoms of the common cold.
Tylenol Cold is sold with two main package labels: multi-symptom and head congestion. Both of these lines also have severe, daytime and nighttime formulas. The active ingredients in the multi-symptom and head congestion lines are identical. For instance, Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom Severe contains the same active ingredients as Tylenol Cold Head Congestion Severe. They are packaged differently for marketing purposes. The exception is Tylenol Cold Severe Congestion Daytime, which differs from both Tylenol Cold Multi-Symptom Daytime and Tylenol Cold Head Congestion Daytime.
Acetaminophen
Acetaminophen is the generic name for the pain reliever and fever reducer commonly referred to as Tylenol. Besides reducing the fever that occasionally occurs during a cold, it can relieve the pain of headache and sore throat.
Although acetaminophen is safe when taken as directed, it is highly toxic if you exceed the recommended dosage. Since acetaminophen is found in many over-the-counter products, always read the active ingredients to be sure you are not taking more than one product containing acetaminophen.
Dextromethorphan
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant. It works in the brain to raise the cough threshold. This means that your throat will not be as sensitive to the tickles and irritations that trigger cough.
Guaifenesin
Guaifenesin is an expectorant. Expectorants thin the secretions in the airways of the lungs. This makes coughs more productive, which means you will cough less often.
Phenylephrine
Phenylephrine is a decongestant. During colds, the blood vessels in the sinuses and nasal cavities are often dilated. This increases the stuffiness that makes breathing through the nose difficult. Phenylephrine narrows these blood vessels. This allows more room in the nasal passages and makes it easier to breathe through the nose. People with high blood pressure should not take decongestants, since they can increase blood pressure.
Daytime Formula
Tylenol Cold is available in a daytime formula that contains acetaminophen, dextromethorphan and phenylephrine.
Nighttime Formula
The nighttime formula of Tylenol Cold contains acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, phenylephrine and chlorpheniramine. Chlorpheniramine is an antihistamine. Antihistamines dry up the runny nose and watery eyes associated with a cold. Chlorpheniramine usually causes drowsiness, so it should only be used at night or at a time when you will not be driving or performing tasks that require concentration.
Severe Congestion Daytime Formula
Tylenol Cold Severe Congestion Daytime replaces the decongestant phenylephrine with the more powerful decongestant pseudoephedrine. Due to the use of pseudoephedrine in the manufacture of illicit drugs, many states have special laws governing its sale. You may have to sign for it or produce your driver's license at the pharmacy counter to purchase it. In some areas, products containing pseudoephedrine are only available by prescription. You should not take pseudoephedrine if you have high blood pressure.
References
- Tylenol Cold
- Basic and Clinical Pharmacology; Bertram Katzung; 2007
