{"id":208,"date":"2019-11-12T17:43:11","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T17:43:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/chapter\/5-7-decongestants\/"},"modified":"2025-01-16T22:26:01","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T22:26:01","slug":"5-7-decongestants","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/chapter\/5-7-decongestants\/","title":{"raw":"5.7 Decongestants","rendered":"5.7 Decongestants"},"content":{"raw":"Pseudoephedrine is an Alpha-1 agonist and an over-the-counter (OTC) decongestant (see Figure 5.9[footnote]\u201cProject 366 #165: 130612 Helping Hand?<\/a>\u201d by Pete<\/a> is licensed under Public Domain.<\/a>[\/footnote]<\/sup>). Pseudoephedrine has had recent limitations placed on its use because it is a common ingredient in the illicit manufacturing of the drug methamphetamine. Pharmacies now require individuals to provide identification to purchase pseudoephedrine and must track the number of purchases. As a result, most over-the-counter decongestants now contain phenylephrine. More details regarding pseudoephedrine are described in the \"Autonomic Nervous System<\/a>\" chapter.\n\nMechanism of Action: <\/strong>Pseudoephedrine acts directly on the adrenergic receptors and acts indirectly by releasing norepinephrine from its storage sites. The drug produces vasoconstriction, which shrinks nasal mucosa membranes.\n\nIndications: <\/strong>Decongestants relieve nasal obstruction due to inflammation.\n\nNursing Considerations:\u00a0<\/strong>This medication is not safe for children under the age of 4 years.\n\nSide Effects\/Adverse Effects: <\/strong>Common adverse\/side effects include hypertension, dysrhythmia, dizziness, headache, insomnia, and restlessness. Some clients may experience blurred vision, tinnitus, chest tightness, dry nose, and nasal congestion.\n\nDecongestants are contraindicated in clients with severe hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), narrow-angle glaucoma, and some antidepressant use. Also, use with caution in clients who have cardiac dysrhythmias, hyperthyroidism, DM (diabetes mellitus), and prostatic hypertrophy.[footnote]Frandsen, G., & Pennington, S. (2018). Abrams\u2019 clinical drug: Rationales for nursing practice <\/em>(11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.[\/footnote]<\/sup>\n\nHealth Teaching & Health Promotion: <\/strong>Clients must take care to follow dosing recommendations. If dosing standards are surpassed, some clients may experience side effects such as increased nervousness, breathing difficulties, heart rate changes, and hallucinations.[footnote]uCentral from Unbound Medicine. https:\/\/www.unboundmedicine.com\/ucentral<\/a>[\/footnote]<\/sup>\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_207\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"529\"]\"Photo Figure 5.9 Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is a decongestant that is available OTC[\/caption]\n\nNow let's take a closer look at the medication grid on pseudoephedrine in Table 5.7.[footnote]This work is a derivative of\u00a0Pharmacology Notes: Nursing Implications for Clinical Practice<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Gloria Velarde<\/a> licensed under\u00a0CC BY-NC-SA 4.0<\/a>[\/footnote],[footnote]Frandsen, G., & Pennington, S. (2018). Abrams\u2019 clinical drug: Rationales for nursing practice\u00a0<\/em>(11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer.[\/footnote],[footnote]This work is a derivative of DailyMed<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0U.S. National Library of Medicine<\/a> in the Public Domain<\/a>. [\/footnote]<\/span><\/sup><\/span>\n\nTable 5.7 Pseudoephedrine Medication Grid<\/span>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Class\/Subclass<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/th>\n
\n
Prototype\/Generic<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/th>\n
\n
Nursing Considerations<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/th>\n
\n
Therapeutic Effects<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/th>\n
\n
Side\/Adverse Effects<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Decongestant<\/th>\npseudoephedrine<\/a><\/td>\nAdministration (drops and sprays)\n\nAvoid prolonged use for greater than 7 days\n\nUse cautiously with cardiovascular disease\n\nMaintain hydration (2-3 liters\/day)<\/td>\nTemporarily relieves nasal congestion due to the common cold, hay fever, or other upper respiratory allergies\n\nTemporarily relieves sinus congestion and pressure<\/td>\nCardiovascular\u00a0stimulation\n\nRebound congestion with nasal route<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n ","rendered":"

Pseudoephedrine is an Alpha-1 agonist and an over-the-counter (OTC) decongestant (see Figure 5.9[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/sup>). Pseudoephedrine has had recent limitations placed on its use because it is a common ingredient in the illicit manufacturing of the drug methamphetamine. Pharmacies now require individuals to provide identification to purchase pseudoephedrine and must track the number of purchases. As a result, most over-the-counter decongestants now contain phenylephrine. More details regarding pseudoephedrine are described in the “Autonomic Nervous System<\/a>” chapter.<\/p>\n

Mechanism of Action: <\/strong>Pseudoephedrine acts directly on the adrenergic receptors and acts indirectly by releasing norepinephrine from its storage sites. The drug produces vasoconstriction, which shrinks nasal mucosa membranes.<\/p>\n

Indications: <\/strong>Decongestants relieve nasal obstruction due to inflammation.<\/p>\n

Nursing Considerations:\u00a0<\/strong>This medication is not safe for children under the age of 4 years.<\/p>\n

Side Effects\/Adverse Effects: <\/strong>Common adverse\/side effects include hypertension, dysrhythmia, dizziness, headache, insomnia, and restlessness. Some clients may experience blurred vision, tinnitus, chest tightness, dry nose, and nasal congestion.<\/p>\n

Decongestants are contraindicated in clients with severe hypertension, coronary artery disease (CAD), narrow-angle glaucoma, and some antidepressant use. Also, use with caution in clients who have cardiac dysrhythmias, hyperthyroidism, DM (diabetes mellitus), and prostatic hypertrophy.[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

Health Teaching & Health Promotion: <\/strong>Clients must take care to follow dosing recommendations. If dosing standards are surpassed, some clients may experience side effects such as increased nervousness, breathing difficulties, heart rate changes, and hallucinations.[3]<\/sup><\/a><\/sup><\/p>\n

\"Photo
Figure 5.9 Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed) is a decongestant that is available OTC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Now let’s take a closer look at the medication grid on pseudoephedrine in Table 5.7.[4]<\/sup><\/a>,[5]<\/sup><\/a>,[6]<\/sup><\/a><\/span><\/sup><\/span><\/p>\n

Table 5.7 Pseudoephedrine Medication Grid<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
\n
Class\/Subclass<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/th>\n
\n
Prototype\/Generic<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/th>\n
\n
Nursing Considerations<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/th>\n
\n
Therapeutic Effects<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/th>\n
\n
Side\/Adverse Effects<\/strong><\/h5>\n<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n
Decongestant<\/th>\npseudoephedrine<\/a><\/td>\nAdministration (drops and sprays)<\/p>\n

Avoid prolonged use for greater than 7 days<\/p>\n

Use cautiously with cardiovascular disease<\/p>\n

Maintain hydration (2-3 liters\/day)<\/td>\n

Temporarily relieves nasal congestion due to the common cold, hay fever, or other upper respiratory allergies<\/p>\n

Temporarily relieves sinus congestion and pressure<\/td>\n

Cardiovascular\u00a0stimulation<\/p>\n

Rebound congestion with nasal route<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

 <\/p>\n

  1. \u201cProject 366 #165: 130612 Helping Hand?<\/a>\u201d by Pete<\/a> is licensed under Public Domain.<\/a> ↵<\/a><\/li>
  2. Frandsen, G., & Pennington, S. (2018). Abrams\u2019 clinical drug: Rationales for nursing practice <\/em>(11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. ↵<\/a><\/li>
  3. uCentral from Unbound Medicine. https:\/\/www.unboundmedicine.com\/ucentral<\/a> ↵<\/a><\/li>
  4. This work is a derivative of\u00a0Pharmacology Notes: Nursing Implications for Clinical Practice<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0Gloria Velarde<\/a> licensed under\u00a0CC BY-NC-SA 4.0<\/a> ↵<\/a><\/li>
  5. Frandsen, G., & Pennington, S. (2018). Abrams\u2019 clinical drug: Rationales for nursing practice\u00a0<\/em>(11th ed.). Wolters Kluwer. ↵<\/a><\/li>
  6. This work is a derivative of DailyMed<\/a>\u00a0by\u00a0U.S. National Library of Medicine<\/a> in the Public Domain<\/a>. ↵<\/a><\/li><\/ol><\/div>","protected":false},"author":83,"menu_order":7,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[48],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-208","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless"],"part":186,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/208","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/208\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":209,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/208\/revisions\/209"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/186"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/208\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=208"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=208"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=208"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/accnursingpharmacology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=208"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}