Decongestants

Decongestants are used for quick, temporary relief of nasal and sinus congestion. They're not intended for routine or long-term treatment of allergy symptoms. They also are not recommended for people with high blood pressure, heart disease, glaucoma or overactive thyroid, also called hyperthyroidism.

Side effects include trouble sleeping, headache, increased blood pressure and irritability.

Nasal decongestant sprays and drops

Nasal decongestant sprays and drops relieve nasal and sinus congestion. But they only should be used for a short time. Use of these sprays and drops for more than three days in a row can cause more congestion when treatment stops. This is called rebound congestion.

Examples include:

• Oxymetazoline (Afrin).
• Tetrahydrozoline.

Pills and liquids

Oral decongestants also relieve nasal and sinus congestion. Many decongestants are available without a prescription.

Examples include:

• Pseudoephedrine (Sudafed).

Some oral allergy medicines contain a decongestant and an antihistamine. Examples include:

• Cetirizine and pseudoephedrine (Zyrtec-D 12 Hour).
• Desloratadine and pseudoephedrine (Clarinex-D 12 Hour).
• Fexofenadine and pseudoephedrine (Allegra-D).
• Loratadine and pseudoephedrine (Claritin-D).