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Oral Decongestants

  • Reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology

  • 273 Accesses

Synonyms

Alpha-receptor agonists; Oral sympathomimetics; Sympathomimetic decongestants; Systemic decongestants

Definition

Oral decongestants are used to temporarily relieve nasal congestion associated with allergic/nonallergic rhinitis and rhinosinusitis (Gwaltney et al. 1995; Tran et al. 2011). Agents in this class that can be found in both prescription and nonprescription medication include pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine. Despite the efficacy of oral decongestants, these products are becoming more difficult to obtain due to the associated risks. A once popular weight loss agent and decongestant, phenylpropanolamine, was removed from the US market due to increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke (Kernan et al. 2000). Pseudoephedrine was once very accessible over the counter, but now has been moved behind the counter in pharmacies because it is used in the synthesis of methamphetamine. In 2006, the US congress passed the Combat Methamphetamine Epidemic Act of 2005. This act prohibits...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pharmacotherapeutics and Clinical Research, University of South Florida, College of Pharmacy, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC 30, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Shyam Gelot & Gwendolyn Wantuch

  2. College of Pharmacy, University of South Florida, 12901 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., MDC 30, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Dalia Zall

Authors
  1. Shyam Gelot
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  2. Gwendolyn Wantuch
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  3. Dalia Zall
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Shyam Gelot .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia

    Ian R. Mackay

  2. Center for Autoimmune Disease Research, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Department of Pathology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Noel R. Rose

  3. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA

    Dennis K. Ledford

  4. Division of Allergy and Immunology, Department of Internal Medicine, University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine, James A. Haley Veterans' Hospital, Tampa, FL, USA

    Richard F. Lockey

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Gelot, S., Wantuch, G., Zall, D. (2014). Oral Decongestants. In: Mackay, I.R., Rose, N.R., Ledford, D.K., Lockey, R.F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Medical Immunology. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_234

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9194-1_234

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-9193-4

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9194-1

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