UFC Que Choisir warns consumers against cold medicines containing antihistamines such as Fervex or Humex. The association ensures that these over-the-counter treatments are useless, even problematic because of the adverse effects.
- The common cold can be caused by several viruses: rhinoviruses, adenoviruses, coronaviruses and human metapneumoviruses. However, rhinoviruses cause most cases.
- It is a mild illness that usually heals spontaneously. However, it is possible to take decongestants, paracetamol or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve symptoms. But care must be taken to follow treatment recommendations.
Stuffy nose, sneezing, runny nose, disturbed sleep… if the cold is a mild illness lasting between 5 and 10 days, it can make everyday life very complicated. Many of us are therefore looking for a remedy to reduce the inconvenience it causes. Pharmacy stalls are not lacking in over-the-counter drugs that promise to get us back on our feet quickly. However, the association UFC Que Choisir warns against treatments such as Fervex and Humex. They are “useless”according to her.
Anti-colds with antihistamines are not effective
After the ban on advertising for cold treatments containing pseudoephedrine in 2018, many companies have promoted their anti-colds based on paracetamol and antihistamines. “This is the case with the Fervex and Humex ranges, where there are products with pheniramine or chlorphenamine”notes UFC Que Choisir in a article from January 23, 2023. The consumer association deplores this practice because they are not very effective against a cold.
She explains that the tests carried out on these products show “a small action the first two days on the intensity of symptoms, but none the following days, and they made no difference with a placebo on runny nose, stuffy nose and sneezing”.
Adverse effects to consider
In addition, 1st generation antihistamines such as pheniramine and chlorphenamine, used in these anti-colds, are likely to cause significant adverse effects, “especially in the elderly”.
They can cause dry mouth, constipation, blurred vision, rapid heartbeat, but also in the most severe cases, confusion and hallucinations. Drowsiness, which is particularly dangerous during the day, is another possible risk.
“We should add that these cocktail drugs, bearing range names that are not very evocative, increase the risk of duplication: it is necessary to know their composition well, so as not to combine them with others containing the same molecules! An overdose of paracetamol can have irreversible dramatic hepatic consequences“, warns UFC Que Choisir.
So in the face of a cold, only taking paracetamol is recommended. And in case of stuffy nose sensation, it is necessary to opt for a washing of the nose with a nasal spray or saline solution.
