4 Major Cold and Allergy Meds May Get Pulled From Shelves in MA, NH, ME

Ugh, that explains it! No wonder so many of us never felt better. Here we are heading into cold and flu season, then welcome back to allergy season immediately after.

New England winters bring us stuffy heads and sniffles before pollen takes over to welcome spring, so what will our plan be if these over-the-counter meds are banned?

According to the Centers for Disease Control, more than 80 million people across the country—25 percent of the population—deal with seasonal allergies.

While some people have prescriptions, the majority of us grab over-the-counter medications. When we start to feel that summer cold coming on or fight that winter stuffy nose, we reach for various cold medications to help us get through the day as our cold makes its 10-day cycle through our bodies.

So, just WOW, as we learn that the main ingredient in four of the biggies doesn't even work, according to the Today Show.

The FDA is proposing many popular over-the-counter cold and allergy medications be removed from store shelves. The agency says a common ingredient they share, phenylephrine, doesn’t actually relieve nasal congestion.

Like me, I'm sure you've used one of the following to assist with that stubborn cold. If you have allergies, then these brand names will look familiar. However, according to the Federal Drug Administration, they all contain phenylephrine, which doesn't work.

Just as we enter cold and flu season, the FDA is proposing the removal of the following big four and any generic with phenylephrine.

• NyQuil
• Sudafed
• Benadryl
• Musinex

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This is a proposed order. Only a final order will affect what products can be marketed. The proposed order is based on effectiveness concerns, not on safety concerns.

There are alternatives for your winter cold or as we head into allergy season soon.

Pseudoephedrine, nasal sprays, antihistamines, and misting treatments can help. I'm sure your doctor can, too.