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decongestant

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Also known as nasal decongestant

A decongestant, or nasal decongestant, is a type of pharmaceutical drug that is used to relieve nasal congestion in the upper respiratory tract. The active ingredient in most decongestants is either pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine (the latter of which has disputed effectiveness). Intranasal corticosteroids can also be used as decongestants and antihistamines can be used to alleviate runny nose, nasal itch, and sneezing.

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Category:Decongestants
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Decongestants
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Encyclopedic overview

15 sections
Contents
  • Medical uses
  • Pharmacology
  • List of agents
  • Norepinephrine releasing agents
  • Common or widely marketed
  • Uncommon or discontinued
  • α-Adrenergic receptor agonists
  • Common or widely marketed
  • Uncommon or discontinued
  • Corticosteroids
  • Miscellaneous
  • Common or widely marketed
  • Uncommon or discontinued
  • See also
  • References

A decongestant, or nasal decongestant, is a type of pharmaceutical drug that is used to relieve nasal congestion in the upper respiratory tract. The active ingredient in most decongestants is either pseudoephedrine or phenylephrine (the latter of which has disputed effectiveness). Intranasal corticosteroids can also be used as decongestants and antihistamines can be used to alleviate runny nose, nasal itch, and sneezing.

Topical decongestants on topical application as a dilute solution (0.05–0.1%) produce local vasoconstriction.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “decongestant” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.