Decongestant medication - Side effects of decongestants

Decongestant medicines don't often cause side effects, and any side effects you may have are likely to be mild.

Reported side effects of decongestants include:

• irritation to the lining of your nose
• a skin rash
• headaches
• feeling sick or being sick
• dry mouth
• restlessness or anxiety
• tremor (uncontrollable shaking and trembling)
• problems sleeping (insomnia)
• rapid and/or irregular heartbeat
• noticing your heart beating inside your chest (palpitations)
• in men – difficulty passing urine

These side effects should pass once you finish taking the medication.

More serious and rarer side effects include:

• hallucinations (seeing and hearing things that are not really there)
• experiencing a combination of vomiting, palpitations and headache – this could be due to a sudden rise in blood pressure

If you experience these rarer side effects, stop taking the medication and seek medical advice.

Very rarely you may experience a serious allergic reaction (anaphylaxis), such as swelling of the throat, that can cause breathing difficulties, as well as swelling of the lips and the appearance of a red skin rash.

Anaphylaxis is a medical emergency. Call 999 immediately and ask for an ambulance.