Specific Precautions and Warnings With Sudafed
Things to be aware of prior to taking
Sudafed include the following:
- Sudafed can worsen high blood pressure (especially high blood pressure that is not well-controlled with medications or other treatments). Sudafed can also increase the heart rate or cause heart palpitations. If you have high blood pressure or heart disease, check with your healthcare provider before taking Sudafed.
- Sudafed can cause problems in people with glaucoma, an enlarged prostate, diabetes, hyperthyroidism, or kidney disease. If you have one of these conditions, do not take Sudafed without checking with your healthcare provider first.
- Sudafed interacts with some medications. Some of these interactions can be quite dangerous (see Sudafed Drug Interactions for more information).
- Sudafed is considered a pregnancy Category C medication. This means that it might not be safe for use during pregnancy, although the full risks are not currently known (see Sudafed and Pregnancy).
- Sudafed passes through breast milk. Therefore, if you are breastfeeding or plan to start breastfeeding, be sure to talk with your healthcare provider before using Sudafed (see Sudafed and Breastfeeding).
Who Should Not Take Sudafed?
According to the manufacturer of Sudafed, you should not take this medication if you:
- Are allergic to Sudafed, pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, or any inactive components used to make the drug. Your healthcare provider or pharmacist has a list of the inactive ingredients used to make Sudafed.
- Have narrow angle glaucoma.
- Have difficulty passing urine (known as urinary retention).
- Have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) within the past 14 days (see Sudafed Drug Interactions for a list of MAOIs).
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