On a typical weekday morning pharmacists often watch customers rush in with the same request: “Just something for this cold.”
Most expect a quick fix, a nasal spray, a cough suppressant, maybe a pain reliever.
Few pause to consider that very ordinary, non-prescription medicines can nudge blood pressure upward, sometimes more than people realize.
Cold remedies aren’t as innocent as they look
According to reporting by AARP, Dr. Sandra Taler, M.D., a professor of medicine and physician in the division of nephrology and hypertension at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, explained that people living with hypertension should be careful with decongestants.
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Sold both as stand-alone sprays and as part of multi-symptom cold formulas, these ingredients are designed to restore breathing by tightening blood flow in the nasal passages.
That same mechanism, she noted, can unintentionally push blood pressure higher.
Professional guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology echo this concern, emphasizing that decongestants can meaningfully alter cardiovascular readings.
Why the blood pressure can rise
Dr. Matthew Muldoon, M.D., the founding director of the Hypertension Center at the UPMC Heart and Vascular Institute and a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, also cited by AARP, described the effect.
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When a medication encourages blood vessels to narrow, even in one area of the body, the body may respond with a broader, systemwide increase in pressure.
He indicated that people with heart disease or poorly controlled hypertension have the most to lose from these seemingly mild changes.
Hidden ingredients
Pharmacists say that many shoppers do not realise these products can contain small amounts of decongestants even when they are not prominently advertised on the label.
It only takes a quick glance at the ingredient list to miss something important.
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The same pattern appears with NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen. These painkillers can not only push blood pressure higher but also weaken the effect of prescribed antihypertensive drugs.
Experts consistently recommend that people with hypertension, diagnosed or suspected, consult a pharmacist or their physician before picking an OTC cold remedy.
Sources: AARP, and American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology.
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This article is made and published by Ida-Marie Palm Varbæk, who may have used AI in the preparation.