The Athlete
Phenylephrine
Removed from list of banned drugs
Since the new year, the list of banned substances has been revised, with the removal of the decongestant Phenylephrine from the list. This is a VERY welcome development, as the very effective decongestant is used in all manner of Cold and Flu remedies to alleviate sinus congestion. Therefore many common brand name products which previously were banned are now safe to take.
All decongestants were thought to mimic Ephedrine, with marked stimulant effects on the heart and blood-pressure as well as on the nasal blood-vessels. In fact only 12 months ago many products containing the decongestant Phenylpropanolamine were removed from sale, for fear of over-use of this drug causing strokes in women in particular.
Athletes should be aware therefore, that many products containing this ingredient may be marked as "banned" when in fact they are no longer. Our advice is to update your lists.