Health Centres - Sinutab
How does it work?
Non-drowsy Sinutab tablets contain two active ingredients, paracetamol (500mg) and pseudoephedrine hydrochloride (30mg).
Paracetamol is a simple painkilling medicine used to relieve mild to moderate pain and fever. Despite its widespread use for over 100 years, we still don't fully understand how paracetamol works to relieve pain and reduce fever. However, it is now thought that it works by reducing the production of prostaglandins in the brain and spinal cord.
The body produces prostaglandins in response to injury and certain diseases. One of the effects of prostaglandins is to sensitise nerve endings, causing pain (presumably to prevent us from causing further harm to the area). As paracetamol reduces the production of these nerve sensitising prostaglandins it is thought it may increase our pain threshold, so that although the cause of the pain remains, we can feel it less.
It is thought paracetamol reduces fever by affecting an area of the brain that regulates our body temperature (the hypothalamic heat-regulating center). The paracetamol in Sinutab tablets helps reduce fever and relieve aches and pains such as headache and sinus pain associated with conditions like colds and flu.
Pseudoephedrine is a type of medicine called a decongestant. It works by acting on alpha receptors that are found in the walls of blood vessels in the linings of the nasal passages and sinuses. It causes these blood vessels to contract and narrow, thereby decreasing blood flow into the linings of the nose and sinuses. This reduces the feeling of congestion and also reduces the production of mucus, helping to relieve a blocked nose.
The combination of active ingredients in Sinutab tablets helps to relieve the symptoms of colds and flu, and other conditions where there is nasal or sinus congestion associated with pain or fever, eg sinusitis, hayfever.
For adults and children over 12 years of age, two tablets should be taken every four to six hours as necessary, up to a maximum of eight tablets in 24 hours. For children aged 6 to 12 years, one tablet should be taken every four to six hours as necessary, up to a maximum of four tablets in 24 hours.
What is it used for?
- Relieving nasal congestion, fever and aches and pains such as headache, sore throat or sinus pain associated with conditions such as colds, flu, inflammation of the sinuses or hayfever.
Warning!
- An overdose of paracetamol is dangerous and capable of causing serious damage to the liver and kidneys. You should never exceed the dose stated in the information leaflet supplied with this medicine. Immediate medical advice should be sought in the event of an overdose with this medicine, even if you feel well, because of the risk of delayed, serious liver damage.
- Alcohol increases the risk of liver damage that can occur if an overdose of paracetamol is taken. The hazards of paracetamol overdose are greater in persistant heavy drinkers and in people with alcoholic liver disease.
- If symptoms persist despite treatment, seek medical advice from your doctor or pharmacist.
Use with caution in
- Severely decreased kidney function
- Severely decreased liver function
- Heart disease
-
High blood pressure
-
Overactive thyroid gland
-
Enlarged prostate gland
-
Diabetes
- Raised pressure within the eye ball, eg glaucoma.
Not to be used in
- Children under six years of age
-
Severe coronary artery disease
-
Very high blood pressure
- People who have taken a monoamine-oxidase inhibitor antidepressant (MAOI) in the last 14 days.
This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy.
Pregnancy and Breastfeeding
Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.
- Although paracetamol is generally considered safe for occasional use during pregnancy, the safety of pseudoephedrine has not been established. Therefore, as with all medicines, this medicine should not be taken during pregnancy unless your doctor considers the expected benefit is greater than any possible risk to the developing baby. Seek medical advice from your doctor before taking this medicine if you are pregnant.
- Small amounts of paracetamol and pseudoephedrine may pass into breast milk, but this is not expected to be harmful to a nursing infant. However, as with all medicines, you should seek medical advice from your doctor or pharmacist before taking this medicine if you are breastfeeding.
Side effects
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Restlessness
- Difficulty sleeping (insomnia)
- Anxiety
- Shaking, usually of the hands (tremor)
- Rash
- Increased heart rate (tachycardia)
- Difficulty in passing urine (urinary retention)
- False perceptions of things that are not really there (hallucinations)
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.
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