Can daytime cold medicine make you tired?

See also Warning section.

Drug interactions may change how your medications work or increase your risk for serious side effects. This document does not contain all possible drug interactions. Keep a list of all the products you use (including prescription/nonprescription drugs and herbal products) and share it with your doctor and pharmacist. Do not start, stop, or change the dosage of any medicines without your doctor's approval.

Taking certain MAO inhibitors with this medication may cause a serious (possibly fatal) drug interaction. Avoid taking isocarboxazid, metaxalone, methylene blue, moclobemide, phenelzine, procarbazine, rasagiline, safinamide, selegiline, or tranylcypromine during treatment with this medication. Most MAO inhibitors should also not be taken for two weeks before treatment with this medication. Ask your doctor when to start or stop taking this medication.

Some products that may interact with this drug are: anti-seizure medications (such as phenytoin, phenobarbital), beta blockers (such as metoprolol, atenolol), guanethidine, ketoconazole, levoketoconazole, methyldopa, phenothiazines (such as chlorpromazine), rolapitant, tricyclic antidepressants (such as amitriptyline, desipramine).

The ingredients in this product are available in many prescription and nonprescription products. Check the labels on all your medications carefully to make sure you are not taking more than one product with the same ingredient(s). Consult your pharmacist if you are unsure of the ingredients in any of your medications.

Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking other products that cause drowsiness such as opioid pain or cough relievers (such as codeine, hydrocodone), alcohol, marijuana (cannabis), drugs for sleep or anxiety (such as alprazolam, lorazepam, zolpidem), muscle relaxants (such as carisoprodol, cyclobenzaprine), or antihistamines (such as cetirizine, diphenhydramine).

Check the labels on all your medicines (such as allergy or cough-and-cold products) because they may contain ingredients that cause drowsiness. Ask your pharmacist about using those products safely.

Some products have ingredients that could raise your heart rate or blood pressure. Tell your pharmacist what products you are using, and ask how to use them safely (especially cough-and-cold products or diet aids).

This medication may interfere with certain urine lab tests (such as 5-HIAA levels), possibly causing false test results. Make sure lab personnel and all your doctors know you use this drug.

Does Daytime Cold And Flu Relief 30 Mg-15 Mg-325 Mg Capsule interact with other drugs you are taking?

Enter your medication into the WebMD interaction checker

There are two main reasons cold medicines might make you drowsy. One is that one or more ingredients in the medicine may cause drowsiness. The second reason is that an ingredient in the cold medicine could be interacting with another medicine you take, which could cause drowsiness. First, let’s look at ingredients typically found in cold medicines.

Ingredients that May Cause Drowsiness

Not all labels say “drowsy” or “non-drowsy,” so we want to give you some more information that can help you find a non-drowsy cold medicine. It’s important to choose cold medicine with only the ingredients you need. This can help avoid unwanted side effects such as drowsiness. You should also know that, usually, medicines labeled “nighttime” are formulated to help you sleep.

Pain/fever relievers

Most cold and flu medicines sold in stores contain aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen. These ingredients serve a double duty. They all can relieve pain associated with cold and flu, like headaches and body aches, and they can help reduce a fever as well. None of these ingredients has sleep-inducing properties.

Decongestants

Since the main symptom of a cold is congestion in your nose and/or chest, cold medicines usually contain a decongestant ingredient. Examples include phenylephrine and pseudoephedrine. These typically do not cause drowsiness and can make some people feel hyper or more alert.

Antihistamines

Some cold medicines, especially those labeled for both allergies and colds, may have an antihistamine in them to help with a runny nose and postnasal drip. Antihistamines are known to cause drowsiness in some people. If the medicine does not say it’s an antihistamine, look for these ingredients to know for sure: diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine maleate and doxylamine succinate are all antihistamines.

Interactions with Other Medicines

If you have a known health condition or are taking other medications, check with your doctor before choosing a cold medicine from your local pharmacy or supermarket. You can also use one of the drug interaction checkers online, but it’s always safest to talk with your doctor who knows your health history.

To give you an idea of the problem combinations that exist, here are some examples: Decongestants and antihistamines may not mix well with drugs prescribed for heart disease or blood pressure problems. You will also want to check to make sure you’re not taking anything else with aspirin, acetaminophen or ibuprofen in it. If you have asthma, emphysema or other lung disease, you’ll want to check with your doctor before taking anything with a cough suppressant or expectorant in it. If you are on any anti-depressant or anti-anxiety drug, check with your doctor before trying any cough or cold medicine.

Combining certain meds can cause serious side effects, so this is even a good topic of discussion for you and your doctor before a cold or flu hits. Know which medications and ingredients are safe for you ahead of time and you’ll know exactly what to do if you get catch a cold or the flu.

BC® Powder Cold Medicines

BC® Cough & Cold targets cough and nasal congestion. It contains acetaminophen, dextromethorphan and phenylephrine, and should not make you feel sleepy.

BC® Sinus Pain & Congestion is for allergy, cold and sinus symptoms. It contains acetaminophen, phenylephrine and an antihistamine, chlorpheniramine maleate, so there’s a chance it could make you sleepy. Both cold medicines are in powder form and come in convenient stick packs you can slip in your pocket and take with you on the go, if needed.

The best cure for a cold is prevention, so we also recommend you read our blog post, “5 Easy Things You Can Do to Avoid Colds & Flu.”  

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