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A comment on FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasal Decongestant. Parent comment

Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by dreamcompiler on Friday November 08, 2024 @04:08AM (#42085454)
Oxymetazoline is an extremely effective nasal decongestant. It works almost instantly and it lasts 24 hours.

It also creates dependency. A drug that is ineffective cannot cause dependency.

[ Parent | on HN ]
Re:FDA Proposes Ending Use of Oral Phenylephrine as OTC Nasa... by admash on Friday November 08, 2024 @04:29AM (#42085548)
Of course it can. You take drug A for 5 days to get rid of symptom X. The symptom X does not go away. It is ineffective! You stop taking drug A and immediately experience brutal migraines that go away when you start taking drug A again. Ergo, you have become dependent on drug A for normal functioning, even though it is ineffective at ridding you of symptom X.
[ Parent | on HN ]