Best cough suppressant for adults with high blood pressure

One of the goals when you take drugs for high blood pressure is to be sure the medication is working effectively. One step toward achieving this goal is to avoid some medications. What kinds of problems might other drugs cause?

  • Some drugs can make blood pressure rise. If you have high blood pressure to begin with, it can rise to dangerous levels.
  • Some medications may interact with blood pressure medicine. This can prevent either drug from working properly.

Here are common types of medication that can make high blood pressure worse.

NSAIDs and High Blood Pressure

NSAIDs -- nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs -- include both prescription and over-the-counter varieties. They are often used to relieve pain or reduce inflammation from conditions such as arthritis. However, NSAIDs can make the body retain fluid and decrease kidney function. This may cause blood pressure to rise even higher, putting greater stress on your heart and kidneys.

Common NSAIDs include:

  • Aspirin
  • Ibuprofen
  • Naproxen

You may also find NSAIDs in over-the-counter medication for other health problems. Cold medicine, for example, often contains NSAIDs. It's a good idea whenever you purchase an over-the-counter drug to check the label for NSAIDs. Ask your doctor if any NSAID is OK for you to use. Your doctor may be able to recommend alternatives, such as using acetaminophen instead of ibuprofen.

Blood Pressure and Cough and Cold Medications

Many cough and cold medications contain NSAIDs to relieve pain. NSAIDs may increase your blood pressure. Cough and cold medicines also frequently contain decongestants. Decongestants can make blood pressure worse in two ways:

  • Decongestants may make your blood pressure and heart rate rise.
  • Decongestants may prevent high blood pressure drugs from working properly.

What can you do? Avoid using cough and cold medicine that contains NSAIDs or decongestants. Ask your doctor for suggestions about other ways to ease symptoms of cold, flu, or sinus problems.

Migraine Headache Drugs and Blood Pressure

Some migraine headache drugs work by tightening blood vessels in your head. This relieves migraine pain. However, the medication also constricts blood vessels throughout your body. This can make blood pressure rise, perhaps to dangerous levels.

If you have high blood pressure or any other type of heart disease, talk with your doctor before taking medication for migraines or severe headaches.

Weight Loss Drugs Can Also Raise Blood Pressure

Some weight loss drugs may make heart disease worse. Appetite suppressants tend to "rev" up the body, increasing both the heart rate and the blood pressure. When the blood pressure rises, it can put more stress on your heart.

Before using any weight loss drug, whether prescription or over-the-counter, be sure to check with your doctor. These medications may do you more harm than good.

More Tips for Avoiding Medication Problems

Be sure any medications you choose to use are safe for people who have high blood pressure. These suggestions can help:

  • Give a list of ALL the medications you use, both prescription and over-the-counter, to every doctor you visit, including dosages.
  • Read medication labels before buying over-the-counter preparations. Make sure the medicine doesn't contain ingredients that could make your high blood pressure worse, such as NSAIDs or decongestants.
  • Talk to your doctor before using any over-the-counter medication, herbal preparation, vitamins, or other nutritional supplements. Ask for alternatives to potentially harmful medicines.

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What are the most common cold and flu symptoms?

The common cold and flu, or influenza, are contagious respiratory ailments. While the illnesses produce many of the same symptoms, they are caused by different viruses. The flu is only caused by influenza viruses, while several other viruses can cause the common cold.

Because the two conditions have similar symptoms, it can be challenging to tell the difference between them based solely on the symptoms. However, in general, cold symptoms are milder, while flu symptoms tend to come on quickly and are more intense.

Typically, fever and headache are common flu symptoms but rarer with a cold. Body aches, fatigue, weakness, and chills are more common and severe in flu.

While both illnesses can cause a cough and chest discomfort, people with colds almost always experience sneezing and a runny or stuffy nose. In contrast, these symptoms only occur occasionally in people with the flu.

Can you take cold and flu tablets with blood pressure medication?

Anyone can get the flu and the associated complications from influenza, including bacterial pneumonia, ear infections, sinus infections, and even death in people of any age or state of health.

Certain groups of people have a higher risk of developing severe flu-related complications.¹ These groups include people 65 and over, pregnant women, and children under five.

High-risk groups also include people of any age with a chronic medical condition. The flu can worsen chronic medical conditions like asthma, diabetes, cardiovascular issues, and high blood pressure.

Typically, your doctor will recommend rest and plenty of fluids to treat the flu unless you have a severe infection or are at risk of complications. Unfortunately, there is no cure, and cold and flu medications won’t make the illness go away any quicker. Still, many people often turn to them to find some relief from the symptoms until it passes.

There is a wide variety of over-the-counter cold and flu medications² available. Most of these products are multi-symptom formulas, which contain several drugs to relieve the common cold and the flu symptoms.

For example, it’s common for these medications to include a cough suppressant, acetaminophen or ibuprofen to help reduce pain and inflammation, and a decongestant to help with nasal stuffiness.

While controlling your symptoms is vital, it’s equally important to be aware of the potential side effects and possible complications of any medication you decide to take. For example, some cold and flu remedies are safe to take by people with high blood pressure, while others might not. 

Like other over-the-counter medications, you should be extra cautious if you have high blood pressure and take medication to control it.

What cold and flu medicine ingredients should I avoid with high blood pressure?

Many cold and flu medications can increase blood pressure, especially in people already struggling to control it. If you are taking medication to control your blood pressure or have a history of high blood pressure, you need to be extremely careful to avoid taking cold and flu medications that contain decongestants.

Cold and flu remedies often add a decongestant to help temporarily relieve a blocked or stuffy nose. Decongestants are commonly used to ease the symptoms of nasal congestion associated with hay fever, allergic reactions, and the common cold or influenza.

Decongestants are a significant concern³ for people with high blood pressure because of how the drugs work. Decongestants reduce nasal stuffiness by causing the blood vessels in the nose to constrict.

This constriction reduces swelling in the nose and allows you to breathe easier. However,  it can also cause blood vessels in other parts of the body to constrict, which can inadvertently increase your blood pressure.

To help keep your blood pressure under control, avoid over-the-counter products and multi-symptom cold and flu medications that contain decongestants. The most common decongestants include pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, phenylephrine, naphazoline, and oxymetazoline.

You should always choose a cold and flu medication that matches the symptoms you are experiencing and avoid taking unnecessary medicines just because they are part of the formula.

In addition, some over-the-counter medications have a high sodium content,⁴ so aside from checking the label to see if decongestants are present, you should also check the product’s sodium content, as that can also raise your blood pressure.

Can I take Tylenol Cold and Flu with high blood pressure?

According to the ingredients listed by the manufacturer,⁵ Tylenol Cold and Flu products contain phenylephrine, which is used as a nasal decongestant. Decongestants are not recommended for people with high blood pressure trying to keep it under control.

Additionally, among the other warnings associated with this product is the recommendation to consult with your doctor before taking it if you have high blood pressure.

Can I take NyQuil Cold and Flu with high blood pressure?

Manufactured by Vicks, there are different NyQuil Cold and Flu products,⁶ including one specifically formulated for people with high blood pressure. Vicks NyQuil High Blood Pressure Cold and Flu Medicine are marketed as a product that will safely relieve cold and flu symptoms in people with high blood pressure.

Note, however, that the active ingredients of NyQuil Cold and Flu⁷ and Vicks NyQuil High Blood Pressure Cold and Flu Medicine⁷ are the same.

While NyQuil doesn’t contain any decongestants, their cold and flu products include an antihistamine called doxylamine succinate and a cough suppressant called dextromethorphan. While cough suppressants won’t typically affect your blood pressure, an antihistamine can.

If you’re taking medication to control your high blood pressure, combining it with certain types of antihistamine may affect your heart rate and your blood pressure. Therefore, if you have high blood pressure, you should consult your doctor before taking any NyQuil Cold and Flu products.

Is Theraflu safe to take with high blood pressure?

Theraflu is another well-known multi-symptom product formulated to relieve cold and flu symptoms.

Like many over-the-counter cold and flu remedies, Theraflu’s active ingredients⁸ include a cough suppressant; acetaminophen to reduce body aches and fever; and phenylephrine, a nasal decongestant. Avoid phenylephrine if you have high blood pressure.

What cold and flu medicines are safe with high blood pressure?

Over-the-counter multi-symptom cold and flu medications are convenient and can effectively relieve various cold and flu symptoms. Unfortunately, because they contain several drugs, you often end up taking medicine for a symptom you don’t have.

If you have high blood pressure, you have the added risk of elevated blood pressure from the active ingredients themselves or interaction with your blood pressure medicine.

If you decide to try a cold and flu medication, choose one formulated for people with high blood pressure. Read the label carefully. Never select a formula that contains a decongestant. 

Closely read the label warnings as well. Avoid any medication with a warning label stating that people with high blood pressure and those who take medication should not take it without consulting a doctor.

If you are suffering from a fever, sore throat, headache, or body aches, aspirin or acetaminophen may provide relief without taking a remedy that has medications for symptoms you don’t have. 

What other treatment options can safely relieve cold and flu symptoms for people with high blood pressure?

Over-the-counter cold and flu medications are not the only treatment option for many cold and flu symptoms. Often, mild to moderate symptoms can be relieved with safe treatments that do not affect your blood pressure.

Here are some of them:

Saline nasal spray 

Using a saline nasal spray is an effective option for clearing nasal congestion. A saline nasal spray can help flush your sinuses and wash away particles, allergens, and germs.

Saltwater gargle

Gargling with warm salt water or drinking warm water or tea with lemon juice and honey can often relieve a sore or scratchy throat.

Rest and plenty of fluids

If you feel ill and start to show symptoms of a cold or the flu, take it easy and rest. Also, drinking plenty of fluids such as water, juice, tea, or soup will keep you hydrated and help clear the phlegm and mucus from your lungs.

The lowdown

When it comes to your health, it always pays to be cautious. While you should avoid most multi-symptom cold and flu medications if you have high blood pressure, cold and flu medications are available that are specifically formulated for your condition.

Even with these, however, it’s always best to check with your doctor before taking over-the-counter medications.

Can I take Robitussin DM if I have high blood pressure?

To keep your blood pressure in check, avoid over-the-counter decongestants and multisymptom cold remedies that contain decongestants — such as pseudoephedrine, ephedrine, phenylephrine, naphazoline and oxymetazoline. Also, check the label for high sodium content, which can also raise blood pressure.

How do you get rid of a cough due to high blood pressure?

Instead, consider following the recommendations below..
Choose a cold medication designed for people who have high blood pressure. ... .
Take a pain reliever. ... .
Use saline nasal spray. ... .
Soothe your throat. ... .
Drink plenty of fluids. ... .
Increase the humidity in your home. ... .
Get plenty of rest..

Which Robitussin can I take with high blood pressure?

Robitussin Dm (Guaifenesin / Dextromethorphan).
Coricidin Hbp Cough And Cold (Chlorpheniramine / Dextromethorphan) is a combination medicine that relieves multiple cold symptoms. ... .
Good option for people with high blood pressure since it doesn't contain ingredients that'll raise your blood pressure..

Is there a decongestant that doesn't raise blood pressure?

Oxymetazoline (Afrin, Dristan), phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine), naphazoline (Privine) and propylhexedrine (Benzedrex) are nasal decongestants. The risk of increased blood pressure may be less with propylhexedrine than with the first 3 drugs.