since late last year, the sale of allergy medications and decongestants containing the compound pseudoephedrine are more strictly controlled. The procedure for procuring these medicines has become more tedious, requiring one to sign on a log book, and only upon presentation of a prescription. And even then, people are allowed only to buy in limited quantities.

Drug manufacturers, fearing that these would discourage people from buying these medications and thus lead to a drop in profit, have started to introduce new formulations, replacing pseudoephedrine with a similar decongestant: phenylephrine. The problem is, phenylephrine seems to be less effective. According to some reports, though, the nasal spray form of phenylephrine may work better than the pill form, but nasal sprays should not be used for more than a few days at a time.

Have you used phenylephrine-containing alternatives to your decongestants? How do you find them? Are there brands you could recommend?