Drixoral discontinued?

[NewJeffCT]

I've noticed that one of the few allergy/cold medicines that seems to work for me - Drixoral - has seemingly been discontinued. I've had trouble locating it recently, but finally got an answer from a pharmacist at my local wal-greens that it has been discontinued.

This really pisses me off - about 8-10 years ago, they pulled Tavist-D off the shelves, and it took me a few years to find Drixoral... and, now they pull that off the shelf.

There are plenty of other products that have pseudofed in them, why drixoral?

[AmyDeLune]

1. So many places are making it so hard to purchase pseudofed

that products containing it are starting to disappear.:(
In Oregon you actually have to have a doctor's prescription to purchase over the counter pseudofed. Phenylephedrine just doesn't work the same for me. *sigh*

[NCGrimbo]

5. I called them.

I called Schering-Plough today and asked why Drixoral is not on store shelves. I was told that they are changing the manufacturing location and that they do not expect it to be back on shelves until 2009. No specific date was given for when in 2009 it will be available.

[NewJeffCT]

6. thanks & welcome to DU

I'm too lazy to call

[SPKrazy]

2. maybe the antihistamine isn't selling well enough?

the non-drowsy ones are selling better and with the "D" combination with those available, I bet it just isn't selling well.

[NewJeffCT]

3. supposedly, it's still available in Canada

I'll have to see if I can order it legally.

[NJmaverick]

4. It might be or it might not

This is one of my last ditch meds (for bad allergy or cold. I did a quick google search and here was what I found:


Hi Ms. Hall,



Drixoral is a combination antihistamine / decongestant made by Schering-Plough. The antihistamine component is dexbrompheniramine (6mg) which may relieve symptoms of itching, sneezing and nasal drainage. Dexbrompheniramine is a first generation antihistamine which means there is a significant potential to cause drowsiness and fatigue. The decongestant component of Drixoral is of pseudoephedrine (120mg) which is maximum dose (per 12 hours).



I called a local Walgreen's pharmacist and visited a few medical websites in order to find the answer to your question. Drixoral is not available through Walgreens for unexplained reasons according to the pharmacist. One medical site (not Schering Co.) reported that distribution was halted, temporarily, to allow Schering to move the lab responsible for production of the drug to another site. I intend to ask a Schering pharmaceutical rep. about this.



I have spent several minutes trying to find equivalent allergy medications for patients when specific brands are discontinued. Your healthcare provider may be willing to do this for you. Print out the information above (ingredients and doses regarding Drixoral) and ask your doctor about similar brands that may be available. Some people get comparable results from chlorpheniramine or brompheniramine (in comparison to dexbrompheniramine).



Many of these older antihistamines are being outpaced by the newer generation, non-sedating brands (Claritin, Zyrtec and others). Market pressures are causing the disappearance of some of the first generation antihistamines.



Again, get advice from your doctor or pharmacist before trying a different antihistamine medication. The alternative drug may also cause sedation and fatigue. Drug interactions (with other medications you are taking) and other possible adverse effects should also be considered.





Good Luck!



J. Thompson, MD

http://www.healthcentral.com/allergy/c/question/94902/30100