Back to Treatment Report

What is acetaminophen-phenyltoloxamine?

Acetaminophen is a pain reliever and a fever reducer.

Phenyltoloxamine is an antihistamine that reduces the natural chemical histamine in the body. Histamine can produce symptoms of sneezing, itching, watery eyes, and runny nose.

Acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine is used to treat runny nose, sneezing, and pain or fever caused by the common cold, flu, or seasonal allergies.

Acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine may also be used for other purposes not listed in this medication guide.

Precautions

You should not take this medication if you are allergic to acetaminophen or phenyltoloxamine.

Do not use acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine if you have used an MAO inhibitor such as isocarboxazid (Marplan), phenelzine (Nardil), rasagiline (Azilect), selegiline (Eldepryl, Emsam), or tranylcypromine (Parnate) within the past 14 days. Serious, life-threatening side effects can occur if you take acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine before the MAO inhibitor has cleared from your body.

Before taking acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine, tell your doctor if you are allergic to any drugs, or if you have:

  • liver or kidney disease;
  • diabetes;
  • glaucoma;
  • urination problems;
  • an enlarged prostate;
  • heart disease or high blood pressure;
  • a stomach ulcer; or
  • an overactive thyroid.

If you have any of these conditions, you may need a dose adjustment or special tests to safely take acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine.

Tell your doctor if you drink more than three alcoholic beverages per day or if you have ever had alcoholic liver disease (cirrhosis). You may not be able to take medication that contains acetaminophen.

Acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine may harm an unborn baby. Do not take this medication without telling your doctor if you are pregnant.

Acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine can pass into breast milk and may harm a nursing baby. Do not take this medication without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.

Acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine can cause side effects that may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be awake and alert.

Avoid drinking alcohol while you are taking acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine. It can increase your risk of liver damage while taking acetaminophen.

Tell your doctor if you regularly use other medicines that make you sleepy (such as cold or allergy medicine, other pain medicines, sleeping pills, muscle relaxers, and medicine for seizures, depression, or anxiety). They can add to sleepiness caused by phenyltoloxamine.

Do not use any other cold, allergy, pain, or sleep medication without first asking your doctor or pharmacist. Acetaminophen (sometimes abbreviated as "APAP”) and antihistamines are contained in many combination medicines. If you take certain products together you may accidentally take too much of a certain drug. Read the label of any other medicine you are using to see if it contains acetaminophen, APAP, or an antihistamine.

Back to top

Instructions

Seek emergency medical attention if you think you have used too much of this medicine.

Overdose symptoms may include dizziness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, stomach pain, loss of appetite, increased sweating, seizure (convulsions), or coma.

Take the missed dose as soon as you remember. If it is almost time for your next dose, wait until then to take the medicine and skip the missed dose. Do not take extra medicine to make up the missed dose.

Back to top

Side Effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficulty breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using this medication and call your doctor at once if you have a serious side effect such as:

  • fast, pounding, or uneven heartbeat;
  • nausea, stomach pain, low fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, clay-colored stools, jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes); or
  • easy bruising or bleeding, unusual weakness, fever, chills, body aches, flu symptoms.

Less serious side effects may include:

  • dry eyes, nose, and mouth;
  • drowsiness or dizziness;
  • blurred vision;
  • urinating less than usual; or
  • feeling restless or excited (especially in children).

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

Back to top

Interactions

There may be other drugs that can interact with acetaminophen and phenyltoloxamine. Tell your doctor about all your prescription and over-the-counter medications, vitamins, minerals, herbal products, and drugs prescribed by other doctors. Do not start a new medication without telling your doctor.

Back to top

Disclaimer

Every effort has been made to ensure that the information provided by Cerner Multum, Inc. ('Multum') is accurate, up-to-date, and complete, but no guarantee is made to that effect. Drug information contained herein may be time sensitive. Multum information has been compiled for use by healthcare practitioners and consumers in the United States and therefore Multum does not warrant that uses outside of the United States are appropriate, unless specifically indicated otherwise. Multum's drug information does not endorse drugs, diagnose patients or recommend therapy. Multum's drug information is an informational resource designed to assist licensed healthcare practitioners in caring for their patients and/or to serve consumers viewing this service as a supplement to, and not a substitute for, the expertise, skill, knowledge and judgment of healthcare practitioners. The absence of a warning for a given drug or drug combination in no way should be construed to indicate that the drug or drug combination is safe, effective or appropriate for any given patient. Multum does not assume any responsibility for any aspect of healthcare administered with the aid of information Multum provides. The information contained herein is not intended to cover all possible uses, directions, precautions, warnings, drug interactions, allergic reactions, or adverse effects. If you have questions about the drugs you are taking, check with your doctor, nurse or pharmacist.

Copyright 1996-2004 Cerner Multum, Inc. Version 2.05. Revision date 8/23/04