Heart failure: Over-the-counter medicines

Read the labels of all over-the-counter medicines you take. Ask your pharmacist or health care provider if they are safe for you.

Caution: Many stores have their own generic brands of the below medicines. Check with your pharmacist or health care provider before using any over-the-counter and generic medicines.

The safest cough and cold medicines for you:

chlorepheniramine (Chlortrimeton® or AllerChlor®)
guaifenesin with dextromethorphan (Robitussin DM®)
loratadine (Claritin®).

Cough and cold medicines you should not take:

pseudoephedrine (Sudafed®, Actifed®, Contrex® and Nyquil®)
phenylephrine (Neo-Synephrine®)
ephedrine (also known as “ma huang”) or any kind of appetite suppressant (such as Metabolife®).

Medicines high in sodium:

Sodium causes your body to retain fluid. This increases your blood pressure and makes your heart work harder. The following medicines are high in sodium:

Vicks 44® Cough Syrup Vicks 44® Cough Relief
Alka-Seltzer®
Fleets® Phospho-Soda and Fleets® enema

Medicines that may cause you to retain sodium and fluid:

The following medicines may cause you to retain sodium and fluid:

ibuprofen (Nuprin®, Advil®, Motrin® and many brands)
ketoprofen (Orudis KT®, Actron®)
naproxen (Aleve®)
glucocorticoids: prednisone (Deltasone®) and methylprednisolone (Medrol Dose Pak®)
cox II inhibitors (Celebrex®).