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" What is it used for?  Relieving the symptoms of colds and flu, such as headache, sore throat, aches and pains, fever, fatigue, blocked nose and sinus pain.  How does it work? Beechams active cold relief caplets contain three active ingredients, paracetamol (500mg), phenylephrine (5mg) and caffeine (25mg). Paracetamol is a simple painkilling medicine used to relieve mild to moderate pain and fever. Despite its widespread use for over 100 years, we still don&amp;#039;t fully understand how paracetamol works to relieve pain and reduce fever. However, it is now thought that it works by reducing the production of prostaglandins in the brain and spinal cord.  The body produces prostaglandins in response to injury and certain diseases. One of the effects of prostaglandins is to sensitise nerve endings, causing pain (presumably to prevent us from causing further harm to the area). As paracetamol reduces the production of these nerve sensitising prostaglandins it is thought it may increase our pain threshold, so that although the cause of the pain remains, we can feel it less.  It is thought paracetamol reduces fever by affecting an area of the brain that regulates our body temperature (the hypothalamic heat-regulating centre).  Phenylephrine is a type of medicine called a decongestant. It works by acting on alpha receptors that are found in the walls of blood vessels in the linings of the nasal passages and sinuses. It causes these blood vessels to contract and narrow, thereby decreasing blood flow into the linings of the nose and sinuses. This reduces the feeling of congestion and also reduces the production of mucus, helping to relieve a blocked nose.  Caffeine is a mild stimulant that helps reduce fatigue. Caffeine is also thought to enhance the painkilling effect of paracetamol. The combination of active ingredients in Beechams active cold relief caplets helps to relieve the symptoms of colds and flu.  How do I take it?  Adults and children aged 12 years and over should take two caplets up to four times a day as needed. Leave at least four hours between doses. Do not take more than eight caplets in 24 hours.  The caplets should be swallowed whole with a drink. They can be taken either with or without food. Do not exceed the recommended dose (see warnings below). Do not take the medicine continuously for longer than seven days without consulting a doctor.  Warning!  Do not take this medicine with any other products that contain paracetamol. Many over-the-counter painkillers and cold and flu remedies contain paracetamol. It is important to check the ingredients of any medicines you buy without a prescription before taking them in combination with this medicine. Seek further advice from your pharmacist.  An overdose of paracetamol is dangerous and capable of causing serious damage to the liver and kidneys. You should never exceed the dose stated in the information leaflet supplied with this medicine. Immediate medical advice should be sought in the event of an overdose with this medicine, even if you feel well, because of the risk of delayed, serious liver damage.  Alcohol increases the risk of liver damage that can occur if an overdose of paracetamol is taken. The hazards of paracetamol overdose are greater in persistant heavy drinkers and in people with alcoholic liver disease.  Since this medicine contains caffeine, you should avoid drinking lots of caffeine-containing drinks, eg tea, coffee, cola, while you are taking it. Excessive caffeine consumption can cause insomnia, restlessness, anxiety, irritability, headaches and palpitations. If symptoms persist despite treatment, seek medical advice from your doctor or pharmacist.  Not to be used in  Children under 12 years of age.  Heart disease.  High blood pressure (hypertension).  Overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism). Tumour of the adrenal gland (phaeochromocytoma). People who cannot completely empty their bladder (urinary retention).  Glaucoma. People who have taken a monoamine-oxidase inhibitor antidepressant (MAOI) in the last 14 days.  This medicine should not be used if you are allergic to any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if you have previously experienced such an allergy. If you feel you have experienced an allergic reaction, stop using this medicine and inform your doctor or pharmacist immediately. Use with caution in  Severely decreased kidney function. Severely decreased liver function.  Diabetes. Men with an enlarged prostate gland. People with blood circulation problems such as Raynaud&amp;#039;s disease.  Pregnancy and breastfeeding Certain medicines should not be used during pregnancy or breastfeeding. However, other medicines may be safely used in pregnancy or breastfeeding providing the benefits to the mother outweigh the risks to the unborn baby. Always inform your doctor if you are pregnant or planning a pregnancy, before using any medicine.  Paracetamol is generally considered safe for use during pregnancy. However, caffeine consumption should be limited in pregnancy, and phenylephrine has blood vessel constricting effects that could restrict blood supply to the placenta, or cause problems for women with a history of pre-eclampsia. As a result, this medicine is not usually recommended for use by women who are pregnant. Seek further medical advice from your doctor, pharmacist or midwife. Although paracetamol is considered safe for use during breastfeeding, caffeine passes into breast milk and can cause irritability and poor sleeping pattern in a nursing baby. It is not known if phenylephrine passes into breast milk, or its effect on a nursing infant. However, when taken by mouth, decongestants such as phenylephrine can temporarily decrease the production of breast milk with just one or two doses. For this reason, this medicine is best avoided by mothers who are breastfeeding. Ask your doctor or pharmacist for further advice.  Side effects Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Just because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.  Headache. Dizziness.  Difficulty sleeping (insomnia).  Restlessness. Nervousness or anxiety.  Feeling sick. Vomiting. Tingling sensations. Coolness of skin. Increase in blood pressure. Increased heart rate. Awareness of your heartbeat (palpitations). Difficulty passing urine. Skin rashes.   The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the medicine&amp;#039;s manufacturer. For more information about any other possible risks associated with this medicine, please read the information provided with the medicine or consult your doctor or pharmacist. How can this medicine affect other medicines? If you are already taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines and those bought without a prescription, you should check with your pharmacist before taking this medicine, to make sure that the combination is safe.  You should not use other cold and flu or decongestant medicines in combination with this one. It&amp;#039;s particularly important that you don&amp;#039;t take other medicines that contain paracetamol in combination with this medicine, as this can easily result in exceeding the maximum recommended daily dose of paracetamol. Many cough, cold and flu remedies and over-the-counter painkillers contain paracetamol, so be sure to check the ingredients of other medicines before taking them with this one, or ask your pharmacist for advice.  You should not use this medicine if you are currently taking a type of medicine called a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), or have taken one of these medicines in the last 14 days. MAOIs include the antidepressants phenelzine, tranylcypromine, isocarboxazid and moclobemide, and the anti-Parkinson&amp;#039;s medicines selegiline and rasagiline. This is because the combination of phenylephrine with these medicines could cause a dangerous increase in blood pressure (hypertensive crisis).  If phenylephrine is taken with any of the following medicines, the combination may cause an increase in blood pressure. If you are already taking any of these medicines you should avoid taking this one as well:   amphetamine-like stimulants, including methylphenidate, dexamfetamine and modafinil.  appetite suppressants other decongestants (often found in other non-prescription cough and cold or hayfever remedies)  the antibiotic linezolid   tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline.  Phenylephrine can oppose the effects of medicines to treat high blood pressure (antihypertensives). If you are taking medicines for high blood pressure you should not take this medicine.  Cholestyramine reduces the absorption of paracetamol from the gut. It should not be taken within an hour of taking this medicine or the effect of the paracetamol will be reduced.  Metoclopramide and domperidone may increase the absorption of paracetamol from the gut.  Long-term or regular use of paracetamol may increase the anti-blood-clotting effect of warfarin and other anticoagulant medicines, leading to an increased risk of bleeding. This effect does not occur with occasional painkilling doses.  Other medicines containing the same active ingredients    Beechams decongestant plus with paracetamol.  Beechams flu-plus caplets.  Beechams powders capsules.  Benylin cold &amp;amp;amp; flu day &amp;amp;amp; night max strength capsules.  Benylin cold &amp;amp;amp; flu max strength capsules.  Lemsip max cold &amp;amp;amp; flu capsules.  Lemsip max day &amp;amp;amp; night cold &amp;amp;amp; flu relief capsules.  Lemsip max daytime cold &amp;amp;amp; flu relief capsules.  Lemsip max sinus capsules.  Sudafed blocked nose &amp;amp;amp; headache capsules.  Sudafed blocked nose &amp;amp;amp; sinus capsules.  Sudafed day &amp;amp;amp; night capsules.  Sudafed mucus relief day &amp;amp;amp; night capsules.   There are many other cold and flu remedies are available to buy without a prescription. Many of these will also contain paracetamol, phenylephrine hydrochloride and caffeine in their ingredients. Last updated 23.02.2014 "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.netdoctor.co.uk/medicines/ear-nose-and-throat/a8872/beechams-active-cold-relief-caplets/>