Nexafed is an over-the-counter nasal and sinus congestion relief drug. Find out how Nexafed works today in our review.
What Is Nexafed?
Nexafed is a Sudafed alternative found at pharmacies across the United States. The main difference between Nexafed and Sudafed or other decongestants is that it’s “meth-resistant”.
Today, communities across America have trouble selling Sudafed because it can be used to make crystal meth.
Nexafed is sold in these at-risk communities as an alternative: people can still get sinus and decongestant relief, but they can’t make crystal meth with the drug.
Nexafed is a special branded form of pseudoephedrine HCl (the active ingredient in meth and Sudafed). It comes in the form of a tablet. The formula has been available since December 2012.
Today, Nexafed is sold all over America, but it’s particularly popular in vulnerable communities, or in communities with high numbers of crystal meth abusers.
The drug is made by Acura Pharmaceuticals, a Chicago-area pharmaceutical company founded in 1935. That company is also known for making Oxaydo, an oxycodone-deterring drug.
How Does Nexafed Work?
Nexafed works in a similar way to other decongestants: it unclogs your sinuses and nasal passageways, giving you relief from symptoms.
Of course, you can get similar benefits from other pseudoephedrine products – most notably, Sudafed.
The difference between Nexafed and Sudafed, of course, is that Nexafed is meth-resistant. The formula cannot be used to make crystal meth.
The company doesn’t claim to totally prevent the formation of crystal meth using its product, but it claims to make it “much more difficult”.
In one study mentioned below, researchers were unable to get any usable pseudoephedrine after crushing up the tablets.
The power behind Nexafed comes from its Impede technology. Essentially, this turns Nexafed into a thick gel when you try to dissolve it, which means you can’t get the same amount of pseudoephedrine (PSE) out of the capsules.
Acura Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Nexafed, claim that the drug is comparable to an equivalent oral dose of Sudafed tablets. They cite a clinical study where researchers compared the effects of Nexafed with Sudafed.
In that study, participants reported similar relief from symptoms.
How Does Impede Prevent The Formation Of Meth?
Drugs like Sudafed make it relatively easy to make crystal meth.
Essentially, you crush up the Sudafed capsules, pour a solution over the capsules (water, methanol, or even hydrochloric acid), and get 89 to 97% pseudoephedrine, which can then be used to make crystal meth.
PSE can be extracted from most over-the-counter products using this method.
Acura’s Impede technology works in a different way.
As Forbes explains, studies have shown that “no pseudoephedrine could be extracted with either solvent [water or methanol] or even a solution of hydrochloric acid”, when researchers tried to extract PSE from Nexafed.
How does Impede prevent the extraction of PSE? When your crush up the Nexafed capsules and pour the solution over the powder, it causes the powder to become a thick, viscous gel.
It gums up the equipment and prevents you from getting any usable PSE.
Types Of Nexafed
There are two versions of Nexafed in development, including:
Nexafed Nasal Decongestant Tablets:
These tablets have been sold across the United States since December 2012. They’re sold in boxes of 24 tablets (2 x 12 blister packs inside each package).
Nexafed Sinus Pressure & Pain:
These capsules contain 30mg of pseudoephedrine HCl with 325mg of acetaminophen. The tablets have been sold since February 2015. Like the original Nexafed, they’re sold in boxes of 24 tablets (2 x 12 blister packs).
They’re designed to relieve pain and fever associated with colds and sinus headaches.
Purchasing Nexafed
You can find Nexafed in most major pharmacies and supermarkets across the country. Nexafed.com has a store locator.
Nexafed Creators
Acura Pharmaceuticals is a Palatine, Illinois-based company founded in 1935. Over the last few years, the company has focused on creating drugs that contain special formulas to prevent their misuse.
We already know about Nexafed’s meth-resistant formula, but Acura Pharmaceuticals also sells Oxaydo, which works in a similar way to prevent oxycodone extraction and abuse.
Oxaydo uses Aversion Technology, while Nexafed uses Impede Technology. Both technologies are designed to prevent drug abuse in at-risk communities across America.
You can contact Acura Pharmaceuticals by email at [email protected] or by phone at (855) 228-7201 (customer service).
Nexafed Summary
Acura Pharmaceuticals advertises Nexafed as a community-friendly alternative to Sudafed. If you live in an at-risk community where people make crystal meth, then Nexafed may be the right choice for you.
It provides the same effectiveness as Sudafed, but drug abusers can’t extract the pseudoephedrine inside the formula in order to make crystal meth.
You can use the drug to relieve nasal congestion caused by the common cold, hay fever, upper respiratory allergies, and more. Talk to your doctor to find out if it’s the right choice for you.
