Ugh, that explains it! No wonder so many of us never felt better.

More than 80 million people across the country deal with seasonal allergies. According to the Centers for Disease Control, that’s 25 percent of the United States. While some people have prescriptions, most of us grab over-the-counter medications when we start to feel those spring allergies or that winter or summer cold.

So, just WOW, as we learn that according to the Federal Drug Administration, they all contain phenylephrine, which doesn’t work when taken orally, yet it’s the main ingredient.

According to interviews with doctors in the Seattle Times, the warning about phenylephrine has been known since 2005, and pharmacies are prepping for the proposed FDA ban by pulling them right now.

For 20 years, we have been telling everyone who will listen that oral phenylephrine doesn’t work. We have been teaching pharmacy students that it doesn’t work. We hear from pharmacists who know it doesn’t work. And we actually did something about it. They looked at all the evidence we looked at and did an in-depth evaluation of what we had been looking at for years.

In November, the FDA proposed the ban of Nyquil, Sudafed, Benadryl, Mucinex, and any over-the-counter oral medication with phenylephrine.

Even though the ban isn’t official yet, pharmacies around the country are preemptively yanking the big four as well as minor and off-brands they carry. I personally noticed lots of empty shelf space at my CVS, which is where those big four used to be.

This is a proposed order. Only a final order will affect what products can be marketed. The proposed order is based on effectiveness concerns, not on safety concerns.

So what can we do? Here are some alternatives, according to the Seattle Times.

• Flonase, Nasonex, and over-the-counter nasal sprays with oxymetazoline such as Afrin and Zicam.
• Saline irrigation devices like a neti pot.
• Nasal saline sprays, like Sinex or Simply Saline.
• Behind-the-counter, non-prescription products with pseudoephedrine, the Sudafed.
• Oral antihistamines like Zyrtec, Allegra, and Claritin.

It’s important to note that phenylephrine works in spray form to open up constricted nasal passages, but only for a few days. According to the Seattle Times, it’s not meant for long-term use.

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