Tylenol Sinus Congestion & Pain Non-Drowsy Rapid Release Gels Review

After escaping illness all fall and winter, I now find myself with a whopper of a cold.  The fact that I have asthma and it is prime pollen season only exacerbates the situation.  I was feeling pretty poorly yesterday morning while at work, so I ran out to the local drug store to pick up something to relieve my congested, pounding head.  I grabbed a box of Tylenol Sinus Congestion & Pain Non-Drowsy Rapid Release Gels.  I took two as soon as I got back to work and eagerly awaited the rapid relief that the box promised.

A few hours later, my sinuses were still completely full and my headache remained.  It was the first time that I had used a product with phenylephrine HCl, the new decongestant that has replaced pseudoephedrine in many over-the-counter medications.  My coworker had warned me that she found it to be completely ineffective and I had to concur with her assessment.  It seemed that Tylenol Sinus Congestion & Pain Non-Drowsy Rapid Release Gels were not going to do anything for me...

...and then the "Rapid Release" ingredients hit my intestines.  The box shows hundreds of teeny tiny bubbles emanating from these gels which should have been my first clue that they might upset my digestive system.  All of a sudden I felt this incredible gas pressure in my abdomen and I knew that I had to get into the bathroom quickly.  I don't want to get too graphic here, so let me just say that I had wicked diarrhea and leave it at that.  At first I chalked it up to the fried food that I had eaten for dinner the night before, but when the same thing happened to me again today, I put two and two together and realized that the Tylenol Sinus Congestion & Pain Non-Drowsy Rapid Release Gels were responsible for my intestinal upset. 

I'm lucky because I have a student teacher at the moment who is responsible for my classes.  I was able to spend as much time as I needed (and it was a lot!) in the bathroom without worrying about who was watching my classes.  As a teacher, I can't very well leave high school students alone in a room with scalpels, dissecting needles, chemicals, etc.  If this whole thing had occurred without the student teacher around, I don't know what I would have done when I got those sudden urges to run to the bathroom. 

This sinus decongestant is a disaster.  Not only did it not alleviate my symptoms, but it created a whole new set of digestive problems.  Avoid at all costs.