Can You Take Cold-Eeze And DayQuil Together?
There is no known drug interaction between Cold-Eeze and DayQuil.
Can you safely take Cold-Eeze with DayQuil?
Dec 07, 2022- It is safe to take Cold-Eeze and DayQuil together because there are no known drug interactions between them.
- Cold-Eeze contains zinc which can interact with certain medications like antibiotics and some other drugs, so you should ask your pharmacist or doctor before using it with any other medicines you take.
Answer
Yes, it is safe to take Cold-Eeze and DayQuil together. There is no drug interaction between them.
Drug Interactions
It's always a good idea to look into potential interactions between two drugs before taking them. The risk of an interaction occurring is especially increased when you are taking a product with multiple active ingredients, like DayQuil, or with an over-the-counter supplement, like Cold-Eeze (since it may not be as well studied).
Let's take a look at each product separately.
DayQuil
DayQuil contains three active ingredients:
- Acetaminophen (analgesic)
- Dextromethorphan (cough suppressant)
- Phenylephrine (nasal decongestant)
DayQuil Severe contains:
- Acetaminophen (analgesic)
- Dextromethorphan (cough suppressant)
- Phenylephrine (nasal decongestant)
- Guaifenesin (expectorant)
While each drug in DayQuil (and DayQuil Severe) has several drug interactions to be concerned with, there are no known interactions with Cold-Eeze.
Cold-Eeze
Cold-Eeze contains zinc, specifically zinc gluconate glycine, and is purported to shorten the duration of a cold. It, therefore, makes sense that it would be used along with other over-the-counter cold medications to help with your symptoms.
Somewhat surprisingly, zinc has numerous drug interactions with both over-the-counter and prescription products that are important to know about.
Perhaps most notably, zinc can chelate, or bind to certain compounds, making them far less absorbable, thereby potentially decreasing their effectiveness. This is of serious concern with many drugs, including several classes of antibiotics (such as quinolones like ciprofloxacin).
Other drugs that zinc can 'chelate' include:
- Keflex (cephalexin)
- Tetracycline antibiotics
- Allegra (fexofenadine)
- Norvir (ritonavir)
It is very important to ask your pharmacist or doctor about potential interactions with zinc products before using Cold-Eeze.
Final Words
As mentioned at the beginning of this answer, however, there is no drug interaction between all of the active ingredients in DayQuil and the zinc contained in Cold-Eeze.
References & sources
- Zinc Gluconate — PubChem
- DayQuil — Vicks.com
- Zinc Monograph — Natural Standard (Subscription Required
- Absorption Interactions With Fluoroquinolones — Springer
Glossary — Terms in This Answer
- Drug interaction
- A reaction that occurs when two medications affect each other in ways that change how one or both of them work in your body.
- Active ingredients
- The chemical substances in a medication that produce the intended therapeutic effect.
- Analgesic
- A medication that relieves pain.
- Cough suppressant
- A medication that reduces or stops coughing.
- Nasal decongestant
- A medication that relieves nasal congestion by reducing swelling in the nasal passages.
- Expectorant
- A medication that helps thin mucus so it can be coughed up more easily.
- Chelate
- To bind to or trap a substance in a way that prevents the body from absorbing it properly.
- Zinc gluconate glycine
- A specific form of the mineral zinc combined with other compounds and used in cold remedies.
Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD
Doctor of Pharmacy, board certified clinical pharmacist (BCPS), American Herbalist Guild, Medication Therapy Management certified
Brian Staiger, PharmD, BCPS, is a licensed pharmacist with more than 13 years of experience across retail pharmacy, clinical pharmacy, medication safety, pharmacy program development, and healthcare administration. He is the founder of HelloPharmacist.com, where he helps patients...
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