Flustat is a cold and flu syrup containing paracetamol, phenylpropanolamine and dextromethorphan. It relieves several cold and flu symptoms at once — aches and fever, a blocked nose, and a dry cough. It does not treat the infection, and it must not be combined with other paracetamol products.
What is Flustat?
Flustat syrup contains three active ingredients per 20 ml:
- Paracetamol 500 mg — for pain and fever
- Phenylpropanolamine 25 mg — a decongestant
- Dextromethorphan 15 mg — a cough suppressant
Each targets a different symptom. Paracetamol reduces the aches, sore throat discomfort and fever. Phenylpropanolamine narrows the swollen blood vessels in the nose, opening the airway. Dextromethorphan acts on the brain’s cough centre to suppress a dry, unproductive cough.
None of them does anything to the virus. Colds and flu are viral illnesses that resolve on their own — typically a week to ten days for a cold, longer for the cough. Flustat makes that period more bearable. It does not shorten it.
That matters because combination remedies encourage a particular mistake: taking a product for symptoms you do not actually have. If your nose is not blocked, you do not need a decongestant; if your cough is productive, suppressing it is unhelpful. A single-ingredient medicine aimed at your actual symptom is often the better choice, and a pharmacist can point you to one.
Phenylpropanolamine also has a history worth knowing about, covered below.
What is Flustat commonly used for?
- Colds and flu, where several symptoms occur together.
- Fever and body aches.
- Nasal and sinus congestion.
- Dry, unproductive cough.
- Headache and sore throat discomfort accompanying a cold.
Two limits are worth being direct about.
Do not suppress a productive cough. If you are coughing up phlegm, that cough is clearing your airways, and dextromethorphan works against it. Suppressants are for a dry, tickly, exhausting cough — particularly one preventing sleep. For a chesty cough, fluids and time do more.
Flu is not the same as a cold, and genuine influenza can be serious in older adults, pregnant women, young children, and anyone with chronic heart, lung, kidney or immune conditions. Symptom relief is appropriate for an otherwise healthy adult; those groups should seek medical advice rather than self-treating, and antiviral treatment works only if started early.
The simple measures still matter most: rest, fluids, and time.
How Flustat fits into this medicine category
| Type | Examples | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-symptom cold and flu products | Flustat, Sinustat | Convenient; risk of unneeded ingredients |
| Plain paracetamol | Donapan, Zypol | Aches and fever alone |
| Antihistamines | Chlorphenamine (Allergex), cetirizine (Austell Cetirizine) | Allergy, not colds; dries a runny nose |
| Decongestant nasal sprays | Oxymetazoline | Fast local relief; rebound with overuse |
| Steroid nasal sprays | Fluticasone | Allergic congestion, not colds |
See the allergy, cold and flu medicines hub.
What to check before using Flustat
Do not take any other paracetamol product alongside it. Each 20 ml contains a full 500 mg dose. Taking Flustat with Panado, a compound painkiller such as Stilpane, or another cold remedy means taking paracetamol twice — the commonest route to accidental overdose, and precisely the trap multi-ingredient products create.
Measure it properly with the cup or syringe supplied, and note that the dose is per 20 ml, not per 5 ml.
Speak to a pharmacist or doctor before using it if:
- You have high blood pressure or heart disease. This is the key check. Phenylpropanolamine is a decongestant that raises blood pressure and heart rate, and it was withdrawn in several countries after being linked to an increased risk of haemorrhagic stroke. If you have raised blood pressure, ask for a decongestant-free alternative.
- You have an overactive thyroid, diabetes, glaucoma, or an enlarged prostate.
- You have liver disease, or drink alcohol heavily.
- You have kidney disease.
- You take an MAOI antidepressant, or have in the past two weeks — this combination can cause a dangerous rise in blood pressure.
- You take another decongestant, or a medicine for blood pressure.
- You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
- The medicine is for a child. Multi-ingredient cold remedies are not recommended for young children, and dosing must be checked.
- You have asthma, or a chronic cough.
Follow the pack instructions and the maximum in 24 hours.
Possible cautions and when to ask a pharmacist or doctor
Paracetamol overdose is a medical emergency with no early warning. Someone who has taken too much may feel entirely well for a day or more while liver damage develops. Go to an emergency department immediately with the packaging, even if they seem fine. With combination products, this most often happens by accident — through doubling up rather than deliberate overdose.
Use it for a few days, not weeks. A cold should be improving within about a week.
Decongestants can disturb sleep and cause restlessness or palpitations. Avoid taking a dose late in the evening.
Dextromethorphan is misused at high doses for its dissociative effects, which is dangerous. Take only the stated amount.
See a doctor if symptoms last beyond ten days, if fever persists past three days or returns after settling, if you become breathless, if you cough up blood or discoloured phlegm with fever, or if you have chest pain. A cold that seems to improve then worsens sharply can indicate a secondary bacterial infection.
Seek urgent medical attention for difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, chest pain, palpitations, a severe headache, visual disturbance, confusion, one-sided weakness or slurred speech, a rash with facial swelling, or a stiff neck with fever.
Related medicine guides
Frequently asked questions
What is Flustat used for? Relieving cold and flu symptoms — aches, fever, blocked nose and dry cough. It contains paracetamol, phenylpropanolamine and dextromethorphan.
Does it treat flu? No. It relieves symptoms while a viral illness runs its course. It does not shorten the illness or kill the virus.
Can I take paracetamol with it? No. Each 20 ml already contains 500 mg of paracetamol. Adding more risks overdose.
Can I take it if I have high blood pressure? Ask a pharmacist first. The decongestant raises blood pressure and heart rate, and a decongestant-free alternative is usually better.
Should I take it for a chesty cough? Not usually. Dextromethorphan suppresses a dry cough, but a productive cough is clearing your airways and is better left alone.
Can I give it to my child? Ask a pharmacist. Multi-ingredient cold remedies are not recommended for young children.