Night Nurse

What is Night Nurse and what does Night Nurse do?

Night Nurse liquid and capsules can be taken by adults and children over the age of 16 years to provide overnight relief from symptoms of cold and flu.

Night Nurse is specially formulated using 3 active ingredients to reduce your temperature, soothe your sore throat, suppress your cough and dry up that runny nose while aiding a restful night sleep.

Night Nurse can be used for up to 3 days. If you are still suffering from cold and flu symptoms that are keeping you awake after this period you should speak to a doctor or pharmacist for advice.

What is Night Nurse used for?

Night Nurse is proven to provide night-time relief for symptoms of colds and flu which include:

• A temperature
• Muscle aches and pains
• Headaches
• Runny nose
• Sore throat
• Dry tickly cough

Does Night Nurse work?

Taking Night Nurse before bed, when you are suffering from a cold or flu, has shown to be effective in helping you get a more peaceful night's sleep.

Night Nurse contains 3 active ingredients which means that Night Nurse works in 3 ways.

• Paracetamol: Night Nurse contains a dose of paracetamol which works as a painkiller to reduce any headaches or aches and pains and also reduces a high temperature.
• Dextromethorphan hydrobromide: Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant, providing relief from dry or tickly coughs.
• Promethazine hydrochloride: Promethazine is an antihistamine which not only helps to dry up a runny nose but it also makes you drowsy helping you get to sleep more quickly and helps you get a more rested nights sleep.

How long does Night Nurse take to work?

For the best results when using Night Nurse you should try to take your one-off dose 20 minutes before bed. Night Nurse takes around half an hour to take effect, so this gives you time to go about your night-time routine before getting a good night's sleep.

Night Nurse and alcohol

You should not drink alcohol when taking Night Nurse liquid or capsules as alcohol consumption may increase your chances of experiencing unwanted side effects.

Night Nurse liquid also contains a small amount of alcohol which should be considered if you suffer from alcoholism.

Night Nurse and pregnancy

It is not recommended that you take Night Nurse during pregnancy or while breastfeeding. If you are struggling with cold and flu symptoms that are keeping you awake at night you should speak to a doctor or pharmacist for advice.

Please be aware that Night Nurse can cause fake results when taking urine sample pregnancy tests.

Can you take Night Nurse with antibiotics?

Yes, Night Nurse can be taken at the same time as antibiotics. It is, however, important to note that you should not take Night Nurse if you are currently suffering from a chest infection. If you are taking antibiotics to treat a chest infection you should therefore not take Night Nurse at this time.

Night Nurse and other medicines

If you are currently taking any other medication or have been addicted to any prescription, alcohol or illegal drugs you should speak with your doctor or pharmacist before taking Night Nurse.

You should not take Night Nurse if you take or have taken antidepressants or antipsychotic medication in the last 2 weeks as Night Nurse may interact with these medicines causing unwanted side effects.

Please be aware that Night Nurse contains a dose of paracetamol and an antihistamine. You should therefore not take Night Nurse with other medicines containing paracetamol or any other antihistamines. If you think you have taken too much of either of these medicines you should speak to a doctor straight away.

Night Nurse alternatives

Night Nurse is just one of many cold and flu treatments. For more options available online at the Independent Pharmacy why not take a look at our Cold & Flu page.

Night Nurse for kids

Night Nurse should not be given to children under the age of 16 years. Most symptoms of colds and flu in children can be controlled simply using painkillers such as paracetamol and ibuprofen.

For more advice on what you can do at home to help relieve cold and flu symptoms in children, take a look at the NHS guidance.

Sources

• https://www.dayandnightnurse.co.uk/our-range.html
• https://www.nhs.uk/medicines/promethazine/
• https://www.drugs.com/dextromethorphan.html#:~:text=Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant,counter and prescription combination medications.
• https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/coughs-colds-ear-infections/
• Night Nurse Liquid, Patient Information Leaflet: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/354/pil
• Night Nurse Capsules, Patient Information Leaflet: https://www.medicines.org.uk/emc/product/355/smpc

Night Nurse dosage

Night Nurse Liquid: Fill the measuring cup to the 20 ml mark and take one 20 ml dose at bedtime only.

Night Nurse Capsules: Take 2 capsules at bedtime only with a drink of water.

You must not take Night Nurse if you have already taken 4 doses (4000 mg) of any paracetamol-containing product in any 24 hours.

Before taking Night Nurse liquid or capsules please make sure you have read the Patient Information Leaflet thoroughly.

Night Nurse is for oral use only and should only be taken by children and adults 16 years and over.

Night Nurse - how long before bed?

You should only take Night Nurse as a one-off dose 20 minutes before you go to bed as it contains ingredients designed to make you drowsy. Do not take Night Nurse for more than 3 days as it may cause addiction.

Night Nurse ingredients

You must read the Patient Information Leaflet for Night Nurse liquid or capsules thoroughly before taking this product to ensure you are familiar with all the ingredients.

Night Nurse Liquid:

Each 20ml of Night Nurse contains the active ingredients: Paracetamol 1000 mg, Promethazine Hydrochloride 20 mg, Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide 15 mg.

Other ingredients: Liquid glucose, ethanol (alcohol), sodium cyclamate, sodium citrate, ascorbic acid.

Night Nurse Capsules:

Each capsule contains the active ingredients: Paracetamol 500mg, Promethazine Hydrochloride 10mg and Dextromethorphan Hydrobromide 7.5mg.

Other ingredients: Lactose monohydrate, gelatin and colours patent blue V (E 131), quinoline yellow (E 104), titanium dioxide (E 171) and printing ink (containing shellac, iron oxide black (E 172), propylene glycol (E 1520) and ammonium hydroxide (E 527).

Night Nurse side effects

Before using Night Nurse, please make sure you have read the Patient Information Leaflet thoroughly to ensure you are familiar with all the reported side effects.

Night Nurse, like other medicines, may cause some people to experience unwanted side effects.

If you are worried about side effects or they do not go away once you stop taking Night Nurse you should speak to a doctor or pharmacist for advice.

If you experience a severe allergic reaction when taking Night Nurse you should seek immediate medical attention from your nearest Emergency Department.

The most commonly reported side effects associated with Night Nurse include:

• Drowsiness
• Dizziness
• Blurred vision
• Difficulty concentrating
• Headache
• Dry mouth

Night Nurse withdrawal - Is Night Nurse addictive?

In rare circumstances, Night Nurse can cause addiction and therefore you should not take Night Nurse for more than 3 days.

If you notice any of the following signs, you may have become addicted to Night Nurse:

• You need or want to take Night Nurse for longer than 3 days.
• You feel you need to take more than the recommended dose of Night Nurse.
• You are using Night Nurse for reasons other than to treat cold and flu symptoms.
• When you stop taking Night Nurse you start to feel unwell. Taking it makes you feel better.

If you notice any of the following signs after you stop taking Night Nurse, you may be experiencing withdrawal symptoms:

• Restlessness
• Difficulty sleeping
• Irritability, agitation or anxiety
• Heart palpitations
• Feeling or being sick, diarrhoea
• Shaking, shivering or sweating

If you are experiencing any of the signs of, or are worried about addiction or withdrawal you should speak to a doctor or pharmacist straight away for advice.

Night Nurse warnings

For a full list of warnings and precautions associated with Night Nurse liquid and capsules, please read the Patient Information Leaflet thoroughly.

• Do not drink alcohol while taking Night Nurse
• Do not use any other medicines containing paracetamol within 4 hours of Night Nurse and do not use any medicine containing antihistamines.
• Speak to a doctor or pharmacist before taking Night Nurse if you have recently been or are currently taking any other medication.
• Night Nurse should not be given to the elderly who suffer from confusion.

Night Nurse and driving - does Night Nurse make you drowsy?

Night Nurse contains ingredients that are used to make you feel drowsy to aid better sleep during a cold or flu.

A side effect of Night Nurse is that it can continue to make some people feel drowsy the next morning after the bedtime dose. It is therefore crucial that you do not drive while taking Night Nurse until you know how it affects you.

Night Nurse addiction

Night Nurse can cause some people to become addicted and therefore you should not take over the recommended dose or take for longer than 3 days. For more information on addiction go to the Side Effects section on this page.