Some cold and flu medicines have doubled in price – here are the cheapest options
Prices for some cold and flu remedies, including products from Lemsip, Sudafed and Vicks, have rocketed in recent years. Plus, a number of medicines have been withdrawn, meaning you might find yourself paying twice as much for winter bug relief – or unable to find your preferred medication.
Which? analysis of pricing data from 10 retailers over the past two years found many products had jumped in price. Some had more than doubled.
Lemsip’s Mucus, Cough and Catarrh oral solution could be found for as little as £4 in Superdrug in 2022. It’s been £8.45 since February 2023.
Sudafed’s Natural Relief blocked nose spray climbed from £2.60 to £6.30 over the two-year period at Waitrose.
But you can still save by switching to own-brand medicines and being savvy about what works best. We explain where to find the cheapest cold and flu meds, why some aren't available any more and what to use instead.
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Price hikes on cough syrups, flu sachets and decongestants
Cough syrups have seen some of the biggest price rises since September 2021. Lemsip’s oral solution, mentioned above, also jumped from £4 to £8 at Morrisons, while Bronchostop Junior cough syrup rose from £3.99 to £7.39 at Superdrug.
Lemsip’s flagship dissolvable cold and flu sachets – which contain paracetamol and a decongestant – also saw price increases, from £3.50 to £5.50 at Asda and Morrisons over the two years.
Tubs of Vicks VapoRub increased from £3.50 to £6 at Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury’s, and to £6.30 at Waitrose.
You may not want to travel far if you're feeling unwell, but buying from local supermarket convenience stores will cost you more. Our research found prices for cold and flu medicines were often 50p to £1 more expensive at Sainsbury's Local and Tesco Express when compared to full-sized Sainsbury's and Tesco stores.
Stores may run 'offer' prices in the winter months: Superdrug currently has Lemsip on offer (for members only) at £4.45, while Boots has 'buy one get one half price' deals on cold and flu meds, but own-brand options are still typically cheaper.
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Choose own-brand or generic medicines to save money
Branded cold and flu medicines can cost up to three times more than their own-brand counterparts, despite often containing exactly the same ingredients and being equally effective.
In most supermarkets and pharmacies, you’ll see brands like Lemsip and Nurofen alongside own-brand or unbranded alternatives.
These medications – known as generic medicines – work in exactly the same way as their costly counterparts. Pharmaceutical manufacturers can create generic versions of any medicine that isn’t patented, or where the patent has run out.
Check the active ingredient
So how do you know what you’re buying is just as good, and not a tribute act to the real thing? It’s all about the active ingredient. This is what treats your symptoms.
You can find active ingredients on the front of medicine packaging, often in italics, and also on the back in the list of ingredients. And rest easy that you’re not settling for less, even though you are saving money.
Own-brand bargains: which own-brand food and drink tastes better than the big brands?
Cheap alternatives to cold and flu medicines
Own-brand or generic alternatives can be around half the price of branded options, if not more. Here are the cheapest options we found versus the branded version for treating cold and flu symptoms:
Painkillers
These two products both contain 200mg of ibuprofen, but Asda’s own-brand version is less than half the price.
Cold & flu drink sachets
- Lemsip Max Cold & Flu Lemon (10 sachets) – £5 (Tesco)
- Tesco Health Max Strength Cold & Flu Relief Lemon Flavour (10 sachets) – £3 (Tesco)
Both of these medicines contain paracetamol – to reduce aches, pains and fever – and the decongestant phenylephrine, but the Tesco option is £2 cheaper.
Even better, avoid these products altogether and just take paracetamol instead, as the evidence for phenylephrine's effectiveness is weak anyway.
Decongestant nasal spray
- Vicks Sinex Micromist Decongestant Nasal Spray – £5.25 for 15ml (Boots)
- Boots Decongestant 0.05% w/v Nasal Spray – £2.99 for 15ml (Boots)
These blocked-nose treatments both have oxymetazoline hydrochloride as the active ingredient, but one is nearly half the price.
Note that, according to the NHS, decongestant nasal sprays and drops should not be used for more than a week at a time because using them for too long can make your stuffiness worse.
Best painkillers: do you need aspirin, ibuprofen or paracetamol?
Cold and flu medicines that don't work
Though the UK equivalent hasn’t yet followed suit, an independent Non-prescription Drugs Advisory Committee, part of the US Food and Drugs Administration (FDA) recently concluded that phenylephrine, the decongestant ingredient in cold and flu drink sachets, isn’t effective when taken orally.
It's been known for years that the evidence for its effectiveness is weak, but it's still found in many cold and flu remedies.
This means you could get the same effect for a fraction of the price by taking paracetamol and drinking any hot drink.
You can also avoid cough syrups. They’re often high in sugar, and previous Which? research found the active ingredients in many of them (often guaifenesin) don't have good evidence behind their effectiveness either.
A traditional hot drink made from honey and lemon will have a similar effect if you need a soothing beverage for your throat.
Why are some cold, cough and flu medicines no longer available?
It's a bit of a perfect storm for cold sufferers at the moment as, earlier this year, cold and cough medicines containing pholcodine were withdrawn from the market following a safety review.
The review concluded that there was a small increased risk of a rare but serious complication when undergoing general anesthetic within 12 months of taking pholcodine, and the benefits didn't outweigh the risks.
This affects products such as Day/Night Nurse and cold & flu solutions from brands such as Boots and Superdrug, as well as dry cough syrups and some pastilles.
Get your flu jab up to date
One way to minimise the risk of flu is to get the flu jab if you're eligible.
People aged over 65 in England and Wales, or over 50 in Scotland and Northern Ireland, can get a free NHS flu vaccine. So can people with certain health conditions, those who are pregnant, or people who live in a care home.
Babies under two years old can get a free vaccine at their GP, and primary school children will get a vaccine at school. Check with your GP if you think you’re eligible, but you haven’t yet been contacted by the NHS.
You can get a flu shot privately if you’re not eligible on the NHS. They’ll typically cost around £10 to £20. Find out more, including where's cheapest, in our Covid and flu vaccines guide.
*Cold medicines pricing analysis based on the period from 18 September 2021 to 18 September 2023.
