COUGH SUPPRESSANTS
Cough Suppressants are
medicines that prevent or stop coughing.
Purpose
Cough Suppressants act on the center in the brain that controls the
cough reflex. They are meant to be used only to relieve dry, hacking
coughs associated with colds and flu. They should not be used to
treat coughs that bring up mucus or the chronic coughs associated
with smoking, Asthma, Emphysema or other lung problems.
Many cough medicines contain cough suppressants along with other
ingredients. Some combinations of ingredients may cancel each
other's effects. One example is the combination of cough suppressant
with an expectorant - a medicine that loosens and clears mucus from
the airways. The cough suppressant interferes with the ability to
cough up the mucus that the expectorant loosens.
Description
The cough suppressant Dextromethorphan, is an ingredient in many
cough medicines. These medicines come in capsule, tablet, lozenge
and liquid forms and are available without a physician's
prescription.
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