Cough Suppressants are medicines that prevent or stop coughing. A cough
suppressant is used for treating dry coughs (antitussives). It helps to
suppress the body's urge to cough. Cough suppressants are different from
cough expectorants. Cough expectorants help in treating productive coughs
(coughs that produce phlegm). Cough suppressants come in capsule, tablet,
lozenge and liquid forms and are available without a physician's
prescription.
Hpw does Cough suppressant Works?
Cough Suppressants work on the
brain's center, which controls the cough reflex. The medicines relieve dry,
hacking coughs which are mainly related with colds and flu. These cough
medicines should not be used chronic coughs associated with smoking, asthma
or other lung problems or productive coughs.
Many cough medicines contain cough suppressants along with other
ingredients. While an expectorant loosens and clears mucus from the airways,
the cough suppressant interferes with the ability to cough up the mucus that
the expectorant loosens. Antitussives are cough suppressants. They relieve
your cough by blocking the cough reflex.
Common Cough suppressants
Some common cough suppressants available
over the counter or without doctor's prescription are as follows:
- Delsym
- Robitussin Cough
- Dextromethorphan (generic)
Dextromethorphan, or DM, is the most common cough suppressant. Some
brand names include Robitussin Cough, Vicks 44 Cough and Cold, Triaminic
Cold and Cough. These are commonly used antitussive.
Cough suppressants like Dextromethorphan are also available in combination
with other drugs, like
decongestants
or
antihistamines.
These combination drugs are used to treat many symptoms at once. However, if
your main symptom is cough, you should be careful while using antihistamines
and decongestants in combination medicines because they produce a drying
effect. This effect can make mucus thicker and harder to clear from the
airways, which can worsen a cough.