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Inhalation with dioxidine in nebulizer for cough and runny nose
Last reviewed: 04.07.2025

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Today, inhalation treatment has become especially popular due to the advent of nebulizers – special inhalation devices whose action is due to the fine spraying of a medicinal solution or medication into the respiratory tract. One of these medications may be dioxidine – a drug with significant antimicrobial activity. Dioxidine for inhalation is suitable in all respects, as it has a detrimental effect on microbial flora, inhibits the development of the inflammatory process in both children and adults.
Indications for the procedure
Dioxidine is an antimicrobial agent, a member of the quinoxaline series. The spectrum of activity of this drug is quite broad, with a relatively low cost.
Dioxidine for inhalation is actively used to treat many painful conditions:
- Sinusitis.
Dioxidine is used not only for inhalations, but also for introduction into the inflamed sinus by means of a puncture. At home, inhalations with dioxidine are appropriate, which allow the drug to be delivered directly into the nasal sinuses, although not in the same concentration as with a puncture. Lubrication and rinsing of the new cavity with this agent is practiced no less often.
- Sore throat (tonsillitis).
Dioxidine can be used both as an inhalation and for rinsing or lubricating areas of inflammation.
- Pharyngitis, laryngitis.
Dioxidine is permitted to be used for inhalation and laryngeal rinsing, as well as for treating the posterior pharyngeal surface.
- Runny nose.
Dioxidine is applicable for nasal inhalations, rinsing the nasal cavity and even instillation into the nose: all of these procedures accelerate the course of recovery processes and help destroy the infectious agent.
- Bronchitis, tracheitis and other inflammatory diseases of the respiratory organs.
For inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract, dioxidine is used exclusively in the form of inhalations.
Inhalations with dioxidine for angina are carried out only in the absence of an acute purulent process, against the background of general treatment with antibiotics and other drugs prescribed by the doctor. The procedures are carried out using a nebulizer: compressor, ultrasonic, or mesh nebulizer. If there is no such device, then inhalations with dioxidine can be replaced with gargling.
Inhalations with dioxidine for laryngitis are preferably carried out using a compression nebulizer: many such devices are equipped with a special nozzle for irrigating the medicinal liquid into the larynx area. Thanks to inhalations, with laryngitis, it is possible to quickly eliminate discomfort when swallowing, get rid of the soreness and dryness in the larynx, and restore the voice.
Inhalations with dioxidine for adenoids are prescribed no less often: the indication may already be the second degree of pathological growths. This practice has its pros and cons. On the one hand, such procedures really help many children to restore nasal breathing, get rid of a constant runny nose and stop the painful process. But there is also a downside - this is the toxic effect of the drug on the baby's body, because for adenoids, dioxidine is prescribed at an early age - from about 3 to 5 years. To reduce the negative impact of the drug, it is necessary to strictly regulate the duration of the treatment course, limiting it to 5-6 days. Inhalations should be alternated with frequent rinsing of the nasal cavity with saline solutions.
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Preparation
Inhalation with dioxidine is a relatively simple procedure, which, however, requires compliance with certain stages of preparation.
Approximately 1.5-1 hour before the procedure, you should eat to prevent dizziness. It is not advisable to eat or drink immediately before inhalation, due to the high probability of nausea and vomiting.
The nasal cavity and mouth should be rinsed with saline solution to remove excess mucus and facilitate absorption and enhance the effectiveness of the drug.
It is not recommended to engage in vigorous physical activity within an hour before inhaling dioxidine: breathing should calm down and heartbeat should return to normal.
Before the procedure, you need to wash your hands, assemble the nebulizer and fill it with medication, strictly following the dosage.
Inhalation is performed in a sitting position. After the procedure, the patient should wash with warm water and rinse his mouth. It is optimal to lie down in a calm environment for 1-1.5 hours, after which you can drink and eat.
Technique dioxidine inhalation.
It is much easier to carry out the inhalation procedure with dioxidine when the technique of carrying out, how to dilute, and the proportions of the solution used are precisely known. All these points must be clarified before the start of treatment.
Only Dioxidine in ampoules for inhalation is used: a 0.5% or 1% solution will do. It is additionally diluted with an isotonic solution of sodium chloride (saline) to the required concentration.
Dioxidine for inhalation with a nebulizer is used according to the following scheme:
- carefully open the ampoule with the drug, using the included file and cotton pad;
- pour 1 ml of dioxidine from the ampoule into the measuring container, add saline solution (if there is a 0.5% drug, then add 2 ml of saline solution, and if there is a 1% drug, then add 4 ml of saline solution);
- The solution is mixed very carefully and then poured into the nebulizer.
Saline solution and dioxidine for inhalation must be mixed: concentrated dioxidine, when it comes into contact with mucous tissues, can have a pronounced toxic effect.
Doctors often prescribe so-called "complex" mixtures for a nebulizer - for example, inhalations with dioxidine and dexamethasone. Dexamethasone is a glucocorticosteroid agent, which is a hormone of the adrenal cortex and actively affects metabolic processes in tissues. This component has a powerful effect and is prescribed only in especially advanced cases, when it is not possible to cure the disease in another way. The combination of dexamethasone and dioxidine allows you to quickly relieve an attack of dry cough or bronchial spasm, eliminate an allergic cough. Such a "complex" mixture is used with caution to treat patients with endocrine disorders, diabetes mellitus.
If dexamethasone or hydrocortisone is additionally used, dioxidine for inhalation should still be diluted with saline solution, and only then loaded into the nebulizer. As a rule, corticosteroid drugs are also diluted separately with saline solution. The specific dosage and frequency of procedures should be determined by the attending physician.
Dioxidine for inhalation for adults
As practice shows, adults use inhalations with dioxidine much more often than children: the drug has an extensive antimicrobial effect, but if used incorrectly, it can be dangerous due to the risk of intoxication.
For the treatment of adult patients, dioxidine is diluted with saline according to the instructions (usually 1:2). The resulting liquid is shaken and poured into the inhaler compartment.
The frequency of repetition of procedures is once a day, for 2-7 minutes. The duration of therapy is about a week.
During pregnancy, inhalations with dioxidine are contraindicated, as there is evidence of the damaging effects of the drug on the fetus. Breastfeeding is also considered a contraindication to the use of the solution. Even minimal penetration of dioxidine into the baby's blood can be dangerous, due to the high toxicity of the drug.
Inhalations with dioxidine for children
Pediatricians do not recommend putting dioxidine in the line of first-choice drugs, which means the following: inhalations with dioxidine are used only when other medications have not had the desired effect.
The drug is approved for use in children starting from the age of 2. However, you cannot "prescribe" it to a child on your own: only a pediatrician can do this.
Inhalations with dioxidine are often performed for children with a runny nose, sinusitis, and tonsillitis. A 0.5% solution is usually prepared in a saline solution, diluted 1:4. The maximum single amount of dioxidine for inhalation is 2 ml of the prepared solution, and the duration of the procedure is no more than five minutes per day.
Inhalations with dioxidine for children with cough are carried out with the same solution, twice a day for 2 minutes.
Many small children are almost impossible to persuade to use a nebulizer for treatment. You cannot force a child, much less use force, since a frightened child will not only not perceive the procedure adequately, but will also not be able to inhale the medicinal solution normally and steadily. It is better to try to cheer up the child, to show by your example how to breathe with an inhaler.
Contraindications to the procedure
Not all patients are recommended to take inhalations with dioxidine. For example, the use of the product is not recommended in the following cases:
- if the patient suffers from allergy or hypersensitivity to drugs based on quinoxaline;
- during pregnancy, during breastfeeding;
- if the patient has decompensated conditions, severe kidney or liver diseases;
- children under two years of age.
In general, according to the instructions, dioxidine is not used to treat patients under 18 years of age. However, in practice, inhalations of the drug are carried out from the age of two. Of course, this is done with special caution and only when other medications have proven ineffective, and there is no other choice.
Consequences after the procedure
In patients prone to allergic reactions, inhalations with dioxidine can cause a number of unpleasant symptoms, if which occur, you should stop the procedure and contact your doctor.
Thus, some patients experience nausea and vomiting after inhalation, rashes appear, and the temperature rises. If the reaction is strong, then convulsions, hallucinations, changes in blood pressure, etc. may be detected against the background of severe vomiting.
There are also cases of dermatitis, swelling, itchy rashes and other signs of an allergic response.
In some patients, cases of hyperpigmentation on the skin have been recorded. Such spots do not require any treatment and disappear on their own some time after the inhalation course is stopped.
To avoid unpleasant consequences, people who are known to be prone to allergic reactions must undergo a sensitivity test to dioxidine before the first inhalation.
Complications after the procedure
If inhalations are performed incorrectly, as well as if the individual does not tolerate such procedures well, the patient may experience unpleasant reactions and complications. This does not happen often, but all patients should be warned in advance about all possible phenomena. Thus, inhalations with dioxidine can provoke:
- nausea, vomiting;
- deterioration of general condition;
- headaches, dizziness;
- bronchospasm.
If any unpleasant symptoms appear, the session should be stopped and the attending physician should be consulted regarding the possibility of continuing the treatment course.
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Care after the procedure
After each inhalation with dioxidine, you need to rinse your mouth with warm water, wash your face, rinse and dry the nebulizer.
You should not immediately go for a walk, engage in physical activity, shout or even talk loudly. It is optimal to provide the patient with rest for 1-1.5 hours. Eating and drinking liquids are also allowed only 1-1.5 hours after the inhalation is completed.
There are no other restrictions or special care features. If the patient experiences unpleasant or even painful sensations after the session, it is necessary to consult with the attending physician as soon as possible.
Reviews
There are many supporters and opponents of dioxidine treatment among both patients and doctors. The fact is that the high efficiency of the drug is closely related to its toxic effect on the body. However, as users point out, the main thing is to do the procedures correctly, strictly adhering to the dosages prescribed by the doctor.
Firstly, inhalations should be carried out only with a nebulizer - a special device that can be used in a hospital or at home. No other method is suitable for inhalation treatment with dioxidine!
Secondly, dioxidine must be diluted with an isotonic solution of sodium chloride (saline), since in its pure form this drug can have an aggravating toxic effect.
Thirdly, treatment with dioxidine should be prescribed by a doctor, self-medication with this drug is unacceptable. The use of inhalations for the treatment of children should be especially justified, since the risk of intoxication in childhood is considered extremely high.
In general, patients who have already tried inhalations with dioxidine note the following positive results:
- attacks of dry cough disappear;
- mucus formation improves and accelerates;
- sputum removal is optimized;
- signs of inflammatory reaction are relieved;
- the pain in the throat is relieved, wheezing disappears;
- watery nasal discharge stops;
- normal nasal breathing is restored.
If the patient suffers from hypersensitivity to dioxidine, it should not be used: you need to consult a doctor about replacing this drug with other possible analogues.
Analogues: what can replace dioxidine for inhalation?
Structural analogues of dioxidine by the active component are such medications as hydroxymethylquinoxylinedioxide, urotravenol, diquinoxide, dioxysept. All these drugs have a common origin and are based on the action of quinoxaline (benzopyrrine). If an allergic reaction or hypersensitivity to this substance is detected, then the listed medications should not be used.
As an alternative replacement, the doctor may suggest the following medication options:
- Miramistin (benzyl dimethyl ammonium chloride monohydrate) is a fairly powerful antiseptic with a wide range of antimicrobial activity. Inhalations with miramistin are preferably carried out using an ultrasonic nebulizer. For an adult patient, the standard dosage of miramistin is 4 ml, and for children under 12 years old - 1-2 ml, mixed with 4 ml of saline.
- Isotonic sodium chloride solution (physiological solution) is a "harmless" remedy that can be used for therapeutic inhalations for upper respiratory tract diseases. Saline solution for inhalations does not affect pathogenic microorganisms, but it perfectly moisturizes the mucous membranes, relieves irritation and dry cough, softens thick mucus in the bronchi and promotes its removal. Saline solution is not used for obstructive bronchitis: in such a situation, you should turn to more powerful drugs (for example, Berotek, Atrovent, etc.).
- Sinupret is a herbal preparation that is originally intended for internal use. However, it is also successfully used for inhalation: for acute and chronic sinusitis, rhinitis, and even for dry cough. It is noted that Sinupret accelerates the recovery process, facilitates nasal breathing, and potentiates the effect of antibacterial drugs. The inhalation solution should be prepared in accordance with the following proportions: for children over sixteen and adults, Sinupret is diluted in half with saline, for children over six years old, take 1 part of the medicine and two parts of saline, and for children from two to six years old, take 1 part of the medicine and three parts of saline. One inhalation usually involves the use of 3-4 ml of diluted Sinupret. The procedures are repeated three times a day.
- Fluimucil is an IT antibiotic, represented by such active ingredients as thiamphenicol and mucolytic acetylcysteine. The drug inhibits the formation of the cell wall of microbes, which leads to their death, and also liquefies sputum and accelerates its removal. Fluimucil for inhalation is allowed to be used for bronchitis, pneumonia, adenoids, whooping cough, bronchiectasis, otitis, as well as nasopharyngitis or sinusitis. Such a drug is prescribed only by a doctor, who also selects the dosage individually.
It is possible to find a replacement for dioxidine, but this should be done wisely, in consultation with your doctor. Today, any pharmacist can offer a variety of products for inhalation treatment of bacterial infectious diseases of the upper and lower respiratory tract, but self-medication should not be done, so as not to harm your own body. If you are going to use dioxidine for inhalation, you need to remember that this product is prescribed exclusively for serious diseases that the immune system cannot cope with on its own.