Means for treating dry cough

Coughing is one of the most annoying symptoms of a variety of diseases, although many associate this symptom only with colds and flu. Despite the negative attitude towards it cough, as well as a rise in temperature, in fact is a protective reaction of our body, which thus resists illnesses. It turns out that to fight with a cough means to harm yourself? Yes, if the cough is productive, i.e. Is accompanied by the release of sputum containing infections, allergens, foreign bodies and other components with which mucosal irritation was associated. But there is another kind of cough - unproductive, exhausting, taking away strength from the body for struggle. The purpose of treating such a symptom, depending on the situation, is to translate dry cough into productive or suppress the cough reflex. This is what the funds from dry cough, purchased in pharmacies or made according to prescriptions of alternative medicine are called upon to do.

Dry cough and its treatment

There is no such person who would like to cough, even in spite of the fact that cough in many cases facilitates the patient's condition. But this is precisely what a physiologically conditioned protective reflex is designed for, which we ourselves gave the name of a cough.

There is a cough as a consequence of irritation of the mucous respiratory tract, which is provided with a variety of nerve endings. On nerve fibers, a signal in the form of bioelectric pulses enters the cough center located in the medulla oblongata near the base of the skull. By the way, there is also a vomiting center nearby, which causes the urge to vomit with a painful dry cough.

When the "SOS" signal is received, the cough center connects the muscles of various organs of the respiratory system to work, but they act in different ways. That an act of forced expulsion of air from the lungs and bronchi took place, i.e. Cough, certain actions are needed.

First, a deep breath is taken with the muscles of the chest, abdomen and diaphragm, and then a tight exhalation, during which the bronchial contraction occurs, and the vocal chasm remains closed. Under the influence of a large intrathoracic pressure, there is an opening of the vocal folds and a rapid exhalation, i.e. Air is sharply pushed outwards together with the slime and foreign substances formed in the bronchi, which should not be there.

Because of the sudden change in pressure from the respiratory tract, even those components whose withdrawal is difficult due to the high viscosity of the mucus are removed. In this case, multiple repeated acts of cough are observed.

It is with the help of a cough that the body can clean breathing passages qualitatively, removing them all unnecessary. So, it would seem, does not make sense to suppress a cough reflex. On the contrary, it is necessary to help the body to facilitate the removal of a large number of sputum and irritant substances from the respiratory tract, which caused increased production of mucus.

Alas, sometimes coughing not only does not bring relief, but on the contrary it tortures a person. This is a dry cough. Such a cough can be the result of a strong irritation of the bronchial mucosa without the release of mucus, which is often observed under the influence of dust, various allergens, volatile chemicals. Sometimes compression of the bronchi, and as a consequence of a cough reflex, can be caused by an increase in the proximity of lymph nodes, which is observed with certain blood diseases. The cause of dry cough can be and tumoral processes in the bronchi and lungs, helminths, irritating lung tissue, pleural inflammation, chronic heart failure, chronic inflammation of the lung tissue, etc.

Dry cough is often observed in heavy smokers and in those who have irregularities in the work of the neuromuscular system of the respiratory tract. The same symptom can be observed when foreign bodies get into the respiratory tract, for example, food particles.

Dry non-productive cough can persecute a person and during the recovery of the body after having an infectious or viral pathology. In this case, we observe the following pattern: the infectious process is stopped, the inflammation subsides, sputum is produced already in minimal volumes, but irritation of the larynx and bronchi still remains.

The treatment of such a cough is aimed at suppressing the cough reflex, since it does not bring any benefit, but only tortures a person.

With respiratory pathologies of the infectious and allergic plan, dry cough appears even at the initial stages of the disease, when the inflammation only begins and the bronchi produce an insufficient amount of secretion, which helps to remove foreign substances from the body. Here the suppression of cough reflex will not do good. On the contrary, it makes sense to use funds from dry cough, which will help stimulate the secretion of bronchi, reduce its viscosity and facilitate excretion, in other words, transfer dry cough to wet (productive).

As you can see, coughing is different. And even to treatment of a dry cough it is necessary to approach sensibly, proceeding from its or his reason. And that such treatment was effective, it should be complex, i.e. It is necessary to treat not only cough, but also the very illness that causes it.

Another important issue is the choice of cough suppressants. There are a lot of them on pharmacy shelves, but not all medicines can help in a particular situation. Prescribing drugs on their own in case of coughing is unacceptable and even dangerous, since such treatment can be fraught with deterioration of the patient's condition and various complications. Do not rely on the advice of pharmacists in the pharmacy, who were not taught to diagnose and prescribe effective treatment. With the same success you can ask advice from the grocery store vendor. Prescribe medications for coughing should a specialist doctor, taking into account all the nuances of the revealed pathology.

[1], [2], [3]

When do you need medicines for dry cough?

There are many reasons for the appearance of dry cough, but they are not always pathological. If during the meal with an untimely breath in the respiratory tract got a crumb of bread and caused a cough reflex, this is not an excuse to run to the doctor and the pharmacy for cough medicine. With such problems the body usually copes independently without help from outside.

Medicines for dry cough appoint when it comes to a certain pathological process, which reduces the clearance of the bronchi or irritation of the mucous respiratory system. In the indications for the use of pills for coughing, there are mainly infectious and inflammatory diseases of the broncho-pulmonary system: bronchitis, tracheitis, pneumonia, whooping cough, etc., but doctors prescribe such drugs and in other cases:

• Dry cough at the beginning of colds that are bacterial or viral in nature: influenza, laryngitis, tonsillitis, pharyngitis, sinusitis.
• The appearance of an unproductive cough with inflammatory pathologies of the respiratory system (pleurisy, abscess of the lungs, obstruction of the lungs, etc.).
• Cough in allergic diseases (bronchial asthma, allergic bronchitis, etc.).
• Prolonged unproductive cough caused by irritation of the pharynx, larynx and bronchi by corrosive chemicals.
• Nervous cough, which is observed in brain pathologies (for example, in stroke or Parkinson's disease), as well as under the influence of age-related changes.
• Dry heart cough, which is typical for patients with chronic heart failure, not accompanied by pulmonary edema.
• Cough of the smoker.
• Tumor processes in the airways.
• Chronic cough with gastroesophageal reflux disease.
• Prolonged respiratory tract irritation due to the presence of the smallest foreign bodies.
• Dry cough as a side effect of certain medicines.

With dry, exhausting coughing without coughing up sputum, depending on its cause, doctors can prescribe antitussive or expectorant drugs. If the sputum is produced in insufficient quantity and is too viscous, which greatly complicates its excretion, resort to the help of mucolytic agents.

The effect of expectorants is based on the irritation of sensitive receptors in the bronchi (direct action) and the stomach (mediated action), which activates the respiratory system to produce and remove sputum from the body. They also have a slight influence on the cough center, resulting in coughing attacks becoming less painful.

Mucolytics act a little differently. They simply dilute the thick secret of the bronchi, which makes it much easier to get rid of it. Neither the amount of sputum secreted by the bronchi, nor the contraction of the muscles of the respiratory system, nor the cough center they have no effect, so their use with a dry cough is somewhat limited. The doctor can prescribe such medications if the cough should be productive, but remains dry due to the too high viscosity of the bronchial secretion, which is difficult to separate from the walls of the bronchi.

Antitussive drugs act directly on the cough center, blocking its work, which significantly reduces the amount and strength of the painful bouts of dry, unproductive cough, when there is nothing to get out of the respiratory tract, but you just have to wait until the symptoms of irritation of the respiratory system disappear. Such drugs are prescribed very rarely and only when there is confidence in the absence of an infectious factor in the respiratory system.

Here are some names of popular remedies for dry cough, depending on the action they perform:

• expectorants with a dry cough: Mukaltin, Pertussin, Doctor MOM, licorice and althaea syrups, Prospan, tablets with thermopsis, etc.
• funds from dry barking cough: "Sinekod", "Omnitus", "Libexin", etc.
• mucolytic agents with a dry cough: "ATSTS", "Lazolvan", "Ambroxol", "Bromgeksin", "Fludiiteks", etc.

Recently, many effective preparations have appeared from dry cough with combined action. So, for example, the drug "Kodelak" and "Stoptussin" differ with antitussive and expectorant action, and the homeopathic medicine "Stodal", as well as the plant preparation "Linkas", provides both mucolytic and expectorant action.

The only thing that can not be combined in cough medicine is antitussive and mucolytic effect, because it will result in bronchial blockage of phlegm and asphyxia. After mucolytics are not able to directly contribute to the secretion of bronchial secretions, which means that liquid sputum, which does not care which way to move, will accumulate in the bronchi and lungs, leaving less room for air.

By the way, antitussive preparations with a specific effect should not be used, together with expectorants, which increase the amount of sputum secreted and can block bronchi. Another thing combined drugs in which the antitussive effect is compensated by the expectorant.

Means from dry cough usually have 2 forms of release. These are tablets (or granules) and syrup. The latter are most often used to treat children, because a small child is not yet able to swallow tablets. In addition, the sweet taste and attractive scent of many cough syrups makes their reception pleasant for a child who sees a treat in a medicine. Syrups can also be prescribed if the adult patient, for some reason, can not or does not want to take the pills.

Mukoliticheskie means the pharmaceutical industry began to produce and in the form of solutions used for inhalation, which is recommended to do with a special device - a nebulizer.

Assigning different types and forms of drugs for cough, the doctor takes into account not only the cause of dry cough, but the age of the patient. For example, for children under one year of age who have not developed a cough reflex, it makes no sense to prescribe mucolytics. The most effective in this case will be drugs with combined antitussive and expectorant action.

Children from 1 year of funds from a dry cough appoint, depending on the cause of coughing. These can be expectorants and mucolytics. Antitussive drugs in pure form for babies are prescribed extremely rarely, and only those that do not have a narcotic effect.

For children under 6 years of age, syrups are considered the preferred form of medication, but if inhaled treatment is indicated, drug solutions with mucolytic action, which are still more effective than water, can be used.

To the appointment of medications to young children, the pediatrician should be treated with extreme caution. Synthetic drugs without special need to appoint is not recommended. If the child occasionally coughs, this does not mean that he is ill. Simply the body spends cleaning of the bronchi, which often happens in the mornings or after active walks in the air.

If there are other symptoms of the disease, then preference should be given to herbal preparations that have less negative impact on the organs and systems of the baby. But caution is needed here, because the natural components often provoke allergic reactions, which can be not only unpleasant, but also dangerous.

But this is all the theory of treating dry cough. Let's return better to preparations which will allow to ease an excruciating symptom in practice.

Antitussive drugs with specific and combined action

Antitussive drugs with a unique (specific) effect do not affect the amount and characteristics of the secretion secreted by the bronchial tubes. They only block the protective reflex, controlled by the brain, soothingly affecting the cough center.

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Sinekod

This is a bright representative of this class of drugs used for coughing. The medicine "Sinekod" is characterized by a central action, since it affects directly the brain, and not the nerve endings.

The question of which cough "Sinecode: dry or wet, does not make sense, because antitussive drugs are used strictly with a dry cough without spitting, otherwise the drug can only hurt. Prescribing the drug doctors can:

• in whooping cough in children,
• to reduce the intensity of cough in smokers,
• in order to suppress the cough reflex during the diagnostic studies of the broncho-pulmonary system,
• when preparing for surgery,
• with a cardiac cough without sputum.

With infectious inflammatory respiratory pathologies, "Sinekod" can be prescribed only at the stage of dry cough, mainly in the recovery period, less often in the initial stage of the disease (if coughing attacks are too painful, which negatively affects the patient's condition).

The drug has 3 forms of release:

• syrup,
• a drop,
• pills.

Pharmacodynamics. The active substance of the drug is butamyrate. The main effect of the drug is a decrease in the activity of the cough center, due to which the quantity and quality of coughing attacks significantly decreases, until their complete disappearance. In addition, the drug promotes the expansion of the bronchi (bronchodilating effect), prevents spasms of the respiratory tract, improves the saturation of blood with oxygen, i.e. Facilitates and improves the quality of breathing.

Pharmacokinetics. Absorption of the active substance takes place in the intestine, and after an hour and a half its content in the blood reaches a maximum. It is not cummulated in the body. Slowly excreted in the urine (the half-life reaches 6 hours).

Contraindications. The drug is not prescribed for hypersensitivity to its components. Despite the fact that during pregnancy, the use of the drug is not prohibited, you should be careful not to prescribe it for the first 3 months.

Some precautions should be followed and in the appointment of various forms of the drug, especially in children. For example, drops "Sinekod" can be used from 2 months of age, syrup - from 3 years, and tablets (pills) - not earlier than from 6 years of age.

Syrup "Sinekod" from dry cough in its composition has sorbitol, and therefore, it can not be administered to patients with hereditary intolerance to fructose.

Side effects. The fact that the drug can be used even in infants indicates the relative safety of the drug. Usually, children and adults tolerate the drug well without the appearance of unpleasant symptoms. However, in rare cases, the following reactions are possible: drowsiness and dizziness (with a decrease in dose disappear), nausea and diarrhea, rashes on the skin, allergic reactions.

In very rare cases, it is possible to swell the larynx, especially in children. True, the probability of such an event is much lower than that of other drugs.

Method of administration and dose. We must immediately say that not only the form of release, but also the recommended dosage depends on the age of the patient.

"Sinecod" a child from a dry cough can be appointed in the form:

• drops (from 2 months to a year - 10 drops per 1 reception, from 1 year to 3 years - 15 drops each);
• syrup (from 3 to 6 years - 5 ml, from 6 to 12 years - 10 ml, from 12 to 15 years - 15 ml),
• tablets (from 6 to 15 years - 1 tablet 2, and from 12 years 3 times a day).

The multiplicity of reception of drops - 4 times, syrup - 3 times a day.

"Sinekod" from a dry cough to a teenager over 15 years and an adult can be appointed in any form of release:

• drops - from 25 to 60 drops per 1 reception,
• syrup - 15 ml every 6 hours, i.e. 4 times a day,
• tablets - 2 dragees (the frequency of reception - 2 or 3 times a day as prescribed by the doctor).

Overdose. The drug is not inclined to accumulate in the blood, and its long reception does not lead to an overdose. But taken once a large dose of medicine can lead to the following symptoms: lethargy, drowsiness, nausea with bouts of vomiting, diarrhea, impaired coordination, falling blood pressure.

Treatment consists in washing the stomach and taking enterosorbents. Saline laxatives and symptomatic therapy are also shown.

Interactions with other drugs. "Sinecode" is allowed to be taken simultaneously with any medicines, except for funds from dry or wet cough with expectorant or mucolytic effect.

Storage conditions. Store the medicine instruction at a temperature not higher than 30 degrees in its original packaging.

Shelf life. Tablets can be stored for no more than 5 years from the date of release, drops and syrup - up to 3 years.

Reviews. Most reviews about the drug are positive. The drug perfectly helps with dry barking cough. The only drawback is that many people consider bitterness even in syrup and drops, but this can be experienced. A small percentage of negative reviews is caused either by improper prescription of the drug, or by lack of effect due to individual characteristics of the organism.

Omnitus

Antitussive drug of central action based on all the same butamirate with a slight expectorant and bronchodilator (prevention of airway obstruction, the same antispasmodic) action. Indications for use of the drug overlap with the appointment of the drug "Sinekod". The same can be said about the pharmacological properties and side effects of the drug "Omnitus" used from dry cough.

Release the medicine in the form of syrup and tablets of different dosages.

Contraindications. The drug is not prescribed for hypersensitivity to its components, as well as during breastfeeding. Tablets are not recommended for use during pregnancy and children under 6 years of age. Tablets with a high dosage (50 ml) are prescribed only to adult patients.

"Omnitus" syrup from a dry cough during pregnancy is allowed to use, only from 4 months. In childhood he is prescribed to patients from 3 years of age.

Method of administration and dose. The dosage of the drug does not depend on the pathology accompanied by a dry cough, but on the patient's age:

Syrup should be taken: children under 6 years - 10 ml per reception, children from 6 to 9 years - 15 ml Multiplicity of intake - 3 times a day.

To adolescents older than 9 years, the drug is prescribed 15 ml already 4 times in bitches, and adults - 30 ml three times a day.

Tablets "Omnitus" from a dry cough can have a dosage of 20 or 50 mg, they need to be taken in full.

The first appoint children from 6 to 12 years, 1 tablet twice a day, adolescents 12-17 years increase the frequency of intake up to 3 times a day.

Adults take 2 tablets 20 mg 2 to 3 times a day or 1 tablet 50 mg 1-2 times a day.

Interaction with other drugs. During the treatment with the drug, you must refrain from drinking alcohol. Caution should be observed when taking the medicine along with sleeping pills, neuroleptics, tranquilizers.

Storage conditions. Store the product manufacturer recommends at a temperature within 15-25 degrees, away from children and sunlight

Shelf life. Syrup is allowed to use for 5 years, tablets - for 2 years.

Reviews. Opinion of customers about the product "Omnitus" is as ambiguous as its analogue called "Sinekod". For someone, he became a rescue from a dry cough, while others noted a worsening of the condition instead of the declared transition of a cough from dry to wet. Most often, the drug is used to treat children.

Libexin

Pharmacodynamics. The active substance of the drug is prenoxediazin, which soothingly acts not on the cough center, but on the peripheral organs (reduces the excitation of cough receptors), due to which the cough recedes. In parallel, the drug promotes bronchial dilatation and a reduction in pain during coughing. In the treatment of chronic bronchitis marked marked anti-inflammatory effect.

Pharmacokinetics. The medicine has good absorbent properties. Its absorption occurs already in the stomach. The maximum concentration in the blood is observed after half an hour after administration. It is excreted with feces and partially with urine. Specific action lasts about 4 hours.

Contraindications. Do not prescribe antitussive drug with hypersensitivity to its components and the allocation of abundant bronchial secretions. In pediatrics it is used since 3 years due to the fact that it has a single form of release in the form of tablets.

Side effects of the drug "Libexin", applied from a dry cough, develop very rarely. It can be dryness of the mucous membranes of the mouth, drying of the throat, pains in the stomach, which are stopped by eating, constipation, allergic reactions, bronchospasm. In large doses reduces concentration of attention.

Method of administration and dose. The tablet is not recommended to be crushed heavily to avoid feeling numbness in the oral mucosa. It must be swallowed whole and washed with water.

The daily intake for adults is 3-4 tablets. Children are given 0.5 tablets 3 or 4 times a day.

An overdose of the drug is not dangerous. It manifests itself in lethargy, apathy, fatigue due to a pronounced sedative effect.

Interactions with other drugs. "Libexin" can be taken simultaneously with other medicines without worrying about the consequences.

Storage conditions and shelf life. Keep the tablets recommended in their native packaging at room temperature for not more than 5 years.

Reviews: Again, reviews do not please their diversity. One drug is suitable, others are disappointed in it. The main advantages of the drug are: lack of addiction, safety of use in children, a small number of side effects, the possibility of use during pregnancy. Many parents consider this drug to be the best medicine for a child.

And now we will examine how complex preparations work, amazingly combining the antitussive and expectorant action.

Kodelak

Pharmacodynamics. Complex multicomponent drug, which is used primarily against dry cough. Contains 4 active substances:

• codeine (analgesic with narcotic effect, depressing effect on cough center, but not on respiratory function),
• sodium hydrogencarbonate (changes the acidity of phlegm to the side of lowering the pH, therefore it makes it less viscous, plus it has a stimulating effect on the epithelium that breaks the bronchi, promoting the excretion of mucus)
• extract of licorice root (expectorant and antispasmodic)
• grass thermopsis lanceolate (excites the respiratory center and exerts an expectorant effect, stimulating the activity of bronchial glands and bronchial epithelium).

Since the drug is multicomponent, it is very difficult to judge the pharmacokinetics. It can only be noted that the effect of taking the drug is observed after ½-1 hour and lasts for 6 hours.

Contraindications. You can not prescribe a medication if at least one of the components is intolerant, to patients with impaired respiratory function and bronchial asthma, and also to those who suffer from chronic alcoholism. Children can prescribe the drug from 2 years, and only in extreme cases.

Caution and dose correction is required for severe kidney pathologies, increased intracranial pressure.

Use during pregnancy and lactation is not possible.

Side effects of the drug are due to the presence of a drug (drowsiness, decreased concentration and visual acuity, episodes of dizziness and headache) and other components (nausea with bouts of vomiting, stool changes, abdominal pain, dry mucous membranes, allergic skin rashes , angioedema, edema).

Method of administration and dose. Produced in the form of tablets that can be taken without worrying about the interval between meals. The tablets are swallowed whole and washed down with water.

Dosage for adults is 2-3 tablets per day (not more than 200 mg), the child's dose is set by the doctor. Treatment with the drug is short. Up to 5 days.

Overdose. Taking large doses of the drug is fraught with increased side effects, a drop in blood pressure, a weakening of the pulse, a malfunction in the heart rhythm, severe fatigue, a decrease in the tone of the bladder.

Treatment consists in washing the stomach and taking up sorbents. The antidote is naloxone. Symptomatic therapy is also provided.

Interaction with other drugs. It is forbidden to take the drug with medications, depressing the CNS, including allergy medications and central analgesics.

Chloramphenicol inhibits the excretion of codeine, which prolongs its action. "Kodelak" similarly acts on cardiac glycosides.

Antacids and astringents reduce the effectiveness of the drug.

"Codelac" from a dry cough is not prescribed simultaneously with mucolytics and expectorants.

Storage conditions and shelf life. The drug is stored at room temperature for 4 years.

Reviews. The patient's opinions on the drug are generally positive. It really helps with a debilitating cough, making it easier and more productive. But still many are confused by the presence of a drug in the composition of the medicine. For this reason, mummies are afraid to give it to their children. Yes, and behind the wheel in the treatment of such a drug can not be.

On the shelves of pharmacies, you can meet two more variants of the above described drug: "Kodelak Neo" and "Codeak Broncho". "Kodelak Neo" with the active substance butamir appointed strictly with a dry cough. This is an analogue of "Sinekod" and "Omnikus", which can safely treat children from 2 months and adults. Form release: drops, syrup, tablets.

"Kodelak Neo" from dry cough in children is prescribed mainly in the form of drops and syrup. The syrup "Kodelak Neo" from dry cough has 2 doses: 100 and 200 ml. The first is enough to treat children under 6 years (5 ml 3 times a day). The second is used to treat older children, adolescents and adults (10 to 15 ml 3-4 times a day, depending on the age).

"Codelac Broncho" with a dry cough is not prescribed, because the instructions strictly stated that it is intended for the treatment of a damp cough with difficulty in sputum discharge.

Stopoutsin

This is truly a synthetic drug with a complex effect. This antitussive, expectorant and mucolytic drug in one person.

Pharmacodynamics. In the composition of the drug we find 2 active substances:

• butamirate - an antitussive component of peripheral action with a sedative and analgesic effect,
• guaifenesin, which promotes liquefaction and excretion of sputum, and stimulates its production.

The effect of both components is compensated, so its reception does not lead to blockage of the bronchi.

Pharmacokinetics. The active substances of the drug are rapidly absorbed into the digestive tract, their metabolites (active and inactive) are excreted mainly through the kidneys, and only a small part is observed in the feces.

Form of issue. Drugs in pharmacies can be found in the form of tablets or drops.

Contraindications. The drug is not prescribed for hypersensitivity to its components, myasthenia gravis, during breastfeeding. In pregnancy, taking the drug, starting with the second trimester.

Children pills are prescribed from the age of 12, drops - from 6 months.

Side effects. If you take the drug at recommended doses, the likelihood of developing unpleasant effects is very low. 1 patient out of 100 can complain of nausea and vomiting, the appearance of diarrhea, impaired appetite, epigastric pain, drowsiness, tenderness in the chest. Fewer common complaints are headaches and dizziness.

Method of administration and dose. The dosage of the drug is strictly dependent on the weight of the patient.

Tablets should be taken entirely with water. Recommended doses:

• for patients with a weight less than 50 kg, the dose will be half a tablet 4 times a day,
• for those whose weight is in the range from 50 to 70 kg - 1 tablet three times a day,
• at weight above 70, but less than 90 kg it is necessary to accept on one and a half tablets three times a day,
• if the body weight exceeds the 90 kg mark, the dosage remains the same (1.5 tablets), but the frequency of reception increases to 4 times a day.

Drops before use dilute in half a glass of water or another non-carbonated soft drink.

Dosage for children:

• babies with a body weight below 7 kg appoint 8 drops, take the medicine from 3 to 4 times a day,
• children, whose weight is in the interval between 7 and 12 kg, should take 9 drops per reception with the same frequency of reception,
• if the weight of the child is more than 12, but less than 20 kg, he is prescribed 14 drops with a frequency of reception 3 times a day,
• schoolchildren with a weight of 21 to 30 kg give the same number of drops, but the frequency of admission can be increased up to 4 times a day,
• at a weight of more than 30, but less than 40 kg the drug is prescribed in the amount of 16 drops with a frequency of 3-4 times a day,

Dosage for adults:

• weight of the patient 40-50 kg - a dose of 25 drops,
• weight of the patient 50-70 kg - a dose of 30 drops,
• at a body weight of 71 kg and above - an effective dosage of 40 drops.

Multiplicity of admission - three times a day.

A special syringe may be applied to the preparation for easy dosing of the drug. It allows you to measure the medicine without opening the bottle.

Overdose. Guaifenesin is a rather toxic component, so exceeding the recommended dose threatens with the appearance of symptoms of intoxication in the form of muscle weakness, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting.

Help: purification of the stomach, sorbent intake, symptomatic therapy.

Interaction with other drugs. Preparations containing microelements of lithium and magnesium can enhance the expectorant effect of the drug.

Guaifenesin increases the effect of taking acetylsalicylic acid and paracetamol. The same effect is observed with the recent use of alcohol, as well as the simultaneous administration of the drug and muscle relaxants, hypnotic drugs, drugs with a narcotic effect.

Storage conditions and shelf life. Store the medicine recommended at room temperatures in a dark place for no more than 5 years.

Reviews: Most of the reviews on the drug indicate its high effectiveness as a means of dry cough. However, there are also negative reviews, some of which are related to the lack of the expected effect (yet the medicine is not cheap), and the other part is characterized by an emphasis on the unpleasant bitter taste of the drug, which makes it difficult for them to be treated with children, and the smell of alcohol.

We examined the most popular means prescribed for dry cough, which reduce its severity and soreness. It's time to get acquainted with the drugs that have an expectorant effect and are used with a dry cough much more often antitussive.

Expectorants for dry cough

Such drugs are designed not to stop coughing, but to alleviate it by increasing the amount of mucus secreted by the bronchi and stimulating the bronchi to remove it.

Mukaltin

Well, who does not know this natural expectorant drug, which is known since Soviet times and has not lost its relevance to this day.

Pharmacodynamics. The active substance of the drug - mukaltin - is a polysaccharide of the althaea plant. On the question of what kind of cough "Mukaltin": dry or wet, you can not answer unequivocally, because doctors prescribe the medicine with the same success and with a dry cough and with a damp one. The drug promotes the expansion of bronchi (bronchodilator) and liquefaction of sputum (secretolitics). Partially weakens the cough, making it milder and sparse, facilitates the supply of sputum from the lower respiratory tract to the top, stimulating the peristalsis of bronchioles and the activity of the epithelial receptors of the bronchi.

Pharmacokinetics of the drug is not sufficiently studied, but it is known that it belongs to the category of low-toxic drugs.

Contraindications. Hypersensitivity to the components of the drug. In pediatrics apply from 1 year.

Use during pregnancy. In the instructions to the drug, nothing is said about the possibility of using the drug during this period. But since the active substance of the drug is polysaccharide marshmallows, and the plant itself is forbidden to apply until 4 months of pregnancy, it is most likely that the expectorant drug with secretolytic activity should not be used in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Side effects of the drug are limited to mild allergic manifestations.

Method of administration and dose. "Mukaltin" is produced in the form of brownish tablets, which must be swallowed whole.

Patients over 12 years of age are prescribed 2 tablets per reception. Take medication in this dosage 4 times a day before meals.

"Mukaltin" from dry cough to a child up to 3 years prescribed 1 tablet three times a day, the older children the dose is kept the same, and the frequency of reception is increased to 4.

To small children tablets are dissolved in a third of a glass of water, sweetened with sugar or fruit syrup.

The course of treatment can be long: from 1 week to 2 months.

Overdose can occur on the background of long-term use of high doses and will manifest as nausea and vomiting.

Interaction with other drugs. Dangerous reactions with simultaneous application of "Mukaltina" and other medications were not observed. Do not appoint together with antitussive agents.

Storage conditions and shelf life. Keep "Mukaltin" needed at temperatures not exceeding 25 degrees, no more than 4 years.

Reviews: According to the opinion of many patients, Mukaltin was undeservedly replaced by less effective innovative drugs. In fact, it is an effective and inexpensive remedy for dry and difficult wet cough, which helps to solve the problem safely even for people with financial difficulties.

Pertussin

A popular expectorant combined preparation based on the extract of thyme and potassium bromide. Just like Mukaltin, it belongs to the category of effective budgetary funds. Most often, "Pertussin" is prescribed for dry cough.

Pharmacodynamics. Potassium bromide (a synthetic component) in the drug provides a sedative effect on the central nervous system, at the expense of cheg, the cough reflex is somewhat reduced.

Liquid extract of thyme (vegetable part) with its inherent bitterness simulates the ser- icory and motor function of the bronchi and bronchioles, contributes to a decrease in the viscosity of sputum and its active excretion.

The drug is found in one form of release - a sweet syrup in 100 g of dark bottles. Contains alcohol.

An effective and popular cough remedy has many contraindications to use. This intolerance of the components of the drug, unreasonable heart failure, hypotension, arteriosclerosis of the vessels, anemia, kidney disease, diabetes mellitus. As well as a violation of glucose absorption and chronic alcoholism, which is associated with the entry into the drug of sugar syrup and ethyl alcohol.

In pediatrics it is applied from 3 years. It is not recommended to take during pregnancy and lactation.

Side effects are usually observed with prolonged use of the remedy for dry cough. It can be nausea, heartburn, allergic reactions. Excess bromides can cause the following symptoms: depression, depression of appetite and sleep, decreased libido, movement coordination disorder, rhinitis, conjunctivitis, skin rashes.

Method of administration and dose. For patients older than 12 years, the syrup is administered at a dosage of 15 ml three times a day.

Pediatric dosage depends on age. Children up to 6 years of age, a single dose (2.5 ml) is diluted with water (20 ml). Children 6-9 years are prescribed 5 ml, 9-12 years - 10 ml of syrup per 1 reception. Multiplicity of admission in all cases 3 times a day.

Overdose. The use of large doses of the drug for a long time leads to the appearance of symptoms of bromism. In this case, the drug is canceled, saline laxatives and fluids are given, symptomatic therapy is performed.

Interaction with other drugs. No dangerous interactions were observed. It is not recommended to apply simultaneously with antitussive agents.

Storage conditions and shelf life. The drug should be protected from children and stored at a temperature of no higher than 25 degrees. Effective for 4 years.

Reviews about the drug in the vast majority of cases are positive both from doctors and patients.

In pharmacies, you can occasionally meet and the German drug "Pertussin" in the form of tablets, but its effectiveness is lower due to the lack of potassium bromide in the composition.

Doctor MOM

Pharmacodynamics. Effective herbal preparation based on 10 herbs with pronounced expectorant action. It helps to clear bronchi, stimulating liquefaction and excretion of sputum, and has a good anti-inflammatory effect. The drug "Doctor MOM" from dry cough is prescribed in the form of syrup or pastilles with fruit and berry flavors, which are very popular with children, but they are prescribed only to adult patients.

Contraindications. Syrup is not prescribed for hypersensitivity to the components of the drug and at the age of 3 years. Pastilles are intended for the treatment of adult patients, but are not recommended during pregnancy and lactation.

Syrup and lozenges contain sugar, which must be taken into account for patients with high blood glucose levels.

Side effects. Possible allergies to any of the components of the drug.

Method of administration and dose. Adult patients are prescribed medicine in any form of release. The lozenges need to dissolve with an interval of 2 hours not more than 10 pieces per day.

The syrup is prescribed 5-10 ml three times a day.

Children 3-6 years of age, the syrup is prescribed in a dosage of 2.5 ml, children under 14 years of age - 2.5-5 ml with a frequency of intake three times a day. Adolescents over the age of 14 take adult doses.

The therapeutic course can be from 14 to 21 days.

There is no information about overdose and dangerous drug interactions. However, the drug is not recommended for use with antitussive drugs.

Storage conditions and shelf life. The drug remains effective for 2 years, if stored at temperatures not exceeding 30 degrees.

Reviews: The drug is mostly positive reviews. But many patients note the short-lived effect of taking the lozenges and syrup, as well as inadequate effectiveness with a strong cough. As part of complex therapy, the drug has a very good and rapid effect.

[7],

Prospan

Effective expectorant based on a dry extract of ivy. What kind of cough is "Prospan": dry or wet? Useful properties of the drug bring relief, both with dry and with a damp cough.

Form of issue. It should immediately be noted that everyone can find a form of the drug that suits his needs. After all, the medicine in pharmacies can be found in the form of a syrup (doses of 100 and 200 ml), effervescent tablets, oral solution of cough, drops, troches for resorption,

Pharmacodynamics. The saponins contained in the ivy provide the drug with the following effects: increasing the amount of sputum and reducing its viscosity, stimulating the airways to remove the formed mucus, enlarging the bronchi by relieving spasms, light antitussive and antimicrobial effect. Does not affect respiratory centers.

The pharmacokinetics of the drug are not described.

Contraindications. Hypersensitivity to the components of the drug and intolerance to fructose.

It is not recommended to take during pregnancy due to lack of validated data.

Side effects. Complaints are very rare. In diseases of CT, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, epigastric pain may occur. Allergic reactions occur only in isolated cases.

Method of administration and dose. Effervescent tablets take 2-3 per day, dissolving them in a glass of water (preferably hot). I appoint them to patients older than 4 years. Children under 12 years are prescribed half a tablet three times a day. Patients older than 1 tablet twice a day.

Syrup from dry and moist cough "Prospan" is allowed for use in pediatrics from the very birth of the child. Breast and toddlers up to 6 years of age, the syrup is prescribed 2.5 ml per reception. Patients 6-18 years of age are recommended a dose of 5 ml, over 18 years 0 from 5 to 7.5 ml. Multiplicity of medication - 3 times a day.

The solution for coughing "Prospan" is stuck in the stick, which must be kneaded before application. Take the solution without diluting with water. Recommended for use since 6 years of age.

Children from 6 to 12 years of age are prescribed 1 stick twice a day. For older patients, the solution is given in the same dosage, but 3 times a day.

Pastilles "Prospan" are also intended for patients older than 6 years. Before 12 years of age, 2 lozenges are prescribed per day, afterwards - 4 lozenges.

Drops "Prospan" are allowed for use from one year of age. Up to 4 years, children are given 12 drops, 4 to 10 years - 16 drops, over 10 years - 24 drops per reception. Multiplicity of medication - 3 times a day.

The course of treatment usually takes at least 1 week.

Overdose. Taking high doses can lead to the appearance of the following symptoms: nausea with bouts of vomiting, diarrhea, increased excitability, anxiety. Dose reduction and symptomatic treatment are required.

Interaction with other drugs. The drug can be used with any other drugs.

Storage conditions and shelf life. Keep any form of the drug needed at room temperatures in a darkened place no more than 3 years. After opening the bottle with syrup it should be used within 3 months.

Reviews: Like other means of dry cough "Prospan" has the opposite feedback. His parents consider a pleasant taste and the possibility of using from birth, a disadvantage - a high price of the drug, which shows good results mainly in complex treatment.

Syrup of licorice root

The fact that the medicinal plant licorice with its and actually sweetish flavor is useful for coughing, people have known for a long time. And soon he became interested in pharmacists. So there was another inexpensive, but very effective drug.

From what cough licorice: dry or wet? Most often, the plant is used to facilitate expectoration, if the patient suffers from a dry cough. But it will also be useful if the cough is productive, but the mucus that forms in the respiratory tract does not want to leave the body on its own.

Pharmacodynamics. The syrup was created on the basis of not the plant itself, but its root. Licorice root contains many useful substances, among which glycyrrhizin is released - a substance that stimulates the activity of the epithelium of the respiratory tract and increases the amount of secreted secretion. And this is very important with a dry cough. Other substances contained in the licorice help to stop inflammation and prevent spasms of the muscles of the bronchi, which also facilitates coughing and respiratory conditions.

There is no data on the pharmacokinetics of the drug.

Contraindications. You can not use syrup for hypersensitivity to its components, severe liver and kidney pathologies, in which their function is impaired, potassium deficiency (hypokalemia), arterial hypertension, obesity of 2-3 degrees. In pediatrics it is applied from 1 year.

The syrup contains sugar, which must be taken into account in patients with diabetes mellitus.

Use during pregnancy is prohibited because of the risk of increased levels of estrogen, which can lead to premature birth. At the time of treatment with licorice, breastfeeding is discontinued.

Side effects. Rarely in the case of hypersensitivity, allergic reactions may occur, up to the swelling of the throat.

If a licorice from a dry cough for a long time to take in high doses, it can lead to a disruption of the water-electrolyte balance, and as a consequence of hypokalemia, which is manifested by edematic syndrome, increased pressure, muscle pain and muscle atony.

Method of administration and dose. Syrup of licorice from dry cough doctors are advised to take directly after eating.

If a patient is more than 12 years old at one time, he needs to take 15 ml of syrup.

Licorice from dry cough for children is prescribed based on the age of the child:

• the dose from one year to three years will be 2.5 ml,
• Children from 4 to 7 years can be prescribed from 2.5 to 5 ml,
• the dose for schoolchildren under 9 years is in the range from 5 to 7, 5 ml, and for adolescents of the older age can reach 10 ml.

Regardless of the age of the patient, the drug is taken 3, in some cases 4 times a day, as the doctor will appoint.

Overdose. Most often, it manifests itself in the form of increased side effects, and in particular, the development of hypokalemia is possible.

Interaction with other drugs. Cardiac glycosides and drugs used in arrhythmia, thiazide and loop diuretics, constipation drugs increase the likelihood of hypokalemia and increase its symptoms.

Storage conditions and shelf life. At temperatures in the range of 20-25 degrees the syrup is perfectly stored for 2 years. If the vial was opened, use the medicine for a maximum of 6 months.

Reviews: Many buyers are simply surprised that cheap syrup gives such a good effect that they did not wait for more expensive drugs. Pleases and taste of the drug. Of the shortcomings, all indicate only the presence of alcohol.

Althae Syrup

Another medicinal plant, used long with a dry cough, is called marshmallow. Based on its root, a medicinal syrup is made.

Pharmacodynamics. The root of the althaeus, like licorice, contains many useful substances: polysaccharides, pectins, starch, amino acids. It is thanks to them that the medicine has many properties that facilitate coughing: it envelops the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, softens it and relieves inflammation, increases the amount of mucus released and makes it more liquid, stimulates the peristalsis of bronchioles and the activity of the bronchial epithelium, thereby providing an expectorant effect.

Pharmacokinetics have not been studied.

Contraindications. The drug should not be taken with intolerance of any component of the drug. It is forbidden to take it during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Caution will have to be shown with diabetes. A sweet drug is prescribed for children from the age of 2.

Side effects. The drug is well tolerated, only in rare cases, causing allergic reactions.

Method of administration and dose. In contrast to licorice syrup, the althea extract should be taken before meals, necessarily shaking the bottle.

Adolescents from 14 years and adults are prescribed medication in a single dosage of 15 ml, which corresponds to an incomplete table spoon.

The dose for children under 6 years of age is 5 ml, and for older children - 10 ml. To children under 6 years old the preparation containing alcohol, it is expedient to dilute with water in the ratio 1: 2 or 1: 3.

Multiplicity of drug intake can vary from 4 to 6 times a day. The course of treatment is usually 1-2 weeks.

No drug overdose has been reported.

Interaction with other drugs. Do not take the drug with antitussive drugs.

Storage conditions and shelf life. Storage of the drug at a temperature of no higher than 25 degrees is possible for 2 years. If the vial was opened, it should be stored in the cold (5-8 degrees) and no more than 14 days.

Reviews: Opinions about this product are consistent with reviews of licorice syrup. Cheap and efficient enough.

[8], [9], [10]

Tablets and medicines with thermopsis

We have already mentioned thermopsis and its expectorant properties, considering the preparation "Kodelak". So it is not surprising that thermopsys in the form of tablets, decoctions and potions is used from dry cough.

Form of issue. On the shelves of pharmacies you can find mostly tablets with thermopsis under different names: "Termopsol", "Antitusin", "Tablets from coughs". Dry extract of grass, its infusion and medicine are used less often.

Contraindications. In whatever form the drug is produced, it can not be administered in the following cases:

• hypersensitivity to the components of the drug,
• ulcer of the stomach and duodenum during the period of exacerbation,
• pathology of the lungs, in which there is a risk of hemoptysis,
• acute stages of inflammatory diseases of the kidneys (pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis),
• age younger than 12 years (do not prescribe practice from age 6)
• periods of pregnancy (increases the tone of the uterus) and breastfeeding (contains alkaloids).

Sometimes thermopsis can be prescribed to pregnant women, but on an exceptional basis and only in the last month of pregnancy.

Side effects. Reception of preparations of a thermopsis can be accompanied by such signs, as a nausea and a vomiting, pains in an epigastrium, development of allergic reactions of a various degree of gravity.

Method of administration and dose. Tablets are taken in regardless of food intake, swallowing them whole and squeezed with water.

Dosage for adults and adolescents over 12 years is 1 tablet per reception. Children's dose is 2 times less (half a tablet).

Take the medicine 3 times a day.

Children from 4 months can be given infusion of thermopsis (0.2 grams of crushed grass to a glass of water, heated for a quarter of an hour in a water bath). Dosage for infants up to a year - 5 ml infusion, the frequency of reception 2-3 times a day. Children older than 1 year are given 10 ml of infusion for taking 3 to 4 times a day.

For the preparation of infusion patients over 6 years of grass take 3 times more for the same amount of water. Children under 12 years of age should take 5 ml of infusion 4 to 3 times a day. For older patients, a single dose is increased to 15 ml with the same frequency of administration.

Dry extract of thermopsis is intended for treatment of patients older than 6 years. Single dosage for children under 12 years is 0.025 g, for adults - 0.05 g. The doctor can prescribe the extract 2 or 3 times a day, diluting it in water (1-3 tablespoons).

Medicine for cough in bags is recommended to give to patients over 12 years old, although its use is possible even at the age of 6-12 years. Before use, the mixture is diluted with water.

Adult dosage: 1 packet 3-4 times a day, children - 2 times less at the same frequency of reception.

The course of treatment is short (3 to 5 days).

Overdose. If you take high doses of medication, you may experience nausea and vomiting. In this case, it is necessary to wash the stomach, take sorbents and anti-emetics.

Interaction with other drugs. Any form of the drug is not allowed together with antitussive drugs.

Enterosorbents, antacids, agents with enveloping and astringent properties inhibit the absorption of active substances of the drug, therefore the interval between their reception should be at least 1-1.5 hours.

Storage conditions and shelf life. Infusion of thermopsis should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 3 days. Other forms of the drug retain their properties when stored in room temperature, in a place protected from light. Tablets are stored up to 4 years.

Reviews: Drugs based on thermopsis have very good reviews. Only 5 out of 100 people can say that improvements, alas, did not come.

Mucolytics and complex preparations

Perhaps with a mild cough mucolytics are not used as often as expectorants, however, they are actively prescribed if the cough is not completely dry, the urge to cough is quite strong, and the sputum does not go away due to the high viscosity. In this case, too, an abundant drink helps, but if it does not give a result, one must resort to the help of medicines, especially since many mucolytics are characterized by some expectorant effect.

Ambroxol

Mechanism of action: The drug effectively dilutes sputum and stimulates the formation of a special substance in the lungs, which regulates the secretion and its characteristics.

What cough is ambroxol: dry or wet? The drug can equally successfully be used for different types of cough, if it is difficult to get away from sputum.

All oral forms of the drug are rapidly absorbed into the digestive tract, being distributed throughout the body. Its highest concentration is observed in the lungs. The maximum concentration can be observed after half an hour, although for tablets it may occur later. Penetrates into various liquid media, including breast milk. Does not accumulate in the body. Stays effective for more than 7 hours. Withdrawal of the drug involved in the kidneys.

The drug in pharmacies can be found in the form of a syrup of different concentrations, tablets and inhalation solution in ampoules.

What are the contraindications? As usual, the main obstacle to the use of the drug is the intolerance of its components. But doctors do not recommend taking it also for peptic ulcer of stomach and duodenum, convulsive syndrome.

Use during pregnancy is limited, because in the early stages and with breastfeeding the medicine can have a negative impact on the baby.

Side effects occur in rare cases and manifest in the form of nausea, heartburn, heaviness and feelings of stomach overflow, migraine, taste disorders. Other symptoms are very rare.

How to take the medicine correctly? Tablets are in most cases prescribed for adult patients. It is recommended to take medicine after eating, without chewing, washing with clean water. In a day you will have to take 2-3 tablets.

Syrup 30 mg / 5 ml is a drug for patients older than 12 years. It is prescribed in a dosage of 10 ml per reception at a multiplicity of intake three times a day. Days after three times the frequency is reduced to 2 times a day.

Syrup 15 mg / 5 ml is considered a child's medicine. It can be given from the newborn period in such dosages:

• up to 2 years of age, babies receive 2.5 ml per reception twice a day,
• from 2 to 6 years of age, the medication is given in the same dosage, but 3 times a day,
• children under 12 years should take 5 ml of syrup, do this, depending on the doctor's prescriptions 2 or 3 times a day.

The solution in ampoules is already heavy artillery. It is used mainly in difficult and neglected cases for injecting and / or injecting. Adult patients 2 or 3 times a day, the drug is administered in an amount of 2-3 ampoules. Children of different ages are prescribed from half to 1 ampoule, which are administered with the same multiplicity.

The therapeutic course usually does not exceed 5 days.

Syrup 15 mg / 5 ml can be taken and patients with diabetes mellitus.

There was no information about the drug overdose.

Possibilities of use with other medicines. It is undesirable to combine the medicine with antitussive drugs. The drug is able to increase the concentration of antibiotics in the blood.

Store the ambroxol syrup in a dry place, protected from the sun, at room temperature for no more than 2 years. The vial is stored for less than a month. Shelf life of the tablets is 3 years.

Reviews: According to many users this is the best cough drug. Pleases efficiency, as well as the price of tablets and syrup. The syrup differs pleasant taste.

[11], [12]

Lazolvan

A very popular drug that does not need advertising. Doctors appoint it to children and parents, which is very convenient. The active substance of the drug is still the same ambroxol, so the question of which Lazolvan cough: dry or wet, is no longer relevant, because we disassembled it, considering the previous drug.

By the way, Lazolvan is produced in the same forms as Ambroxol. However, in addition, the medicine can be found in the form of a solution for oral administration in vials.

"Lazolvan" from dry cough for children can be shipped in 3 forms: in the form of a syrup and a solution used for inhalations or injections, as well as the composition for oral administration. Tablets in a dosage of 15 mg are allowed to give to children from 6 years of age. From the age of 12, children go to adult dosage, which corresponds to the dosage of Ambroxol.

The solution for oral administration is recommended in the following dosages:

• patients 12 years and older take 4 ml of the solution first 3, and after a couple of days 2 times a day,
• Children from the age of 5 years are shown taking 2 ml of the drug 2 or 3 times a day,
• To children till 5 years give a dose of 1 ml, the frequency of reception is determined by the doctor.

How to store the medicine? Any form of the drug should be stored at temperatures no higher than 25 degrees, away from sunlight and not more than 5 years.

Reviews: Users like the rapid positive effect of taking the drug. Very effective as a means for inhalation. The syrup has a very convenient measuring cup. The disadvantage is a rather high price compared to the analogue Ambroxol.

Bromhexine

Another popular budget drug for coughs, which can be purchased in such forms of release: tablets with different dosage, syrup in bottles ranging from 60 to 120 ml, solutions (oral and inhalation).

Pharmacodynamics. A low-toxic drug that increases the production of sputum and reduces its viscosity. Several increases the activity of the ciliary epithelium of the respiratory tract. The active substance of the drug - bromhexine - is similar in effect to ambroxol.

What kind of cough is Bromgexin: dry or wet? From anyone where relief is required to remove bronchial secretions.

Pharmacokinetics. The medicine of any form of release is quickly absorbed into the blood, where it reaches a maximum concentration one hour after ingestion. The half-life period is twice as high as that of ambroxol. It is excreted mainly by the kidneys. Good penetrating power allows bromhexine to enter various physiological fluids. Breast milk and amniotic fluid are no exception.

In what cases is "Bromgexin" contraindicated? Strictly not recommended the use of drugs for hypersensitivity, exacerbations of stomach ulcers and duodenum. Syrup is not prescribed for intolerance to fructose. The use of bromhexine in early pregnancy and breastfeeding is highly undesirable.

Side effects occur rarely. It can be nausea with episodes of vomiting, dyspepsia, dizziness, fever, liver failure, or allergic reactions.

How to take the medicine correctly? "Bromgeksin" tablets from a dry cough is allowed to use from 2 years of age. They can be swallowed whole or broken into smaller parts (the children can be crushed into powder and diluted with water).

Babies under 6 years are given half a tablet 3 times a day. Patients over 6 years of age take one tablet 3 or 4 times a day. The dose can be increased.

The syrup is equipped with a measuring spoon to make it more convenient to measure the desired dose. Breasts and children younger than 6 years measure on 1 measuring spoon three times a day. Children up to 14 years of age, the dosage is increased to 2 spoons, and the frequency of reception does not change.

Patients older than 14 years can be prescribed from 2 to 4 spoons three times a day.

After the course of treatment (4-5 days), you need to clarify the possibility of further medication.

Serious cases of overdose have not been reported, but it is not worth checking.

The drug can be combined with any medication, except antitussive. But you need to remember that bromhexidine can increase the concentration of antibiotics in the blood.

Keep the medicine of any form of release at a temperature not exceeding 25 degrees. Syrup (if the bottle was not opened) retains its effectiveness for 3 years, the open vial can be stored for no more than a month. Tablets have a shelf life of 3 years.

Reviews: Before the advent of the drug "Lazolvan" tablets "Bromgexin" enjoyed wide and well-deserved popularity. But more expensive drugs tend to crowd out the budget. Alas, users note that the former Soviet drug was much more efficient than the modern imported.

[13], [14], [15]

ACC

Many people know this drug for delicious drinks that are made from it. Drug manufacturers produce in the form of effervescent tablets, soluble in water, and powder in bags or in bottles (for children), from which a hot or cold medicinal drink is prepared.

It is generally accepted that ACS is a remedy for colds. In fact, it is a good mucolytic, which helps to dissolve sputum and more easily remove it from the body.

As with other mucolytics, it makes no sense to ask from which cough ACS: dry or wet, because these drugs find their application both with dry cough and with wet, if the sputum has high viscosity and coughs hard.

By the way, acetylcysteine (active substance of the drug) has found its use as an antidote, so the drug can be used in case of overdose with paracetamol, aldehydes or phenols.

Pharmacokinetics. The active substance of the drug is quickly absorbed, and penetrating the blood of their gastrointestinal tract, it creates a maximum concentration after 1-2.5 hours. Most of the metabolites are found in the urine and a little in the feces.

Do not appoint ATSTS with hypersensitivity to the drug, peptic ulcer and other ulcerative lesions of the gastrointestinal tract, pulmonary hemorrhages and hemoptysis, intolerance to fructose.

In childhood, ATSs are not prescribed for the diagnosis of "hepatitis" and violations of kidney function. In other cases, the drug can be prescribed as early as the 10th day of life of the baby.

Use during pregnancy is permissible with the permission of a doctor. The drug, although it can accumulate in the amniotic fluid, but does not have a toxic effect on the fetus.

Taking the drug may be accompanied by the development of stomatitis, dyspepsia, headache. Sometimes there are complaints of noise in the ears, allergic reactions, tachycardia and a decrease in blood pressure.

How to take medicine? The drug ATSTS with a dry cough is recommended to take after meals to reduce the negative effect on the mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract. Tablets and powder are diluted with any liquid.

Babies under 2 years of age are given only 50 mg of the drug in tablets or powder. The frequency of admission is 2 or 3 times a day. Children under 5 years in one dose are given 100-150 mg 2 times a day. Children under 14 years should take twice a day for 150-200 mg of the drug. The daily dose for patients over 14 years of age will be from 400 to 600 mg.

Usually, the drug is administered for a period of no more than 1 week, but if necessary, it is possible to receive course treatment within six months.

Overdose is not life threatening and manifests itself in the form of increased dyspepsia.

Hazardous drug interactions. In the treatment of children ATSTS not combined with antibiotics tetracycline.

The drug is incompatible with semisynthetic antimicrobial agents from a number of penicillins, as well as with cephalosporins and aminoglycosides. Caution should be observed when appointing other antibiotics and nitroglycerin (vasodilating effect is enhanced). The interval between taking drugs should be at least 2 hours.

It is inadmissible to prescribe ATSTS together with antitussive drugs.

Keep the medicine at a temperature of 30 degrees. The prepared solution should be used within 12 days provided it is stored in the refrigerator.

Reviews: Users like and effective help with dry and difficult cough, and taste of the drug, but embarrassing side effects.

[16], [17]

Fluditik

A drug for cough in the form of syrups for children (2%) and adults (5%).

"Fluidite" is a less known drug based on carbocysteine, which improves the quality and quantity of sputum, which speeds up its excretion from the body. An expectorant effect is also observed following stimulation of the ciliary epithelium of the bronchi. In addition, the drug helps to strengthen general and local immunity, has an anti-inflammatory effect on all organs of smell and hearing.

Pharmacokinetics. Quickly absorbed in the digestive tract. The highest concentration in the blood reaches after 2-3 hours and lasts for 8 hours. It is excreted by the kidneys.

The drug is dangerous to use in hypersensitivity to components, exacerbation of inflammatory processes in the kidneys and urinary tract, in the acute phase of stomach ulcers and PDC, with lactation. Caution is observed in chronic gastric ulcer pathologies and diabetes mellitus.

When pregnancy is allowed, taking the drug from 14 weeks and only under the supervision of a doctor.

Children's syrup is intended for the treatment of children older than 2 years. An adult drug is prescribed from the age of 15.

Are there side effects? Unpleasant symptoms during drug therapy are rare. Most often it is weakness and pain in the head, dizziness and stomach pain, loose stools and nausea. Allergic reactions of varying severity are in isolated cases.

How to take the drug correctly? Syrup should be taken between meals.

5% syrup "Fljuditik" from a dry cough, adults are prescribed 15 ml three times a day.

2% children's syrup for babies is given in a dosage of 5 ml. Up to 5 years, the medication is given 2 times, after 5 years - 3 times a day.

The average course of treatment is 7-10 days.

Overdose. There is an increase in side effects. The help consists in washing of a stomach and appointment of enterosorbents.

There is a phenomenon of synergism with simultaneous reception of steroids and the drug "Fljuditik."

The drug enhances the specific effect of antibiotics and the bronchodilator effect of theophylline.

Antitussives and atropine medications are able to reduce the effectiveness of "Fluidite".

How to store the medicine? Store the syrups at room temperature for 2 years.

Reviews: Most reviews about the drug are positive, but there are also those where people claim that the drug not only did not help, but worsened the condition. The taste of many seems excessively sweet, like not everyone. Not happy and the price of the medicine.

Other drugs with a specific effect

In cough therapy, prescriptions and natural preparations that combine a pronounced expectorant and mucolytic effect are not uncommon. Such funds from dry and wet cough are popular in the treatment of such categories of people as children, pregnant women, the elderly.

Linkas

A multicomponent herbal preparation with a complex effect, which is available in the form of a syrup of 3 kinds (normal, sugar-free and plus espectorant) and pastilles with different flavors.

Pharmacodynamics. The medicine is characterized by mucolytic, antipyretic and local anesthetic effect. Active substances in the preparation also stimulate the bronchial epithelium to excrete sputum, relieve inflammation and spasms.

Data on pharmacokinetics are absent.

Contraindications. It is dangerous to prescribe syrups and lozenges to patients with hypersensitivity to their components. Sweet syrups are unacceptable for patients with diabetes mellitus.

In pediatrics, a sweet medicine (syrup) is applied with half a year. Pastilles are prescribed only to adult patients.

"Linkas" is allowed during pregnancy only with the consent of the attending physician. From breastfeeding to the time of treatment with the drug is better to refuse.

Side effects are extremely rare. Usually these are various allergic reactions.

Method of administration and dose. "Lincas" from a dry cough in the form of a syrup is prescribed according to the age of the patient:

• children under 3 years at one time give 2.5 ml of syrup three times a day,
• senior children dose increased to 5 ml, from 8 years the drug is taken not 3, but 4 times a day,
• adult dose - 30-40 ml per day.

The intake of the drug does not depend on the time of eating. Diluting the drug is not recommended.

Pastilles adults are appointed one at an interval of 2-3 hours, but not more than 8 per day.

The therapeutic course is usually about 3 to 7 days.

Overdose. No messages.

Interaction with other drugs. It is not recommended to combine with antitussive agents used for dry cough.

Storage conditions and shelf life. Store the medicine at temperatures in the range of 15 to 25 degrees for not more than 3 years.

Reviews: Users like the price and composition, and the effect of taking the medicine. True, it does not help everyone. There are reviews of side effects and the presence of dangerous additives with the letter "E".

Stolid

"Stodal" is a unique 10-component homeopathic preparation in the form of a syrup, which can be used both from wet and dry cough.

Pharmacodynamics. The basis of the drug - plant substances, which contribute to the transition of cough in the wet. The medicine has a pronounced expectorant, bronchodilating, spasmolytic and mucolytic effect. There is also a certain antitussive effect.

It is not possible to describe the pharmacodynamics of the drug.

Contraindications. The drug is not prescribed for intolerance of at least one of the components of the apparatus, including fructose.

Caution is prescribed for pregnancy and lactation (contains ethanol), as well as in the therapy of patients with diabetes mellitus (contains sugar).

Side effects and cases of overdose have not been observed to date.

Method of administration and dose. The drug is approved for use in newborns and people of advanced age.

Children receive the medicine in a dosage of 5 ml. The adult dosage is 15 ml per reception.

You need to take syrup 3 to 5 times a day. The effect should be noticeable already on the third day, but if it is not present even after a week, the drug is canceled.

Interaction with other drugs. As a homeopathic remedy, Stodal does not enter into dangerous reactions with other drugs. It can be included in complex therapy.

Storage conditions and shelf life. Store the drug at room temperature for 5 years.

Reviews: A relatively inexpensive and effective homeopathic drug, but in the case of an advanced severe cough the effect is insufficient. Do not like the long term of treatment.

Some drugs, in the indications for the use of which nothing is said about coughing, nevertheless, can have a positive effect on the patient's condition with an unproductive cough.

Erespal

This drug is not considered a cough medicine in the truest sense of the word, although it allows you to fight it. From what cough does Erespal help: dry or wet? It is prescribed regardless of whether a cough is accompanied by sputum or not.

Pharmacodynamics. The active substance of the drug is fenspiride. The main actions of the drug - a relief of inflammation, a decrease in the production of inflammatory exudates, prevention of violation of airway patency. The drug does not increase the production of sputum, which can be useful for dry cough, which is a residual phenomenon of colds, with bronchial asthma and chronic bronchitis, allergic diseases.

Contraindications. Not applicable for hypersensitivity to the constituents of the drug.

Information on the effects of fenspiride on the fetus is not available, so use it during pregnancy is undesirable. For the period of treatment the drug should be interrupted breastfeeding.

Side effects. Taking medication can be accompanied by nausea and vomiting, pain and heaviness in the epigastrium, drowsiness, a slight increase in heart rate, allergic reactions, including angioedema.

Method of administration and dose. The drug has 2 forms of release: syrup and tablets. Which should be taken before meals.

Patients older than 14 years are prescribed a medicine in the form of tablets (1 tablet twice a day) or syrup (3 to 6 tablespoons per day).

Children up to 14 years of dry cough are shown mainly syrup "Erespal". Breasts weighing up to 10 kg of syrup are given in a dosage of 5-10 ml twice a day. For older children, a single dose is increased to 10-20 ml.

Cases of overdose and dangerous drug interaction have not been described.

Storage conditions and shelf life. Tablets "Erespal" at room temperature retain their properties for 2 years, syrup - 3 years.

Reviews: Reviews about the drug are such that it coughs from a cough, but the sputum is not actively released. But as an anti-inflammatory drug "Erespal" has proved itself well. People do not like the price and taste (especially the aftertaste) of the medicine. Some complain about the serious side effects of the drug.

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Antibiotics from dry cough

Antibiotic therapy is an important part of the treatment of infectious inflammatory catarrhal pathologies. Antibacterial drugs the doctor can prescribe for angina, bronchitis, laryngitis and any other pathology, in which a person suffers from a dry or wet cough. Usually, the appointment is made at the beginning of the illness, when cough is not accompanied by an abundant sputum discharge.

Assign antimicrobial agents depending on the causative agent of the disease. But since the disease is easier to treat, having captured it at the very beginning, and the time needed to identify the pathogen, doctors prefer to use antibiotics of a wide spectrum of action. The most commonly prescribed drugs are penicillin and cephalosporin series ("Amoxicillin", "Augmentin", "Amoxiclav," "Amoxil", "Flemoxin solute", "Ceftriaxone"), as well as macrolides (most often "Summamed").

Antibiotics from dry cough to adults can be prescribed in various forms of release: tablets, syrups, solutions for injections and powders for their preparation. Antibiotics from dry cough to children are better appointed in the form of syrups and suspensions, and in severe cases - injection solutions.

But you need to understand that an unproductive cough is just a symptom of a pathology that is treated not so much with antibiotics, but with special means from a dry cough. In addition, the appointment of antibiotics with their multiple side effects is not always justified (for example, in allergic or viral pathologies, the smoker's cough).

It is necessary to understand that antibiotics, helping the body to fight infection, at the same time kill the natural immunity and beneficial microflora, thereby weakening it. So without special need to get involved in such drugs is not worth it.

The organism and itself tries to get rid of an infectious factor by means of the same cough. Antibiotics should only inactivate the infection, prevent it from multiplying, but the funds from dry cough will help with phlegm to remove pathogenic bacteria from the body, providing a quick recovery.

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Alternative treatment for dry cough

Dry cough can have various causes, so its treatment should be started only after the cause becomes known. The diagnosis should be made by a specialist doctor who will prescribe an effective treatment. Most often doctors prescribe drugs, among which there are quite safe herbal medicines. But if there is no opportunity to get to the pharmacy, then proven alternative recipes will come to the rescue.

Alternatives for dry cough:

• Radish with honey  is almost the most popular alternative cough remedy. In a large black radish make a groove, which for the night is filled with honey. Since morning the medicine can already be taken on 1 spoon up to 4 times a day.
• Ginger, lemon and honey. Peel the ginger root and squeeze the juice. To the teaspoon of ginger juice add the same amount of lemon juice and 2 times less honey. Take the composition of 1 tsp. Every 30 minutes, holding it slightly in your mouth.
• Garlic, honey and vodka  - this is already a medicine for adults. 2 cloves of chopped garlic and mix with a tablespoon of honey and two spoons of vodka. Insist. Take 1 tsp. Twice a day, then the day of recess and treatment is repeated.

They help from dry cough and grass with expectorant, mucolytic and anti-inflammatory effect: licorice, marshmallow, thermopsis, and also calendula, coltsfoot, rosemary, St. John's wort, oregano and others.

Adults herbs from a dry cough can be given in the form of broths and infusions. It is useful to prepare drinks not with one grass, but with several. For example, mix the root of licorice, oregano, thyme and chamomile. Such a decoction will have an expectorant and anti-inflammatory effect. You can also use the ready-made pharmacy collection of herbs from a dry cough.

Herbs from dry cough for children will be the safest medicine. But small patients are very reluctant to drink bitter decoctions and infusions. It is best to try out them to make useful goodies - candy. Those. In the ready broth of herbs add sugar and boil it to a state where the drop of the composition will stick together in the water and fall to the bottom of the dishes.

Another popular alternative remedy for dry cough is homemade milk, which helps better than many medications to cope with a dry "barking" cough. Drinks based on milk help to dilute sputum and remove them from the respiratory tract, soothingly act on the mucous throat, give the body the strength to fight the disease.

Drugs based on milk are suitable for children and adults, if they do not have a reaction of intolerance to the products used. In pediatrics prescriptions based on cow and goat milk are prescribed for children over 3 years old. But if in the baby's diet milk was present before, such recipes will suit him.

Most often from dry cough use milk with honey. A glass of milk should take only 1 tsp. Honey. Drink 1-2 times warm.

Honey is better to take lime or from buckwheat. Milk should not be hot, after all, so you can reduce the benefits of honey to no.

To the recipe described, it is recommended to add another piece of butter, which will enhance the effect of a tasty medicine. Drink a day in 3-4 approaches in a warm form.

To recipe liked the children to the milk and honey, add half of the banana shredded in a blender.

From a painful dry cough very well helps and milk with soda, because soda promotes rapid and soft liquefaction of mucus, and milk helps to remove it and relieves inflammation. In this case, a glass of milk should take 1/3 tsp. Soda. You need to drink immediately.

This recipe should be used before meals 2 times a day.

There is still a lot of different funds from a dry cough based on milk, but this is a topic for a separate article.

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Remedies for dry cough in 1, 2, 3 trimester of pregnancy

Probably the hardest thing to suffer is the future mothers, because they are responsible for the health of the baby. Not treating the disease is dangerous for both, but the treatment is complicated by the fact that not every medicine is suitable for use during pregnancy.

Herbal treatment during this period seems to be the most acceptable, but it must be understood that some herbs may adversely affect the course of pregnancy, for example, causing uterine contractions. So popular antitussive herbs: marshmallow, licorice, thyme and thermopsis are not suitable for women in a delicate position and nursing mothers. So in any case, without consulting a doctor can not do.

In addition, it is not always possible to take the herbs as a basis for treatment, and again you have to apply to pharmacy products.

Drugstores from dry cough have different effects on the body of the future mother and her unborn baby. So, the preparations "Sinekod", "Omnitus", "Stoptussin" "Ambroxol", "Lazolvan", "Bromhexidine" and "Fluiditek" can be prescribed already from the second trimester of pregnancy.

But the syrup "Doctor MOM" will help the future mother to cope with the disease, not even early pregnancy. Help him and alternative recipes based on milk, which are also safe in such an important period.

Fizprotsedury with dry cough at home

One of the safest and most effective methods for treating dry cough is thermal procedures (warming rubs and compresses), as well as inhalations that doctors recommend using a nebulizer.

The warming  compresses  on the chest and back help a lot from dry cough, irritating the sensitive receptors responsible for excretion of phlegm, diluting the mucus accumulating in the bronchi and providing a soothing effect with a painful unproductive cough accompanied by pain in the throat and head.

To put compresses need not less than 4-5 hours, so it's better to do it at night. Put the compresses correctly. First, a natural cloth impregnated with the curative composition is laid on the skin, then it is covered with a polyethylene film or a compress paper and warmed with a woolen cloth from above.

For children and adults, a safe compress of cooked potatoes in "uniforms" is good. Potatoes are kneaded and made from it two cakes, which are laid hot on the chest and back of the patient, previously covered with linen or cotton cloth. On top put a film and a heater. When the compress slightly cool, the tissue between the body and the potato cake is removed and the potatoes are left to cool.

Compress with honey and vodka do otherwise. First, the patient's body is well lubricated with liquid honey, then it is covered with a cloth impregnated with warm vodka (for children 1 part of vodka is mixed with 3 parts of water), a film and a heater are put on top. Such a composition can be kept even until the morning, however, like another compress, which will suit both small children and their parents.

The natural fabric is folded several times, impregnated with warm vegetable oil, and then placed on the chest and back of the patient, covered from above with a film and a warm cloth.

After the compress is removed, it is recommended to lie still for a couple of hours in the warmth, so that the body in place of the compress got a normal temperature.

Another very fast and relatively safe way to cope with a dry cough is inhalation. The nebulizer  will help to conduct this procedure as efficiently as possible, and there will be no trace of a dry cough. He will be replaced by a productive moist cough, which is a harbinger of an early recovery.

The use of a nebulizer helps to avoid the negative effect of drugs on the gastrointestinal mucosa. In this case, the drug particles can penetrate deep into the respiratory tract, having its own specific effect there. Air in this case will not be very hot, as with steam inhalations, which means that such treatment is perfect for children.

According to the rules, first inhalations are carried out with bronchodilators, then with expectorants and mucolytics. Some drugs (Ambroxol, Lazolvan, Bromhexin) have even a special form of release in the form of an inhalation solution, which is recommended to mix with saline or mineral water, which in itself is an effective inhalation.

For example, small babies may be prescribed 1-2 inhalations per day with Ambroxol, using 1 ampoule (2 ml) of the drug mixed with the same amount of saline.

In the case of Lazolvan, children under 2 years of age may receive a solution in the amount of 1 ml, children under 6 years of age use 1 ampoule (2 ml), the elderly children for inhalation use 2 to 3 ml of an inhalation solution.

"Bromhexidine" inhalation is carried out 2 times a day, using 2 ampules of 2 ml for patients over 10 years old, for children older than 6 years - 1 ampoule of the pharmacy solution for inhalations, for children 2-6 years - only 10 drops of the drug, for newborns and children up to 2 years - 5 drops of solution.

Using various means of dry cough, helping in the treatment of the underlying disease, we must not forget that cough is only one of the symptoms of the disease, which requires an integrated approach to treatment. Only in this case it will be possible to defeat the disease and prevent the transition of a cough into a chronic form, in which it will be necessary to treat it practically the rest of the life with the slightest exacerbation of the disease.