A cough syrup or antitussive is a liquid medicine, which is assumed, that it has an effect on cough.
Cough
Coughing is a reflex explosive exhalation, resulting in respiratory irritation and clean it of mucus and foreign matter Most cough is caused by a viral upper respiratory infection (common cold), and will disappear once the infection has been overcome, or if the airway what hypersensitive constructed, after several weeks. Treatment of these transient cough is not necessary. Another cause of cough is cigarette smoking, in that case can better be held thereby.
The Belgian Medicines Commission after an evaluation of all cough syrups in Belgium in the market believe that the supposed beneficial effects of the syrups in children has been shown too little. Cough syrup is commonly misused by the commission and there is much chance of overdose side effects such as drowsiness and even severe respiratory problems. When the cough decreases by swallowing cough inhibitors is masked underlying the disease, causing serious conditions (such as asthma and reflux) are sometimes observed too late and the handling thereof is made difficult. For this reason, the commission advocates a ban on the use of cough syrup in children under twelve.
Stool softeners; means without active ingredients
To the stool softeners are pharmacologically neutral mucous liquids and syrups, lozenges or cough drops. The operation would be based on the formation of a protective layer over the irritated mucous membranes in the pharynx; by the soothing effect on the mucous membranes would be favourably influenced the cough stimulus. This kind of resources does not contain any active ingredients, but also can not much harm. To the stool softeners; ALTHEA, honey, saccarose, thyme, wild thyme.
Expectorants: resources that facilitate by the coughing up mucus to increase production
Expectorants are resources that should facilitate by the coughing up mucus production increase. This effect would be achieved by local irritation of receptors in the gastric mucosa, which via the vagus nerve mucous secretion in the bronchi is increased. The efficacy is difficult to establish; good clinical research is missing. Combination of hoestprikkeldempende substances and expectorants is irrational, because the muting the cough stimulus promoting the coughing up of bronchus secretions. Under the expectorants; ammonium chloride, anise, ipecacuanha, sulfoguaiacolzuur.
Mucolytics: so-called mucus solvers
Mucolytics are intended to reduce the viscoelasticity of bronchial secretions, so that the secretions may be coughed up easier. Mucolytics, therefore, be used in respiratory diseases, wherein accumulation of secretions takes place.
Until mucolytics Behörden; acetylcysteine, ambroxol, bromhexine, carbocisteine, dornase, mercapto ethane sulfonic acid and Myrtus
Both acetylcysteine as mercapto-ethane sulfonic acid having a free thiol group and can therefore break the disulfide bonds of mucopolysaccharides. Carbocisteine has a thiol group which is not free; the mechanism of action is not clear. Broomhexine has a very different structure than the above substances and has a thiol group. The mechanism of action is probably due to the formation of more and thinner secretion and possibly also on the effect of a mucolytic enzyme.
Dornase is an enzyme that can cleave extracellular DNA, because of this particular mechanism, it is applied in cystic fibrosis.
There are, according to the ChemSpider no evidence that these substances have an expectorant effect.
Cough Excite damping materials
Cough Excite absorbing substances may reduce the cough threshold in the medulla oblongata in the central nervous system. It is not known which receptors play a role; probably several receptors or different mechanisms are involved. Cough Excite absorbing substances are used in non-productive cough ("dry cough"), such as viral infections and an increased cough reflex after exposure to tobacco smoke, cold air, exercise and other factors. Combination of cough depressant agents and expectorants is irrational because damping the cough promoting expectoration of bronchial counters.
Until the cough depressant substances properly; Cloperastine, codeine, dextromethorphan, dihydrocodeine ethyl morphine, pholcodine, levodropropizine, noscapine, pentoxyverine, thebacon. The Dutch guideline recommends the use of codeine and noscapine not explicitly.
Early 2006 will cough syrups negative headlines because they are used as a drug. This involves cough medicines containing dextromethorphan. When using strong overdoses were hallucinations, feeling the users are blurred and they have difficulty speaking and moving. US drug authority FDA warned in May 2005 for abuse of dextromethorphan. Because of the risk of the delivery status of dextromethorphan abuse has changed only pharmacy and drugstore for pharmacy only.
Sedating antihistamines
Antihistamines which are used in cough, promethazine and its oxomemazine. It is not known whether these antihistamines have effect on the cough stimulus. They are primarily used for their sedative effect in cough, particularly in children with nocturnal cough symptoms. A disadvantage of these antihistamines is the anticholinergic activity, so that the secretion is reduced and the cough is complicated in the respiratory tract.
Rest group
Cough
Coughing is a reflex explosive exhalation, resulting in respiratory irritation and clean it of mucus and foreign matter Most cough is caused by a viral upper respiratory infection (common cold), and will disappear once the infection has been overcome, or if the airway what hypersensitive constructed, after several weeks. Treatment of these transient cough is not necessary. Another cause of cough is cigarette smoking, in that case can better be held thereby.
The Belgian Medicines Commission after an evaluation of all cough syrups in Belgium in the market believe that the supposed beneficial effects of the syrups in children has been shown too little. Cough syrup is commonly misused by the commission and there is much chance of overdose side effects such as drowsiness and even severe respiratory problems. When the cough decreases by swallowing cough inhibitors is masked underlying the disease, causing serious conditions (such as asthma and reflux) are sometimes observed too late and the handling thereof is made difficult. For this reason, the commission advocates a ban on the use of cough syrup in children under twelve.
Types of cough drink
Stool softeners; means without active ingredients
To the stool softeners are pharmacologically neutral mucous liquids and syrups, lozenges or cough drops. The operation would be based on the formation of a protective layer over the irritated mucous membranes in the pharynx; by the soothing effect on the mucous membranes would be favourably influenced the cough stimulus. This kind of resources does not contain any active ingredients, but also can not much harm. To the stool softeners; ALTHEA, honey, saccarose, thyme, wild thyme.
Expectorants: resources that facilitate by the coughing up mucus to increase production
Expectorants are resources that should facilitate by the coughing up mucus production increase. This effect would be achieved by local irritation of receptors in the gastric mucosa, which via the vagus nerve mucous secretion in the bronchi is increased. The efficacy is difficult to establish; good clinical research is missing. Combination of hoestprikkeldempende substances and expectorants is irrational, because the muting the cough stimulus promoting the coughing up of bronchus secretions. Under the expectorants; ammonium chloride, anise, ipecacuanha, sulfoguaiacolzuur.
Mucolytics: so-called mucus solvers
Mucolytics are intended to reduce the viscoelasticity of bronchial secretions, so that the secretions may be coughed up easier. Mucolytics, therefore, be used in respiratory diseases, wherein accumulation of secretions takes place.
Until mucolytics Behörden; acetylcysteine, ambroxol, bromhexine, carbocisteine, dornase, mercapto ethane sulfonic acid and Myrtus
Both acetylcysteine as mercapto-ethane sulfonic acid having a free thiol group and can therefore break the disulfide bonds of mucopolysaccharides. Carbocisteine has a thiol group which is not free; the mechanism of action is not clear. Broomhexine has a very different structure than the above substances and has a thiol group. The mechanism of action is probably due to the formation of more and thinner secretion and possibly also on the effect of a mucolytic enzyme.
Dornase is an enzyme that can cleave extracellular DNA, because of this particular mechanism, it is applied in cystic fibrosis.
There are, according to the ChemSpider no evidence that these substances have an expectorant effect.
Cough Excite damping materials
Cough Excite absorbing substances may reduce the cough threshold in the medulla oblongata in the central nervous system. It is not known which receptors play a role; probably several receptors or different mechanisms are involved. Cough Excite absorbing substances are used in non-productive cough ("dry cough"), such as viral infections and an increased cough reflex after exposure to tobacco smoke, cold air, exercise and other factors. Combination of cough depressant agents and expectorants is irrational because damping the cough promoting expectoration of bronchial counters.
Until the cough depressant substances properly; Cloperastine, codeine, dextromethorphan, dihydrocodeine ethyl morphine, pholcodine, levodropropizine, noscapine, pentoxyverine, thebacon. The Dutch guideline recommends the use of codeine and noscapine not explicitly.
Early 2006 will cough syrups negative headlines because they are used as a drug. This involves cough medicines containing dextromethorphan. When using strong overdoses were hallucinations, feeling the users are blurred and they have difficulty speaking and moving. US drug authority FDA warned in May 2005 for abuse of dextromethorphan. Because of the risk of the delivery status of dextromethorphan abuse has changed only pharmacy and drugstore for pharmacy only.
Sedating antihistamines
Antihistamines which are used in cough, promethazine and its oxomemazine. It is not known whether these antihistamines have effect on the cough stimulus. They are primarily used for their sedative effect in cough, particularly in children with nocturnal cough symptoms. A disadvantage of these antihistamines is the anticholinergic activity, so that the secretion is reduced and the cough is complicated in the respiratory tract.
Rest group
- Ephedrine is sometimes found in cough medicines. In the treatment of asthma, this plea is replaced by much safer means if inhaled salbutamol. Instead of ephedrine to be taken in, can, if necessary, also much better than be inhaled a spray. This may be particularly effective if the cough is caused by hyperreactivity.
- Another agent, Clobutinol was taken in early 2008, the European market because it was found to have adverse effects on the heart (arrhythmia).
- Bronchodilators, such as salbutamol or ipatropiumbromide relieve cough symptoms associated with bronchospasm in asthma, exercise-induced asthma and COPD.
- Inhaled corticosteroids in practice sometimes used in cough. No details are known about the use of inhaled corticosteroids in cough. They are working well with croup.