Drugs for Cough Treatment

July 1, 2009 |

Cough
Cough is an explosive exptiation of air from the lungs, and is a protectiv-e–! mechanism to expel excessive exudate or foreign bodies from the respiratory tract,
but other irritant factors may also stimulate the cough reflex. Productive cough
should not be suppressed without good cause, such as when the patient finds
cough exhausting or prevents sleep, but suppression may then have the
undesirable effect of causing retention of sputum. On the other hand, suppression
of the dry, useless or unproductive cough may have corresponding advantages.
Many soothing and demulcent preparations represented by simple linctus have
been used for the symptomatic relief of cough, and another traditional remedy is
steam inhalation, assisted by the addition of Friar’s balsam and menthol.
Expectorant products such as ammonia and ipecacuanha mixture are also used,-,—,–.
even though pharmacological proof of their efficacy may be lacking. Cough
suppressants, represented by codeine, have a central depressant action on the
cough centre, but effective doses may have the disadvantage of causin
Extended use should be avoided because of the possible risk of
habituation. The treatment of severe cough in terminal lung cancer is with more     potent cough suppressants such as diamorphine or methadone.
Approved names    Brand names
codeine linctus    Galcodine
pholcodine linctus
Table 9 Cough suppressants.
Galenophol, Pavocol D, Pholcomed

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