What is expectorant used to treat?
What is expectorant used to treat?
An expectorant is a type of cough medicine used to help clear mucus (phlegm) from your airway. You may take an expectorant to help relieve congestion if you have a cold or the flu. Expectorants are available as standalone drugs or as an ingredient in an all-in-one cold or flu medication.
Does expectorant make you sleepy?
Expectorants do not commonly cause serious side effects. The most common side effects include dizziness, drowsiness, and rash. Expectorant medications may be combined with dextromethorphan—a drug that may induce dependence and can also be a drug of abuse.
What are the side effects of an expectorant?
What are the side effects of expectorants?
- Confusion.
- Excess salivation.
- Fatigue.
- Gastrointestinal effects (such as acid reflux, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, and stomach pain)
- Irregular heartbeat.
- Numbness, tingling, pain or weakness in the hands or feet.
- A severe headache.
- Skin sores.
Who should not take an expectorant?
One of the risks of taking an expectorant is that people sometimes use them for persistent or chronic coughs. People should not use expectorants to mask the symptoms of a chronic cough that is due to smoking, asthma, chronic bronchitis, or emphysema.
Is expectorant good for Covid?
Try cough medicine. If you have a wet cough with lots of mucus, you want to take an expectorant to help get the mucus out. If you have a dry cough, a cough suppressant is what you want.
Is expectorant good for dry cough?
Cough expectorants The OTC expectorant drug is guaifenesin, with popular brand names including Mucinex and Robitussin Chest Congestion. Combination medications are available that contain both cough expectorants and suppressants, and are often effective treatments to alleviate symptoms of dry cough.
Should you take expectorant at night?
Take OTC medications Expectorants are better for breaking up wet, productive coughs, but don’t take them near bedtime.
Do expectorants help with Covid?
Expectorants have the capability to enhance the respiratory mucus secretion by increasing water content. Consequently, expectorants might have the potential to protect the body from COVID-19 which possesses airborne transmission.
Should you take an expectorant at night?
Should you take an expectorant with Covid?
How do I get rid of dry COVID cough?
Ways to help a dry cough
- keep yourself well hydrated by drinking small amounts often throughout the day.
- soothe your throat by drinking a warm drink, such as honey and lemon.
- take small sips of liquid if you feel yourself starting to cough.
- suck a sugary sweet if you feel yourself starting to cough.