What are cough suppressants?
Definition Cough suppressants are medicines that prevent or stop coughing. Purpose Cough suppressants act on the center in the brain that controls the cough reflex. They are meant to be used only to relieve dry, hacking coughs associated with colds and flu. They should not be used to treat coughs that bring up mucus or the chronic coughs associated with smoking, asthma, emphysema or other lung problems. Many cough medicines contain cough suppressants along with other ingredients. Some combinations of ingredients may cancel each other’s effects. One example is the combination of cough suppressant with an expectorant—a medicine that loosens and clears mucus from the airways. The cough suppressant interferes with the ability to cough up the mucus that the expectorant loosens. Description The cough suppressant described here, dextromethorphan, is an ingredient in many cough medicines, such as Vicks Formula 44, Drixoral Cough Liquid Caps, Sucrets Cough Control, Benylin DM and some Robitussi
