Why?

[4getmenot]

Are there cough medicines, how do these help? Was thinking about it lastnight and surely all the mucas you cough up is in the wind pipes and down to your chest and so swallowing cough medicine wouldnt help.

[Scarlett]

I know that a lot of cough medicine does absolutely nothing other than "sooth" the throat a bit in the way a throat sweet might. Having said that, I am sure that Covonia works. You can get one for a chesty cough ie- one that is productive and non-productive. I think that coughing is the body's way of ridding the system from all the mucus, which is good, but when you have one of those coughs that keeps you awake all night, and does not produce anything, it is not good. In which case, I think the cough medicine might relax the muscles, or block the messages from the brain, to actually stop you coughing as much.
The Covonia I take must do something, since the "original" one is kept behind the counter, but the others aren't!

[4getmenot]

you could probably give it a go legend

[Ethel]

There are two types of cough mixture.

One contains mucolytics (such as acetylcysteine) which break down phlegm, making it less sticky and easier to cough up; and expectorants to make it easier to bring the phlegm up so you cough less.

The other has suppressants to make you cough less by affecting nerve centres in the brain. This sort is good for those annoying and wearing dry coughs where nothing is brought up.

[4getmenot]

I've got the horrible cough that dries up at night then I choke for ages in morning

[JockSporran]

A cough is the throat's way of getting rid of something irritating it, but if the throat is infected it will not be able to cough out the thing that is irritating it. It will 'think' there is something there, and will automatically try to cough it up, so you get this annoying cough that doesn't get rid of anything.

Certain drugs, however, act as a cough suppressant, relaxing the throat muscles. Others loosen the lung passages. These are found in cough mixtures. Not simple cough remedies like Veno's, which you can buy in your local grocer's - these only soothe the throat, nothing more.

No, you have to go to a chemist's and get something with a 'proper' cough suppressant drug in it, e.g. codeine, dextromethorphan, psuedoephedrine. These things are habit forming, potentially addictive and have side effects, so a pharmacist has to be on duty. Examples are Benylin, Robitussin, Sudafed, etc.

Failing that, you should see a doctor.

[redcrx]

4get, try putting vivks vapourub on the soles of your feet. It supposedly helps, dont ask my why!

ps, this cant be my cold, cos i didnt get a cough x

[wisewomen]

What I want to know is if they can make a tissue that is supposed to kill 99.9% of germs why cant they put this into tablet form??

[4getmenot]

yes you did redcrx, you said you were still coughing Saturday. and wisewoman I think its probably because it would kill us too

[Scarlett]

Having tried lots of cough mixtures over the years, the one I have found that actually makes a difference is Covonia original.

[kwicky]

They say cough medicines are usually a waste of time. Better to take something natural like a spoonful of honey.