Antitussives and expectorants. Expectorant drugs are inexpensive but effective Combined use of expectorants and antitussives

Man coughs

Almost all of us have to deal with expectorants from time to time. When once again purchasing cough medicine at the nearest pharmacy and relying on the pharmacist’s opinion in their choice, few people think about what they are actually doing to their body.

To understand whether the expectorant drug is correctly selected and whether it is worth using in a given situation, it is necessary to understand the mechanism of action of various expectorants and the principles of prescription. In addition, it is worth considering whether it is possible to do without medications in each specific situation.

Why are expectorants needed?

It is a mistake to believe that the production of mucus in the bronchi begins when a person is sick. In fact, mucus is always produced, it helps protect the lungs from dust and other substances entering them, and also helps to remove dead particles with coughing. If the respiratory organs are affected by disease, more mucus is produced, since it is necessary to remove microbes and the consequences of their activity.

Thus, it can be said that the formation of mucus during illness is a positive phenomenon. But it is positive only until the mucus becomes too thick or dries out completely. If the mucus dries out, it clogs the bronchi and sticks together the cilia of the epithelium. The functioning of the bronchi is disrupted, the movement of the epithelium stops, and bacteria begin to multiply on the dried mucus, causing complications of the disease, including pneumonia. In this case, the cough becomes dry and unproductive, since the dry mucus tightly adheres to the epithelium.

What to do in such a situation, how to remove thick mucus from the bronchi and prevent complications? There are different ways. The simplest is to thin the mucus and cough it up. You can make it liquid by drinking plenty of water and humidifying the air. If you drink a lot of water and breathe moist air, the mucus will definitely soften and the cough will become productive. You can breathe in moist air using a standard electric humidifier or steam inhalation. Sometimes nebulizers are also used, but this is not quite the right solution, since their purpose is slightly different.

If the measures taken do not bring results, or there is no way to humidify the air, then expectorants can be used, the purpose of which is to remove phlegm from the bronchi. But before choosing an expectorant, you need to know that their mechanism of action is significantly different and in different situations it is necessary to choose different medications.

Mechanism of action of expectorants

Based on their effect on the patient’s body, all expectorant drugs can be divided into two groups - drugs with a reflex effect and drugs with a direct effect. They should be considered separately, since their effects on the body are very different.

The group of drugs with reflex action mainly includes a variety of medicinal herbs and preparations based on them. They facilitate the release of mucus from the bronchi and bronchioles, and the effect of such drugs is based on irritation of the mucous membrane of the digestive organs. This leads to increased mucus production in the bronchi and bronchioles. A lot of mucus is released, so it becomes less viscous and comes out easier when coughing. This group of medicines includes licorice root, thyme, thermopsis herb, marshmallow root and numerous breast mixtures and medicines based on these herbs.

Direct-acting medications directly affect the quality of mucus and the functioning of the bronchi. They, in turn, are divided into two groups - affecting the functioning of the bronchi and the quality of sputum. The first group includes baking soda, some iodine salts and essential oils. It is also used most often in inhalations. They penetrate the respiratory system and promote the production of thinner mucus.

The second group is mucolytics. They act directly on mucus. The most famous representatives of this group are ambroxol, bromhexine, acetylcysteine. These drugs penetrate the bronchial mucus and destruct the protein molecules that give it thickness. The mucus becomes more liquid and is much easier to remove from the bronchi. Some mucolytics also activate the production of a substance that coats the bronchial mucosa and prevents mucus-promoting hairs from sticking together on its surface.

When to use expectorants

In most cases, inflammatory processes in the respiratory tract are caused by viruses. A “correct” cough helps remove pathogens from the body along with phlegm.. Sometimes coughing is a protective reaction if the air is too dusty or contains harmful additives. In any case, a cough is a friend. If mucus with harmful impurities does not leave the bronchi, this can be fraught with many unpleasant consequences and complications.

This is why it is necessary to maintain a cough in such situations. But it is better to do this using physiological methods, for example, drinking more fluids and breathing moist air. The use of expectorants is justified only if other methods have failed. If we have a dry cough, hacking, accompanied by whistling, then expectorants can be used to relieve it, but even in this case, we must not forget about drinking plenty of fluids and clean, cool and moist air.

When not to use expectorants (Video)

When using expectorants, you must remember that they only alleviate the condition and speed up recovery, but do not cure the disease. Therefore, in cases where their use is not completely justified, it is better to refuse their use. There is no point in using expectorants if the cough is quite productive without them. You should not prescribe expectorants yourself, since, for example, with whooping cough and tuberculosis, they can even be harmful. You should not use such medications for coughs caused by inflammation of the upper respiratory tract.. In such a situation, there is no phlegm in the bronchi, and the use of the medicine causes its appearance and increases the likelihood of complications.

Particular caution is required when prescribing expectorants to children., especially for young children under one year old. Such medications greatly increase the volume of sputum, and children often do not know how to cough properly, so they cannot get rid of it. This leads to the accumulation of mucus in the respiratory tract and deterioration of respiratory function with all the ensuing consequences.

If a child has a cough, the first thing you need to do is find out whether it is due to excessive dry air, dust in the room or allergies. After this, you need to ventilate the room, give the child something to drink, humidify the air and wait; these measures alone should bring good results. Moreover, the effectiveness of expectorants in comparison with physiological methods of liquefying mucus has not been proven.

Read about when you need to take expectorants, what types they are, and what folk remedies can replace them.

• Expectorants are intended to reduce the viscosity of sputum and accelerate its evacuation from the respiratory tract, primarily from the bronchial lumen. In another way they are also called expectorants
• A certain volume of secretion, approximately 100 ml, is always present in the respiratory tract. This secret performs a protective function. In a healthy state, this secretion does not bother us, and we swallow most of it during the day
• If the airways are inflamed, viscous mucus is secreted in them in significantly increased quantities. Therefore, the specific cells lining the airways, the ciliated epithelium, are unable to push it through. The secret accumulates, and it becomes more difficult to remove it
• Phlegm, thick and stagnant, is the environment where microbes successfully multiply. When it stagnates in the respiratory lumen, gas exchange is disrupted, breathing is impaired, coughing irritates the respiratory tract
• In this case, it is necessary to take expectorants, the task of which is to reduce the viscosity and density of the mucous secretion, and quickly remove it from the respiratory tract with a productive cough.

What groups of expectorant drugs exist?

According to the principle of their effect on the body, expectorant drugs are divided into the following groups:

• secretomotor means, those that have a reflex action
• secretolytic or mucolytic agents, or those that have a direct effect

Secretomotor drugs

When taking drugs in this category, the cough center located in the medulla oblongata is irritated. As a result of its activation, the production of liquid bronchial mucus increases. The cough reflex is also triggered.

IMPORTANT: However, the same cough center is also the vomiting center, so possible effects of secretomotor drugs may include nausea and vomiting

These are the drugs:

• thermopsis grass
• liquorice root
• sodium benzoate
• eucalyptus essential oil

Thermopsis-based cough tablets are a secretomotor expectorant drug.

Resorptive drugs are aimed at stimulating the secretion of bronchial mucus, which means that it will liquefy and be more easily removed from the lumen of the respiratory organs. However, there can also be unpleasant effects - nasal congestion and watery eyes.

These are the drugs:

• sodium bicarbonate
• sodium and potassium iodides
• ammonium chloride

They are prescribed when the mucus is not thick or viscous, and the cough is productive.

Secretolytic or mucolytic drugs

• The principle of action of drugs from this group is to directly dilute the mucus produced by the respiratory system. They are prescribed for thick, sticky, difficult to separate sputum.
• Contains the enzymes trypsin, chymotrypsin, ribonuclease, as well as sulfur compounds - acetylcysteine, carbocysteine
• They also contain derivatives of vizicine, an alkaloid (bromhexine, ambroxol)

Bromhexine is an expectorant medicine from the group of mucolytics.

Mucolytic drugs (from the Latin Mucos - mucus, and from the Greek Lysis - dissolution) are used for:

• bronchitis
• pneumonia
• bronchiectasis
• bronchial asthma
• cystic fibrosis
• tracheostomy
• when the bronchi are blocked by phlegm

Bromhexine and ambroxol, the most popular mucolytics, are synthetic analogues of the alkaloid vizicine, which have an independent antitussive effect
There are also combination drugs for the treatment of dry, non-productive cough. Combination drugs have different mechanisms of action.

They are usually prescribed in combination with antibacterial or antiviral drugs, sometimes, according to indications, in combination with antipyretic, decongestant drugs, vitamins and immunostimulants. In this case, the doctor must take into account the compatibility of all prescribed medications.

VIDEO: Cough treatment with expectorants

Expectorants for bronchitis

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial mucosa. It can be acute, chronic, obstructive, purulent.
A cough is always a faithful companion to this disease. It can be of various types - dry, non-productive, productive cough with sputum, mucus with particles of pus, non-productive cough with sputum difficult to clear.

Lazolvan is a medicine from the group of expectorants used to treat bronchitis in adults and children.

Depending on the type of disease and its stage, expectorants are prescribed in combination with other drugs (antiviral or antibacterial, immunostimulating, antipyretic, and sometimes corticosteroids).

The purpose of receiving these funds is to:

• reduce inflammation of the respiratory mucosa
• improve the patency of the lumen of the respiratory organs
• dilute the secretion produced by the mucous membrane of the respiratory organs
• stimulate its passage
• relieve nonproductive cough

Mucolytic drugs used for bronchial inflammation:

Ambroxol(or the imported analog lazolvan) is the best mucolytic agent that can be taken for various types of inflammation of the bronchi, as well as for pneumonia and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract, in which the formation of thick sticky mucus and obstruction occur. Drugs similar to lazolvan and ambroxol are:

• ambrobene
• ambrohexal
• ambrosan
• flavamed

Acetylcysteine ​​(ACC). Fluimucil - reduces the inflammatory process and has a mucolytic effect. Should be used with caution in bronchial asthma.

Bromhexine– a drug with expectorant and weak antitussive effects.

Bronchosan (solvin)– analogues of bromhexine.

Reflex expectorants indicated for bronchitis are:

1. Thermopsol. Cough tablets (based on thermopsis herb). They must be taken carefully to relieve a cough, since simultaneously with the effect on the cough center, there is an effect on the vomiting center
2. Alteyka. A drug based on marshmallow (marshmallow roots) has a stimulating effect on bronchiole peristalsis, dilutes viscous secretions, and produces an anti-inflammatory effect. Prescribed for bronchitis in both adults and children.
3. Mukaltin
4. Ascoril
5. Joset
6. Cashnol
7. Codelac broncho

Ascoril is a reflex medicine.

Taking into account the fact that combination drugs contain components that may be incompatible with other medications that the patient takes for bronchitis, they should be prescribed only by a doctor.

Expectorants for asthma

• Recent studies and observations of doctors have recorded a trend in the prescription of expectorant drugs for bronchial asthma, a trend that has proven to be completely justified
• Indeed, in case of asthma, the fundamental problem is to cleanse the bronchial tree from the continuing accumulation of sputum and restore its normal discharge
• Traditional methods of treatment with antiallergic drugs, aminophylline, inhaled steroids must necessarily be accompanied by treatment with expectorants

Among these drugs:

• lazolvan (ambroxol)
• acetylcysteine
• sodium bicarbonate solution 2%

Their action is most effective when administered by inhalation.

ACC - expectorant for bronchial asthma.

Expectorants for wet coughs for children

Cough and runny nose in children are the most common problems that all parents struggle with more or less successfully from time to time. Due to coughing, a child often cannot sleep, becomes irritated, and due to frequent coughing, he loses strength. A wet productive cough interferes with breathing, the child swallows sputum, which again produces a new cough.
The first and safest remedy for cough in children is warm drinks. It is recommended to give expectorants no later than 2 to 3 hours before bedtime, otherwise it will be difficult for him to sleep due to the mucus produced.

Children can be given the expectorant Tussin.

Among the most commonly prescribed expectorant drugs by doctors are the following:

• mucaltin
• tussin
• acetylcysteine
• salbutamol

IMPORTANT: Respected and popular in our time, Dr. Komarovsky strongly opposes the prescription of expectorant drugs to children, especially children under 2.5 years of age. The main ways to treat cough and runny nose in children are to rinse the nose, ventilate the room and drink enough water.

VIDEO: Mucolytic drugs in pediatrics

Expectorants for dry cough

A dry cough most often bothers you at the initial stage of the disease and is a symptom of either a cold, bronchitis or pneumonia, or flu. The lumen in the larynx, trachea and bronchi narrows, a dry cough is accompanied by whistling and noise.
A dry cough can be caused by:

• viruses
• irritation of the respiratory mucosa
• allergic reaction
• reflex reaction of the body to the environment (smoke, pungent odor)

Sinekod is a non-narcotic cough medicine.

A dry cough is treated in such a way as to first turn it into a wet one, and then get rid of the cough with mucolytics and expectorants. Sometimes, with a debilitating dry cough, it is advisable to take antitussive and combination medications. However, it should be remembered that antitussive drugs are not combined with mucolytics.
Among the drugs effective for dry cough are the following:

1. Sinekod - effective for dry coughs of any origin, affects the cough center
2. Herbion is a combined preparation of plant origin based on plantain. Has antitussive, expectorant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effects
3. Codelac is an antitussive combination drug containing codeine, thermopsis herb, thyme and licorice.
4. Stoptussin is a combined antitussive and secretolytic drug
5. Bronchicum is a combined antitussive drug based on herbal extracts of thyme, primrose and others.
6. Broncholitin is a combined antitussive, bronchodilator and bronchoseptic drug
7. Libexin is a peripheral antitussive drug.
8. Linkas is a herbal preparation that is effective in the transition between dry and wet cough

When the cough changes from dry to wet, you can drink Linkas.

Expectorants for adults

For adults, in the absence of contraindications associated with the effects of the components of the drug, any of the list of expectorant drugs given above can be prescribed (according to the indications and the clinical picture of the disease and the patient’s medical history).

Expectorants for pregnant women

During pregnancy, any medications should be taken with great caution, after assessing the risk of harm to the fetus and the pregnant woman and harm from her disease.

If a pregnant woman has a cough, it is highly not recommended to prescribe medication without consulting a gynecologist. To relieve a pregnant woman's cough, she should take safe remedies to help cope with the cough or at least reduce it.

For example, warm drinks - milk with honey and soda, tea with honey, lemon, linden tea. Inhalations with thyme or alkaline inhalations with soda are possible.

Expectorants for children

As a rule, drugs intended for the treatment of cough in children are made on a plant basis. And only a doctor can prescribe an expectorant to a child, especially a small one.

Before the doctor makes prescriptions, it is best for parents to use well-proven folk remedies, namely, give the child warm milk with honey, milk with alkaline mineral water, milk with honey and goat fat, black radish juice with milk. And, if there is a need to be treated with expectorant drugs, the most popular among them are:

• pertusin
• gedelix
• Doctor Mom
• Mucoltin
• ambrobene

Some drugs, on the advice of a doctor, can be used in the form of inhalations.

Folk expectorants

Among folk remedies used for coughs, the following recipes have proven to be most effective:

RECIPE: Black radish juice with honey
Wash the radish and cut out the core, making a kind of funnel. Place a tablespoon of honey inside the funnel and leave for several hours. The radish will begin to release juice, mixing with honey. The secreted juice with honey should be drunk several times a day.

RECIPE: Milk with honey and goat fat
For a glass of warm milk, you can take a teaspoon of goat fat and a teaspoon of honey. Stir everything and drink warm.

RECIPE: Milk with badger fat, honey and aloe juice A drink prepared based on these ingredients will have a specific consistency and specific taste. However, all these ingredients are so useful that the drink can be completely overpowered.

RECIPE: Steam inhalations with boiled potatoes and iodine
Boil the potatoes in their skins, mash them roughly, add 2 drops of iodine and breathe while the potatoes steam.

Inhalations with potatoes and iodine are a folk remedy for liquefying and expectorating mucus.

• Folk remedies also include special mixtures and teas based on medicinal herbs, which medicine has successfully borrowed and created many medications based on them.
• In pharmacies you can buy so-called Chest preparations for coughs. Breast mixtures have several numbers - 1, 2, 3, 4, which differ in the composition of the herbs that make them up
• For example, Breast Collection 1 includes coltsfoot, oregano, Breast Collection 2 includes coltsfoot, plantain and licorice, Breast Collection 3 includes marshmallow, pine buds, sage, anise
• There are also expectorant herbal mixtures based on licorice, wild rosemary, elecampane, plantain, peppermint and others.

Herbal expectorant chest collection.

Expectorant herbal remedies

The following drugs are offered in pharmacies based on herbal remedies:

1. Bronchofit (tea bags with a solid composition of medicinal herbs that have an expectorant effect)
2. Herbion with plantain
   Plantain has a lot of biologically active properties that promote coughing, relieve spasms, inflammation and other symptoms. It has several contraindications, so it is better if it is prescribed by a doctor
3. Stoptussin contains plantain, thyme and thyme, has an anti-inflammatory and expectorant effect
4. Coldrex broncho
5. Pertussin
6. Alteyka syrup

Herbion plantain is a plant-based expectorant.

What are the best expectorants to use?

This question can best be answered by your attending physician. After all, even if some expectorant drug once helped you or your relatives, it is not at all necessary that this time it will help you too. Your illness may be of a different nature this time, accompanied by slightly different symptoms, and proceed with or without complications.

It is quite possible that you will have to use several expectorants - first those that moisten the cough, then those that thin the mucus, then a mucolytic. Therefore, you should not self-medicate, but take a serious approach to such an unpleasant phenomenon as a cough and treat it based on the indications at a specific moment in its course.

VIDEO: Drugs that improve expectoration when coughing

For wet cough, bronchial inflammation, ARVI, patients are prescribed antitussive medications. They are used in case of poor separation of thick sputum. To thin it out, the doctor prescribes mucolytics, and to facilitate the removal of mucus, expectorants for dry coughs. To avoid side effects, before using the medicine, it is recommended to study the instructions for its use.

Classification of antitussives

A cough expectorant reduces the viscosity of mucus in the bronchi. When the airways become inflamed, secretions accumulate. The mucus stagnates and becomes difficult to remove. Impaired breathing is accompanied by irritation of the respiratory tract. The body’s reaction in this case is a cough against a background of thick and viscous sputum.

To avoid the development of serious pathologies (bronchitis, pneumonia, etc.), it is important to consult a specialist in time. The doctor will listen to complaints, check the lungs, the condition of the throat and nose, and refer you for tests. To reduce the density and viscosity of mucus, the patient will be prescribed an expectorant. Do not self-medicate! Incorrectly selected medications can lead to aggravation of the situation.

In medical practice, all cough remedies for adults and children are prescribed depending on the nature of the cough symptom. In accordance with this, medications are classified into several main groups:

1. Antitussive medications. They are used if the cough is unproductive and dry. The symptom is accompanied by sleep and appetite disorders.
2. Expectorants. Prescribed to adults and children to stimulate the process of sputum discharge and make the cough productive. After using syrup or tablets of this group, the disease enters the stage of producing mucus that is not too viscous and thick.
3. Mucolytics. Indication for use is a productive cough with a large amount of viscous and thick mucus. Medicines are prescribed for its better release from the bronchi.

Cough expectorants are divided into secretomotor and secretolytic drugs. Their differentiation is based on the principle of action of medications.

Secretomotor drugs

They have a reflex action. It consists of irritating the nerve endings (cough center) located in the brain. It is also activated as a result of reflex action. As a result, there is increased production of mucus in the bronchi. It is difficult for people who cough heavily to suppress the paroxysmal symptom. The use of a secretomotor drug often causes a gag reflex. This is due to the fact that the cough and vomiting centers are located in close proximity to each other (medulla oblongata).

Medicines in this group include herbal products. Extracts of licorice root, essential oils (for example, eucalyptus), wild rosemary, and thyme have an expectorant effect. You can prepare syrup for expectoration for dry and wet coughs yourself. If this is not possible, age-appropriate medication is purchased at the pharmacy in accordance with the recommendations of the therapist or pediatrician.

Secretolytic drugs

They have a direct resorptive effect. It consists in increasing the secretion of mucus after irritation of the bronchial membranes. The active substances of the drug are absorbed by the gastric mucosa, and then spread throughout the body and affect the respiratory system.

Cough syrup - inexpensive, good and effective

A good, effective expectorant is selected individually according to the recommendations of a specialist. In this case, the form and nature of the disease are taken into account.

Children and pregnant women should take expectorant medications with extreme caution. When using medications, accompanying symptoms often occur - tearing and runny nose.

To avoid the allergic component, as well as relieve swelling, the patient is prescribed antihistamines. Also prescribed:

• nasal drops (for inflammation of the paranasal sinuses);
• antipyretics (in case of increased body temperature);
• immunostimulants (the patient’s body is exhausted, so a drug is taken that increases the production of interferons);
• antibacterial or antiviral compounds (for infections of the upper and lower respiratory tract);
• physiotherapy (inhalation with saline solution). They are indicated for asthma and pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheitis, laryngitis. With the help of a nebulizer, it is possible to alleviate the patient's condition. The procedures allow the mucus to swell and be released from the bronchi.

Cough medicines in this group are represented by drugs based on ammonium chloride, potassium, sodium iodide, sodium bicarbonate. They are taken at the stage of sputum production, when they are not completely viscous and thick.

Expectorants for dry cough

A non-productive dry cough accompanies the disease at the initial stage. The symptom leads to a narrowing of the airway, the appearance of wheezing and whistling in the bronchi.

The causes of dry cough are acute respiratory viral infections, influenza, asthma, inflammation of the lungs and bronchi.

Doctors are faced with the task of converting a non-productive symptom into a productive cough, and then getting rid of it with the help of mucolytics and expectorants.

The following medications help with dry cough:

1. Bronholitin syrup. It has a pronounced antitussive effect, as well as a bronchodilator effect.
2. Sinekod drops. An effective antitussive drug.
3. Gerbion syrup. A natural plantain-based remedy to relieve dry cough.
4. Codelac Broncho tablets. Synthetic medication with mucolytic, expectorant and anti-inflammatory effects.
5. Stoptussin tablets. Combined antitussive drug.
6. Linkas syrup based on herbal ingredients. It contains extracts of licorice, pepper, fragrant violet, etc.

Antitussive compounds are indicated in case of debilitating symptoms. However, doctors do not recommend their use along with mucolytic drugs.

Choosing the best expectorant for dry cough is not easy. For some, one medicinal composition is suitable, for others another product becomes effective. Each of them is selected individually.

Expectorants for adults

For various diseases of the respiratory system, a concomitant symptom of which is cough, antitussive drugs of various spectrums of action are prescribed.

In acute and chronic forms of bronchitis and cough pneumonia, expectorants are prescribed in combination with other groups of medications (antibiotics, antiviral medications, immunomodulators). Expectorant medications are used to:

• reducing the inflammatory process of the mucous membranes of the larynx, trachea, bronchi and lungs;
• relief of the patient's condition with a non-productive cough;
• diluting produced mucus;
• stimulating the release of mucus from the bronchi.

I can’t cough up mucus, what should I do? What remedy for cough symptoms effectively fights bronchitis and other pathologies of the respiratory organs? The following mucolytic drugs are most effective:

1. Ambroxol (cough expectorant tablets or syrup). In case of transmission of infection from a child to children and the occurrence of bronchitis, doctors prescribe Ambrovix cough syrup to young patients. The drugs are indicated in diseases with acute inflammation of the bronchi, lungs and other respiratory organs.
2. Lazolvan is the best imported expectorant. Its analogues: Ambrosan, Ambrobene, Flavamed.
3. ACC (Acetylcysteine). Has anti-inflammatory and mucolytic effects. In the case of an allergic origin of the cough, the ACC drug is taken with extreme caution.
4. Solvin (Bronchosan, Bromhexine). Has a slight antitussive effect. Has pronounced expectorant properties.

What you didn’t know about inhalation with saline solution for dry cough in adults and children

For bronchitis, mucolytic drugs of the reflex group are also prescribed. These include Mukaltin, Alteyka, Thermopsol. They promote increased production of viscous and thick mucus.

Folk expectorants

Traditional cough expectorants are effective, easy to prepare and affordable. Along with drug treatment, it is good to resort to the use of homemade decoctions, syrups and infusions.

It is not difficult to prepare remedies at home to eliminate the symptom. To thin sputum, expectorant folk remedies for coughs are used for adults:

1. Recipe 1. Milk with butter. An old proven method. Helps relieve irritation in the bronchi, soften cough and improve mucus removal. The mixture is recommended for use by adults and children. It is prepared by heating milk, to which 5-10 grams of butter are added. Despite the popularity of the recipe, some pediatricians do not recommend using it due to the increased load on the child’s pancreas.
2. Recipe 2. Warm milk with honey and fat. K 250 ml. fat and honey are added to the dairy product. Everything is mixed and drunk. The method helps to liquefy mucus and speed up its removal from the bronchi. If you have an allergic component to your cough, you should use the milk and honey mixture with extreme caution.
3. Recipe 3. Honey in radish. Juice is prepared based on the ingredients. This cocktail has an expectorant effect. It affects the larynx, trachea, and bronchi. An expectorant for dry cough is prepared as follows: a hole is made in the radish, where 2 teaspoons of honey are added. When the fruit releases juice, the product is drunk in several doses throughout the day.
4. Recipe 4. Milk-fat mixture of fat (badger), milk, aloe, honey. The composition is considered one of the best expectorants for bronchitis, tracheitis, pharyngitis, and pneumonia.

Inhalations and fees

Carrying out home inhalations with the addition of herbs for coughs with phlegm can effectively thin mucus and speed up its elimination. The procedure replaces the use of syrups and infusions. The most effective are chamomile, oregano, string, sage, calendula, etc.

Cough expectorant recipes are also represented by medicinal preparations. Folk remedies for coughs for adults and children are prepared by preparing decoctions based on herbal compounds and tea. Their natural components have healing properties and help fight various pathologies of the respiratory system.

The expectorant collection is purchased at the pharmacy. It contains specially selected medicinal herbs. Decoctions help thin mucus and improve its removal from the bronchi. Infusions based on plantain, oregano, thyme, sage, marshmallow and licorice help with dry cough.

Cough is a symptom familiar to every person. We first encounter it in early childhood, cough often and thickly in kindergartens and continue to do this in elementary school. We drink a lot of tasty and not very expectorants in syrups, tablets and drops. Gradually the cough goes away, only to remind itself again after a while. Do we know why we cough? Do we know how to treat a cough correctly? And on what basis do we choose expectorants?

The modern pharmaceutical market sometimes amazes us with the variety of cough medications. A completely confused person can spend a long time looking at shop windows filled with expectorant variety. And take the first package you come across to finally dispel the pharmacy obsession.

Let's try to put all the expectorants on their shelves and clearly understand when, how much, and, most importantly, what exactly should be taken for a cough.

Before you continue reading: If you are looking for an effective method of getting rid of constant colds and diseases of the nose, throat, lungs, then be sure to look into section of the site "Book" after reading this article. This information is based on the author’s personal experience and has helped many people, we hope it will help you too. NOT advertising! So, now back to the article.

Main causes of cough

But before we do therapy, we need to understand why we cough. After all, sometimes a symptom requires medical intervention and urgent measures, and self-medication is dangerous.

So, coughing is a completely normal, physiological process that helps clear our airways of excessive secretions, foreign particles and, of course, germs. Frequent cough is almost always a symptom of the disease. It is completely wrong to believe that a cough is necessarily a cold. Reasons for such symptoms include:

• infections.
  Of course, in most cases, cough is the result of respiratory infections: ARVI, influenza, pneumonia, whooping cough, tuberculosis. Typically, an acute cough lasting less than three weeks is caused by a common cold;
• reactive respiratory diseases.
  Such pathologies include bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic bronchitis, including smoker's bronchitis;
• gastroesophageal reflux.
  The backflow of hydrochloric acid into the esophagus is most often the cause of a cough of unknown origin;
• contaminated air;
• foreign body;
• taking antihypertensive drugs that block ACE (Enalapril, Ramipril and others);
• psychogenic factor;
• other factors, including tumors and severe respiratory disease.

Self-medication of cough: be careful!

You can treat a cough yourself by taking expectorants only in cases of infectious diseases. However, one cannot lose vigilance even with a seemingly innocent cough that accompanies ARVI.

Sometimes dangerous symptoms noticed in time save a life, so don’t relax and monitor your condition. Let's list the manifestations that require contacting a specialist.

If, against the background of a “cold” cough, there is a sharp deterioration- a severe fever has begun, weakness, sweating, and purulent thick sputum have appeared - call a doctor immediately!

If your cough has been bothering you for more than three weeks, urgently go to your local therapist!

If there are streaks of blood in your cough, you need immediate consultation with a pulmonologist!

We will return to cough, which can be treated on our own, and will deal with a detailed description of expectorants.

Why are expectorants needed?

If we say that coughing is a physiological reflex, then why are expectorants needed? Let's figure it out.

In a healthy person, the glands of the trachea and bronchi produce tracheobronchial secretion. It helps our respiratory tract cope with bacteria and viruses, and is also involved in the removal of small particles coming from the air. We don’t even notice how we swallow about 100 ml of this mucus per day.

If an infection has entered the body, the volume of tracheobronchial secretion can increase to 1.5 liters per day. Such sputum is an excellent substrate for the further prosperity of pathogenic microorganisms. The body tries with all its might to get rid of the pathological secretion, and a cough begins.

However, thick, difficult-to-clear mucus does not want to leave the respiratory tract. Liquefying viscous secretions is the main function of expectorants used to treat wet coughs.

Expectorants and antitussives: what is the difference?

If expectorants primarily help to dilute mucus and facilitate its removal, then antitussives act exactly the opposite. Most antitussives have a central effect and block the cough reflex. Antitussive drugs are prescribed only for dry, so-called “barking” cough, the main symptom of which is the complete absence of bronchial secretions.

Therefore, when treating a cough, it is important not to confuse the cards and not take medications for dry and wet coughs at the same time. Remember that expectorants based on ambroxol, carbocysteine ​​and acetylcysteine ​​should absolutely not be combined with centrally acting antitussives.

Classification of expectorants

There is no clear classification of expectorant drugs. Nevertheless, in pharmaceutical practice it is customary to distinguish:

• drugs that have an irritating effect: products based on medicinal plants;
• carriers of sulfhydryl groups: acetylcysteine, carbocysteine;
• vasicine derivatives: bromhexine, ambroxol;
• combined expectorants.

Expectorants: pharmacological action

Drugs that stimulate expectoration have many names. Secretolytics, expectorants, expectorants - all these terms combine the same drugs. The mechanism of action of expectorants may be different.

Irritant medications

Thus, some drugs promote irritation of receptors in the gastric mucosa, resulting in reflex stimulation of the bronchial glands and increased production of bronchial secretions. The sputum is liquefied and gradually eliminated. Expectorant irritants include most medicinal herbs: marshmallow root, thermopsis herb, terpin hydrate,

Coughing is a reflex act that occurs as a protective reaction of the body, which is designed to remove foreign bodies or tracheobronchial secretions (mucus) from the respiratory tract. Cough is a symptom of many diseases, and not only diseases of the respiratory system. The cause of cough can also be diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, heart and taking certain medications. Sometimes a cough can signal the presence of very serious diseases, which is why you should definitely consult a doctor.

Cough treatment products are selected individually in each case. This takes into account the underlying disease, as well as the intensity, frequency, pain, frequency, duration, nature of sputum, and time of cough.

There are several groups of cough medications. These are mucolytics, expectorants, antitussives and combination agents.

Mucolytic agents affect the chemical and physical properties of sputum, diluting it. Such drugs are indicated for use in patients with viscous, thick and difficult to separate sputum.

The peculiarity of these drugs is that by diluting sputum, they do not increase its quantity, and therefore do not have the negative effect of expectorants.

In turn, mucolytics are divided into 3 groups:

• Amino acids with SH group
• Proteolytic enzymes
• Microregulators.

Amino acids with the SH group include carbocysteine, acetylcysteine, etc. Their action is due to the breaking of bonds in mucopolysaccharides of sputum, which reduces its viscosity.

Proteolytic enzymes break the peptide bonds of the sputum protein, thereby facilitating its discharge. These include chymotrypsin, trypsin, ribonuclease, etc.

Mucoregulators include drugs derived from vizicine. They simultaneously have an expectorant and mucolytic effect, due to the destruction of mucopolysaccharides and mucoproteins of sputum, as well as stimulation of the activity of the ciliated epithelium. The most famous drugs in this group are ambroxol and bromhexine.

Mucolytic drugs are widely used for tracheitis, laryngitis, pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheobronchitis, otitis, and sinusitis. The drugs are produced in the form of tablets, lozenges, capsules, drops, syrups for oral administration, as well as in the form of solutions for inhalation.

Features of taking mucolytics:

• The simultaneous use of mucolytics and antitussives is prohibited.
• Drugs in this group are contraindicated in case of exacerbation of gastric and duodenal ulcers and pulmonary bleeding.
• Ambroxol and bromhexine are incompatible with drugs containing codeine, as well as alkaline solutions.
• Preparations containing bromhexine are not prescribed to children under 3 years of age.
• Ambroxol increases the ability of antibiotics to penetrate the bronchial mucosa and bronchial secretions.
• Preparations with acetylcysteine ​​can cause bronchospasm in patients with bronchial asthma.
• After taking acetylcysteine, you should not take antibiotics for 2 hours.
• Acetylcysteine ​​and ambroxol are not prescribed in the first trimester of pregnancy.
• Acetylcysteine ​​can provoke pulmonary hemorrhages, as well as impaired liver and kidney function.

The most popular drugs and their trade names:

• Bromhexine – Solvin;
• Ambroxol - Lazolvan, Medox, Ambrobene, Halixol, AmbroHexal, Ambrosar, Flavamed, Ambrotard, Bronchoval;
• Acetylcysteine ​​– Fluimucil, ACC, Acestine;
• Carbocisteine ​​- Fluifort, Fluditek, Brohobos, Libexin Muco, Mucosol;

Expectorants

Most expectorants are herbal preparations. There are 2 groups of expectorants:

• Resorptive action
• Reflex action

Reflex drugs include products containing saponins or alkaloids. These drugs have an irritating effect on the receptors of the stomach, as a result of which the vagus nerve in the brain is excited, which causes an increase in bronchial secretion, increases peristalsis of the bronchial wall and dilutes sputum.

Resorptive agents are absorbed into the gastrointestinal tract and then excreted by the bronchial mucosa. At the same time, sputum thins and its quantity increases.

Expectorants are prescribed for diseases accompanied by the presence of viscous, thick and difficult to separate sputum.

Features of taking expectorants:

Expectorants include drugs containing:

Expectorants may contain one component or several. They are available in the form of syrups, drops, tablets, lozenges for internal use.

Trade names of the most popular expectorants:

This group of drugs includes drugs that depress the cough reflex. Depending on the type of action, they are divided into drugs with central, peripheral action and those with both types of action. They are prescribed for debilitating, painful, prolonged, dry cough, which leads to disturbances in sleep and appetite. Most often, their use is advisable for laryngitis, tracheitis, influenza, acute respiratory infections, pleurisy, etc.

Drugs with central action inhibit the cough center and have an analgesic effect. This includes ethylmorphine hydrochloride, codeine derivatives, etc.

Drugs with peripheral action have an inhibitory effect on the nerve endings located in the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract. An example of these drugs is prenoxdiazine hydrochloride.

In drugs with both types of action, the inhibition of respiratory tract receptors is more pronounced, and the effect on the cough center is less pronounced. An example of such agents is bithiodine.

Features of the use of antitussives:

The most popular antitussive drugs:

Important to remember! Many cough medications can be purchased at pharmacies without a doctor's prescription. However, you should not self-medicate. In order to timely and effectively treat a cough of any nature, it is necessary to consult a specialist doctor who will make an accurate diagnosis and prescribe adequate treatment.

Doctor's consultation is necessary:

• with prolonged cough (more than 5-7 days);
• with a cough accompanied by fever;
• when coughing with shortness of breath;
• with a painful cough;
• when coughing with attacks of suffocation;
• when coughing with greenish sputum or blood in the sputum;
• with a strong continuous cough;
• with copious sputum production;
• when voice changes;
• with general weakness, increased sweating, chills accompanied by cough.