Cough Medicine Facts

Over the Counter Drug

• Cough medicine is an over the counter drug (OTC), this means you can purchase it without a doctors permission. Cough medicines come in two types, antitussives and expectorants.
  
  

Antitussives

• Antitussives are cough suppressants; their job is to relieve the individuals cough by blocking the cough reflex. The medical name is Dextromethorphan.
  
  

Expectorants

• Expectorants thin the mucus that is caused when coughing. This helps the coughing become effective so that it clears the mucus out of the airway. The medical name is Guaifenesin.
  
  

Combination

• Sometimes the antitussives and expectorant are combined.
  
  

Cough Medicine Facts

• A cough need not be treated with a cough medicine if it is a common cough but it can be helpful if the cough is a result of the flu. Cough medicine should not be used to treat coughing that is a result of smoking, asthma, or emphysema.