How can a cough medicine claim to be an expectorant and a suppressent? Aren't these different things?

Answer 1

It probably contains separate ingredients. one that is an expectorant and one that is a suppressant

Answer 2

Yes, they are two different actions from two different drugs contained in the cough medicine. The suppressant helps soothe the irritated membranes of the throat and helps calm the cough center of the brain so it is not as easily triggered to signal you to cough. The expectorant thins out the mucous secretions being produced so they either go down to the stomach or can be spit/blown out easier. Thick mucous tends to gob up in your throat and creates a desire to cough it up for removal. It is also harder to cough up/blow out, so you repeat the actions of clearing your throat, coughing and blowing, which further irritates things. Since most cough preparations are some combination of these two types of medications, they would be able to validly claim to be both expectorant and suppressant. If you look at the list of active ingredients, you will see them listed, usually along with an explaination of which drug is for what function in many cases.

Answer 3

Suppressent = suppressing the cough

Expectorant helps make the mucas easier to expel or break down. You don't necesarily have to cough all the mucus out.

Answer 4

yup, its impossible