How dose Chesty cough medicine work, and which one is the best?

Question

I have a deep chesty cough from a cold, but how does it actually work taking these medicines? and which is the best one to take.

Answer 1

Guaifenesin loosens the mucus in your chest so that you can cough it out and get better faster.
Dextromethorphan suppresses the cough but doesn't do anything about the mucus.
Most OTC cough medications have one or both of these ingredients. Sometimes they will have other ingredients but they don't really do anything for the cough.

My suggestion in Mucinex twice a day. It is a long acting guaifenesin that will help you get better faster.

Answer 2

i was told by my local chemists that nothing helps a cough go away, you can only help ease it with lozenges or honey drinks. basically you have to let the cough get better. the paracetol that the cough mixture contains is the most effective thing in it so just take some paracetomol and keep your chest covered up and stay warm.

Answer 3

no they do not work or at least they don't cure anything. they do help with symptoms though. Expectorant cough medicines tend to work as an irritant making you cough more to produce(expectorate ) sputum. Medicines like pholcodine tend to calm the cough and as they make you drowsy are useful at night.
I think honey and lemon is best of all (homemade). honey is a natural healer and lemons stimulate saliva to sooth a dry throat.
If you feel unwell though you may need antibiotics-see your doc.

Answer 4

most of over the counter 90% do not work.The time you reach from the first to last your own system start to heal.Normally it does heal own its own.The best thing is to avoid it early.Take garlic capsules daily.The best thing is to chew a small piece of fresh ginger after peeling the skin.put little honey over it and chew it very slowly do this3-4 times daily.Drink as much water as u can warm.Do gargle with salt and little vineger added to the water.If you can eat fresh garlic slightly fried until brown when at home.so you do not put people off with smell.Take spoon of honey and slowly suck.GINGER CRYSTALS FROM HEALTH SHOP will help.chew few in a day.Rub a cough balm on your chest and throat and at backdrink lemon tea. .

Answer 5

Coughs paralyse the little hairs in your throat which remove dust and the sort. So instead you have to cough all the stuff up instead. Medicine lubricates your throat making it easier to move the dust out of your throat

Answer 6

i don't think these medicines actually work although we still keep on taking them in the hope that they will! i think your cough will go when it is ready.

your central heating can make your chest bad, try putting a bowl of water in the room to humidify.

Answer 7

remember that cough medicine that you used to have as a kid, that tasted awfull. i would say that, because you only take it once and then your all of a sudden better.