It's Topic Tuesday

ducgiao10
Oct 17, 2023
2 min read

Good morning everyone! We hope you are having a wonderful start to your week so far. For today, we thought it would be helpful to go over some common cough and allergy medications.

*Please note that this is only for reference and is by no means a medical recommendation or an exhaustive list but only includes some of the most commonly used medications. Please see your doctor and ask about medications should you have any symptoms before starting any of these medications. Here are some common cough medications to know about: Antitussives:

It is important to note that for coughs that are not productive, antitussive medications can be used to decrease coughing. They should generally not be used for productive coughs as coughing promotes mucus to be coughed up.
Dextromethorphan (Robitussin): suppresses cough reflex centrally at level of central nervous system. Side effects include constipation, nausea, dizziness
Codeine: suppresses cough reflex centrally at level of central nervous system. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness, sedation, palpitations, pruritus.
Benzonatate (Tessalon, Perles): suppress peripheral triggers of the cough reflex. Side effects include nausea, dizziness, headache, and altered mental status

Expectorants:

Guaifenesin (Mucinex): increase bronchial fluid to reduce thickness of mucus. Side effects include nausea and headache.
Potassium iodide (Pima Syrup, SSKI, Iosat): increase bronchial fluid to reduce thickness of mucus. Side effects include nausea, vomiting, salivary gland swelling and tenderness

Mucolytics:

N-acetylcysteine (Mucomyst): liquefy mucus. Not often used unless for COPD, cystic fibrosis

Here are some common allergy medications:

Cetirizine (Zyrtec), loratadine (Claritin), and fexofenadine (Allegra): minimally sedating oral antihistamine. Able to reduce itching, sneezing, and rhinorrhea but are less effective for nasal congestion compared with glucocorticoid sprays. Can be given regularly or as needed before 2-5 hrs before known allergen (such as pet) exposure.
Azelastine (Astepro and Astelin) or olopatadine (Pataday, Patanol): antihistamine nasal spray
Mometasone furoate (Elocon), fluticasone furoate (Flonase), and triamcinolone acetonide (Cinolar, Kenalog): glucocorticoid nasal spray. For predictable exposures, consider starting two days before until two days after the end of exposure
Cromolyn nasal spray: Administered regularly or as needed (ideally 30 minutes before an exposure). Helpful for brief exposures (minutes to hours). For prolonged exposures, administration begin four to seven days in advance.
It is important to note that these therapies are generally more effective when taken regularly. However, use when needed may be sufficient for very mild symptoms.
Adverse events of oral antihistamines are rare, but they can be sedating, cause weight gain, and dry eyes.