Most often, parents go to the children's clinic with complaints of coughing. Adults and even newborn babies are susceptible to this ailment. But in a separate disease, cough is not tolerated, but is considered a symptom of various diseases. For the most part, a child's cough is due to an infection.
At the heart of the cough is the excessive formation of mucus by the bronchial glands, this happens when pathogenic microbes or allergens enter the body. The amount of bronchial contents can also increase with unfavorable physical factors, for example, if the room is too dry and warm air.
On the shelves of pharmacies you can see a variety of cough remedies for children of various price categories. But are expensive advertised drugs so different from cheap analogues? Let's get acquainted with the instructions for an inexpensive but high-quality medicine - dry cough syrup for children.
What is dry mixture
Dry children's cough medicine is a drug related to combined drugs. The medicine has not only an expectorant effect, but also helps to relieve inflammation, get rid of spasm of the smooth muscles of the bronchi.
In its composition, the medicine contains extracts of medicinal plants. This combination of components helps to quickly cope with many diseases of the airways.
The mixture is produced in dry form, in powder form. You can find the drug packaged in waterproof paper bags of 2 g, or in a 200 ml bottle.
Composition of dry cough medicine for children
- Marshmallow extract
The main component of the drug is dry extract of marshmallow root. The substance is absorbed into the bloodstream and partially excreted by the bronchial glands. Thus, marshmallow extract has an anti-inflammatory effect, envelops and softens the mucous membrane of the bronchi.
The medicinal substance increases the production of bronchial secretions and affects its character, the sputum becomes less viscous. Due to the ability of the marshmallow root to enhance the work of the ciliated epithelium of the bronchi and the movement of the bronchioles, the excretion of sputum is facilitated.
- Sodium bicarbonate
The substance actively liquefies phlegm, changing the acidity of the bronchial secretions. Also sodium bicarbonate is able to enhance the function of the ciliated epithelium of the bronchi.
- Licorice
Dry extract of licorice root has an anti-inflammatory effect, reduces the viscosity of bronchial mucus. Due to the antispasmodic effect, the substance helps the discharge of phlegm.
- Anise oil
The oil has an expectorant effect, effectively reduces inflammation in the bronchi.
- Ammonium Chloride
Ammonium salt stimulates the excretion of phlegm.
- Excipients, sugar
Thanks to its complex action, the medicine effectively softens dry cough, relieves inflammation in the airways and promotes easy sputum discharge.
Indications for use
A children's dry cough mixture is prescribed for diseases of the respiratory system, which are manifested by a cough with thick sputum, which is difficult to cough up. The medicine is recommended for use in bronchitis, laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchopneumonia in adults and children. It is possible to prescribe a medicine as part of therapy for the treatment of other diseases accompanied by cough, such as pleurisy, tuberculosis.
Doctors prescribe the medicine to patients from 12 months old with mild and moderate disease. It is possible to prescribe a medicine as an independent remedy. If the disease is more serious, complex therapy may be required.
Rational cough therapy is selected by the doctor after examination and auscultation of the lungs. If treated incorrectly, the child's condition may worsen and the inflammation may spread deeper.
How to make a potion?
Since the drug is produced in dry form, parents must properly dilute the product before use. Correct preparation of the medicine will ensure an accurate dosage regimen of the medicine.
When examining a bottle of powder, it is easy to find a mark on the bottle that indicates the required liquid level.
Boiled water should be added to the dry product, the temperature of which is about 40 degrees. Then it is worth shaking the bottle well until the powder is completely dissolved.
The powder for preparing the medicine, like the finished mixture, has a brownish-gray color. The drug has a sweetish taste and smell of anise.
Shake the contents of the bottle before each use of the medicine.
If the medicine is packaged in sachets, dilute it by mixing with 15 ml of water. The baby is given a dose of the drug prescribed by the doctor to drink.
How to apply cough syrup?
The dosing regimen will be given in the instructions, but the doctor will help to accurately determine the dose of dry powder in each specific case.
When dispensing a medicine, a measuring spoon or syringe is used to accurately determine the volume of a liquid mixture.
For babies from 1 to 6 years old, it is enough to take 1 teaspoon of 5 ml 3 - 5 times a day. Children from 6 years old are recommended 10 ml of the mixture for admission, and children from 12 years old - 15 ml.
If the medicine is in a sachet, the dry substance is mixed with 15 ml of water and given to the baby 3-4 times a day. From one year to two years old, it is recommended to take 40 drops of the medicine for crumbs, half a teaspoon (2.5 ml per dose) is enough for children 3-4 years old. Older children, 5 - 6 years old, are injected with 2/3 teaspoon, which is 3.75 ml, and children 7 - 8 years old - 1 teaspoon of 5 ml. From 7 to 12 years old, it is recommended to take 10 ml of the medicine, and from 12 years old and adults - 15 ml.
The medicine is applied after a meal. The duration of treatment with the mixture is determined individually, but on average is 5 - 7 days.
Doctors warn that the use of the mixture for more than 2 weeks threatens the development of complications and side reactions.
Contraindications to the use of the medicine
Although children's cough medicine has been widely used for more than one year, there are some contraindications.
- Component intolerance
If there is a suspicion of intolerance to any component of the medicine, you need to choose another drug to treat the disease.
- Kidney disease
Diseases of the urinary system, such as pyelonephritis and glomerulonephritis, are also contraindications.
- Child's age up to 1 year
The manufacturer does not recommend prescribing medicine for babies under 12 months.
- Sugar Intolerance
It is necessary to abandon the treatment with a mixture of children with diseases of carbohydrate metabolism, intolerance to fructose, sucrose, diabetes mellitus.
- Taking antitussives
The concomitant use of cough suppressants and expectorants may worsen the child's condition.
This is due to the effect of the mixture on the properties of sputum, its increased formation. Suppressing the child's cough with the help of antitussive drugs, stagnation occurs in the bronchi, the infection spreads deeper.
- Allergic cough
Taking medication for an allergic cough can worsen symptoms.
Side effects
When taking dry cough medicine in children, in rare cases, unwanted reactions may appear. The appearance of allergies with symptoms of urticaria, rash and itching, redness and swelling of the skin is possible.
Overdose
An overdose of medicine can occur if the baby has drunk a large amount of the medicine. Signs of overdose are nausea, vomiting, increased side effects.
If signs of an overdose appear, you should immediately show the baby to a specialist who will wash the stomach and prescribe symptomatic therapy. The use of sorbents is allowed until the arrival of the doctor.
It is imperative to store the medicine out of the reach of children, since many kids like the sweetish taste of the medicine. Allocate a separate place for medicines where the child cannot reach, this will preserve the health of the baby.
With prolonged use of the drug, more than several months, electrolyte metabolism may be disturbed. Complication manifests itself in the form of a decrease in the concentration of potassium in the blood, damage to the baby's muscular system.
If any unwanted symptoms occur, parents should see the child immediately to a doctor. This will help prevent the development of serious diseases and preserve the health of the child.
The shelf life of the medicine
In an undiluted form, the mixture is stored from a year to one and a half years, depending on the manufacturer. The main rule in storing medicines is not to exceed a temperature of 25 degrees and do not allow light to enter the bottle.
The mixture diluted in a bottle must be stored on the refrigerator door at a temperature of 8 degrees. The contents of the bottle are allowed to be consumed within 10 days. The shelf life of the medicine diluted from a bag does not exceed 2 days.
Manufacturers
Regardless of the manufacturer of the medicinal product, the composition of the medicine remains unchanged. The main drug manufacturers in Russia are Vifitex, Moscow Pharmaceutical Factory, Lumi.
Reviews on the use of the medicine
Basically, the reviews about the mixture are positive, doctors emphasize the naturalness and safety of the drug, which allows the drug to be widely used in pediatrics. Parents are attracted by the rapid development of the effect of the treatment, the pleasant taste and the low price of the product.
The negative qualities of the medicine include the short shelf life of the diluted agent, the inability to use it for severe infections.
What to look out for before treatment
- A cough can indicate a variety of medical conditions. Therefore, the treatment of the symptom is different in different children.
- The treatment of different types of cough is different, a specialist will help to prescribe a competent treatment.
- Cough medicines and expectorants are never prescribed at the same time. With a debilitating cough, it is possible to use antitussive drugs at night, and expectorants in the daytime.
- The effect of the medicine appears on the 2nd - 3rd day from the beginning of the intake. If the cough has not changed, see your doctor.
- Dry potion treatment should not last more than 2 to 3 weeks.
- When treating a cough with expectorant drugs, the child should get enough fluid, this will reduce the viscosity of the sputum.
The more the child drinks warm drinks, the less viscous the phlegm becomes.
- To effectively treat cough, you need to take care of the quality of the air you breathe. Do not forget about ventilation and daily cleaning of the room. Dry warm air adversely affects the mucous membrane, reduces its protective properties.
The range of drugs for the treatment of diseases of the respiratory system is huge. In addition to expensive advertised drugs, budget funds do not lose their relevance. For a long time, cough medicine has been popular among doctors and parents. To find out what a dry cough mixture is, you must carefully read the annotation to the medicine.
Dry cough medicine is an effective, natural remedy for the treatment of respiratory infections. A medicine is made from plant-derived components that gently and effectively help to overcome the disease. The effectiveness of the remedy has been tested by time, and the minimum number of side effects makes it possible to prescribe the drug to children.
So that the result of the treatment does not upset, you need to ask the doctor's advice and choose the right treatment regimen. After reading the instructions for the drug and consulting with a doctor, parents can be sure of the correctness of the chosen treatment, safety for the health of the baby
