When choosing a medicine that will help cure a child's cough, many mothers tend to herbal remedies. One of these drugs with an expectorant effect is Bronchicum. In what forms is it produced, how is it dosed, and when is it used in childhood?
Release form
The pharmacy range includes the following drug options:
- Syrup. It is a reddish-brown transparent liquid with a honey smell, bottled in 100 ml bottles. Normally, it can have a slight opalescence or slight sediment. A dosing cup is included with the bottle of syrup. Also, the syrup is produced in 5 ml portioned mini-foil sachets, packed in a box of 8 and 20 pieces.
- Elixir Bronchicum TP... It is a brown, slightly cloudy or clear solution that has a slight thyme scent. One bottle contains 130 g of elixir and is supplemented with a plastic dispensing glass.
- Lozenges Bronchicum C... They are characterized by a round and slightly convex shape on both sides, as well as a creamy shade and the presence of small inclusions. One blister contains 10 such lozenges, and one pack includes two blisters.
Composition
The main component in any type of Bronchicum is a liquid extract obtained from the herb of thyme. In a syrup, this extract is presented in a dose of 150 mg per 1 ml of the drug, and one lozenge contains 100 mg of such an ingredient.
Extractants in any form of medication are ethyl alcohol, glycerin, water and ammonia solution. Invert syrup, cherry juice concentrate, rose oil, liquid dextrose, sucrose solution and honey flavoring give the syrup sweetness and smell. Also, the medicine includes purified water, sodium benzoate and citric acid.
Additional components of the lozenges are levomenthol, stearic acid and acacia gum. In addition, sucrose and silicon dioxide are present in this form of the drug. The lozenges also contain povidone, magnesium stearate and cineole.
The elixir also contains a liquid extract of thyme in an amount of 5 g per 100 g of the medication, but it is supplemented with another active ingredient - a liquid extract from primrose roots (100 g of the elixir contains 2.5 g of it). Auxiliary substances of such Bronchicum are only water, sodium benzoate and syrup from glucose, fructose and sucrose.
Operating principle
The active herbal components of the drug have an expectorant effect, and also reduce the viscosity of sputum and help to quickly remove it from the bronchi. Also, the drug has an antimicrobial, bronchodilatory and anti-inflammatory effect.
Indications
The remedy is prescribed for inflammatory diseases of the respiratory tract, a symptom of which is a cough with a hard secretion. The drug is used for tracheitis, bronchitis and other diseases.
From what age is it allowed to take?
At the age of up to a year, only syrup can be used, since treatment with this form of the drug is allowed from 6 months. The elixir is used in children over a year old, and the drug in the form of lozenges is prescribed from the age of 6.
Contraindications
The medication should not be given to children with hypersensitivity to thyme or other components of the medication, for example, with fructose intolerance. Also, the drug is not used for heart failure, severe renal pathologies and severe liver dysfunction. If a child has epilepsy, traumatic brain injury or other pathology of the brain, use the drug in an elixir or syrup very carefully.
Side effects
- Some children are allergic to lozenges, syrup or elixir. It can manifest as hives, facial swelling, or skin rashes.
- The digestive system of young patients occasionally reacts to treatment with liquid Bronchicum with nausea and other symptoms of dyspepsia.
Instructions for use and dosage
Before each use, the liquid form of the medicine should be shaken, as a precipitate may appear in the syrup or elixir. The syrup is given depending on the age of the small patient in the following dose:
Elixir is prescribed for children 1-4 years old, 1/2 teaspoon three times a day (daily dose - 7.5 ml). A single dosage of such a drug for children over four years old is 1 teaspoon. At the age of 4-12 years, it is recommended to take four times (only 20 ml of the drug per day), and children over 12 years old can take the elixir up to 6 times a day (only 30 ml of the drug per day).
The medicine in lozenges is suggested to be sucked in the mouth of children up to three times a day. A single dose is 1 lozenge, but if the child is already 12 years old, it can be increased to two lozenges per dose.
The duration of treatment is determined on the basis of the clinical picture, but on average, the medication is prescribed for 10-14 days.
Overdose
Exceeding the dose of any form of the drug does not have a toxic effect on the child's body.
Interaction with other drugs
Treatment with Bronchicum should not be combined with the appointment of antitussive medications. If you give a child this drug at the same time with a medicine that blocks the cough reflex or prevents the production of phlegm, this will interfere with the expectorant effect of the drug.
Terms of sale
Anyone can buy any form of the drug at the pharmacy without a prescription.... The average price of a bottle of syrup is 290 rubles. You can buy a pack of 20 lozenges for 190-230 rubles, and a bottle of elixir for about 300 rubles.
Storage conditions and shelf life
Keep the syrup and elixir at home out of the reach of children. The storage temperature of liquid Bronchicum should not exceed +25 degrees Celsius. Storage conditions for lozenges are the same.
The shelf life of an unopened bottle of syrup, lozenges and elixir is 3 years. When Bronchicum C syrup has been opened, it can be stored for up to 6 months. In mini-bags, the syrup has a shorter shelf life (only 2 years).
Reviews
Parents with experience of using Bronchicum for cough in their children respond mostly well to this medicine. Mothers like the fact that the drug has a medicinal base and few restrictions in its use. Children mostly tolerate syrup or elixir without any side effects, and most young patients like the taste of the medicine.
Analogs
If necessary, you can replace the medicine with another herbal medicine that has an expectorant effect:
- Syrup or drops of Tussamag. Thyme extract is also the basis of these preparations. They are used in children over one year old.
- Bronchipret drops or syrup. In such products, ivy extract is added to the thyme extract. The drug in the form of a syrup can be given to children from 3 months of age, and in the form of drops - from 6 years.
- Syrup or drops of Prospan. They contain ivy extract as the main component. It is permissible to give such funds to children from birth.
- Mukaltin tablets. This medicine is made from marshmallow and is used over the age of 1 year.
- Eucabal syrup. Its composition includes herbal raw materials from thyme and plantain. This medicine is prescribed from the age of six months.
- With the drug Pulmex baby. This ointment contains essential oils from rosemary and eucalyptus, as well as Peruvian balsam. It can be used in children over 6 months of age.
We also offer your vinmanie vide, where Dr. Komarovsky will tell you everything about children's cough and cough syrups.
