"Codelac" tablets have long been used in the treatment of dry cough in adults, but a liquid analogue is produced especially for children, which is called "Codelac Neo". It has a slightly different composition and safer action, therefore such a remedy is more in demand in childhood against a painful dry cough.
Release form
In pharmacies, you can find several types of "Codelac Neo".
- Drops... This clear liquid, yellowish or colorless, is sold in a glass dropper bottle containing 20 ml of solution. The medicine has a sweetish taste and a vanilla smell. Each milliliter of the drug contains 22 drops.
- Syrup... This version of the medication is also sweet in taste, smells of vanilla, has no color and is transparent. It is produced in dark glass vials containing 100 or 200 ml of the drug. The package contains a 5 ml measuring spoon.
It should be noted that "Codelac Neo" is also available in tablets, but such a medicine is not prescribed for children, since it has a high dosage and a dense shell that does not allow the tablet to be divided into parts.
Composition
The main ingredient in all forms of Codelac Neo is butamirate.
It is presented in medicines in the form of citrate in the following dosage:
- 5 mg in 1 milliliter drops (100 mg in one bottle);
- 1.5 mg in 1 milliliter of syrup (7.5 mg in one scoop).
The composition of the auxiliary components of both types of liquid medicine is identical and includes benzoic acid, glycerol and sodium hydroxide. To make the product sweet, sorbitol and sodium saccharinate are present in it, and vanillin is added to the solution for smell. There is in the composition of such medicines and ethyl alcohol 95% in a small amount, and pure water.
Operating principle
The active substance of syrup and drops can affect the cough center, which is located in the tissues of the brain. Thanks to this, "Codelac Neo" suppresses the cough reflex, as a result of which the patient gets rid of the obsessive irritable cough, called dry. In addition, thanks to this medicine, the mucous membrane of the bronchi and upper respiratory tract becomes less reactive, due to which the number of coughing attacks is reduced.
Indications
"Codelac Neo" is a symptomatic remedy, since the drug affects only one symptom that is characteristic of many diseases of the respiratory system - cough. As already emphasized above, the medication helps to eliminate dry cough, therefore it is in demand in patients with influenza, colds, laryngitis, whooping cough, laryngotracheitis and other pathologies in which the patient coughs often, but sputum is practically not released.
In addition, drops and syrup are used for operations on the bronchi and before bronchoscopy.
They are also prescribed after acute inflammation of the respiratory tract to get rid of the residual unproductive cough.
At what age is it assigned?
Codelac Neo is an antitussive drug approved for children. In drops, this drug can be given even to an infant over two months old. Since the syrup contains a different dosage, this form of medication is prescribed no earlier than the little patient turns 3 years old.
Contraindications
Both liquid forms of "Codelac Neo" are prohibited for use in the treatment of those children who have hypersensitivity to any ingredient of these drugs. They should also not be given to children with fructose intolerance. Since the composition of the syrup and drops includes ethanol, they are prescribed for liver pathologies only under the supervision of a physician.
Patients with epilepsy or brain diseases also require caution.
Side effects
During treatment with "Codelac Neo" addiction does not develop and respiratory depression is not observed. However, some children may react to these drugs with drowsiness, nausea, an allergic reaction, dizziness, loose stools, or other discomfort.
In such a situation, you need to consult a doctor and, if necessary, replace Codelac Neo with an equally effective analogue.
How to apply?
"Codelac Neo" is recommended to be given to children before meals. The medicine in drops is taken 4 times, and in syrup - three times during the day.
To eliminate a nocturnal cough, the last dose is recommended at night.
If, after 5 days from the start of use, the cough still persists, a second doctor's examination is needed.
The age of the baby affects a single dosage of drops:
- a baby up to a year is given 10 drops per dose;
- baby 1-3 years old - 15 drops at a time;
- a patient over 3 years old - 25 drops per application.
The dosage of the syrup is also determined depending on the age:
- children 3–6 years old are prescribed 5 ml;
- patients 6–12 years old are given 10 ml of syrup per dose;
- from the age of 12, a single dose is increased to 15 ml of syrup.
Overdose
If a child accidentally drinks more "Codelac Neo" than he is supposed to by age, it can lead to an attack of vomiting, a decrease in heart rate, drowsiness, arrhythmias and other symptoms. If an overdose is found, it is recommended to consult a doctor.
Drug interactions
The instructions for the "Codelac Neo" preparations indicate that they are not recommended to be used together with any means that have a depressing effect on the central nervous system (for example, with hypnotics or antipsychotics).
In addition, because of the blockage of the cough reflex, Codelac Neo should not be used with expectorants.
Terms of sale and storage
Both types of "Codelac Neo" are classified as over-the-counter drugs sold without problems in any pharmacy. On average, you need to pay 150 rubles for 100 ml of syrup, and the price of one bottle of drops is 250-280 rubles.
You can store such medicines at home at room temperature by placing the bottle in a dry place where small children cannot find it. The shelf life of both liquid medicines is 2 years from the date of manufacture.
Reviews
You can see quite a lot of positive feedback on the use of Codelac Neo. Mothers confirm the effectiveness of such drugs for dry cough. Among the advantages of drops are the possibility of using in infants and the convenience of dosing. Both liquid versions of the medicine have a pleasant smell and sweetish taste, so children usually do not have any problems swallowing them.
Among the disadvantages, side effects are usually mentioned, which rarely occur in young patients.
Analogs
If you need to replace the syrup or drops with a similar medicine, the doctor may prescribe another drug from the Codelac antitussive line.
- "Codelac" tabletscontaining codeine, licorice, sodium bicarbonate and thermopsis. Its ingredients suppress the cough reflex, reduce the viscosity of the secretion, making it easier to cough up mucus, so the drug is especially in demand in the treatment of dry cough. It can be used from 2 years of age.
- "Codelac Fito" - a liquid analogue of the drug in tablets, in which instead of sodium bicarbonate there is an extract from thyme. This elixir affects the cough center and the state of sputum. It is prescribed from the age of two for laryngotracheitis, whooping cough, influenza and other diseases.
- "Codelac Broncho"... Such a remedy in tablets is also similar to the usual "Codelac", but the codeine in it is replaced by ambroxol, which gives the drug stronger expectorant properties and eliminates the effect on the brain. In children, it is allowed to use it from the age of 12. There is also a liquid form of the drug "Broncho", prescribed from the age of two. It is represented by an elixir, in which ambroxol is supplemented with glycyrrhizic acid and thyme extract. Both drugs are used for inflammatory conditions in which very viscous phlegm is produced, such as bronchitis.
- Codelac Pulmo... The basis of such a gel is coniferous plants, and the effect on the respiratory tract is due to camphor, fir oil and turpentine. The drug has antiseptic, distracting and anti-inflammatory properties. It increases blood flow in the lungs and also acts on the respiratory tract by inhalation. In children, it can be used for any type of cough from the age of 3.
Instead of the drug "Codelac Neo", other medications may be prescribed, which have the same effect on the cough center.
- "Sinekod"... Such a remedy is similar to Codelac Neo both in dosage forms (Sinekod is available in drops and syrup) and as an active ingredient (the drug also contains butamirate). And age restrictions, and single dosages, and indications for such drugs also coincide, but "Sinekod" is a little more expensive.
- Omnitus... This is another butamirate-based drug that can fully replace Codelac Neo in children over 3 years old, since only syrup is its liquid form. Omnitus is also available in tablets, which are allowed in a dosage of 20 mg from the age of six.
- "Paxeladin"... This syrup can be used in children over two and a half years old with a body weight of more than 15 kg. Thanks to oxeladin, it not only affects the cough center, but also has a stimulating effect on breathing.
- "Bronholitin"... This syrup, used in children over 3 years of age, affects the respiratory tract and cough reflex due to ephedrine combined with glaucine. The drug has several analogues, for example, the Bronchocin and Bronchoton syrups.
For an overview of cough suppressants, see the following video.
