Rxiaread : Drinking water after taking cough syrup.

During my community attachment, cough and cold products are among hot selling stuff whether on shelf or behind counter which belongs to group C poison.

Apart from the sale itself, a custom belief on the way of taking cough syrup circulate around since my childhood. (Yes, my mother believe it and practiced on me tooJ)

“Don’t drink water after taking spoonful of syrup cough, let it be sipped and sit on your throat. Only then mom give you water to drink”

The wait somehow could last for hour and ended with only 2 allowable sips of plain water. That’s how typical Asian mom rollin’.

It is undeniable that compare to adult, cough syrup for children are more likely to be bombarded with sugary taste and fruitful flavor. Noted here fruitful flavor limited to berry bang array such as strawberry, raspberry and sometimes orange. To this date, never I’ve seen jackfruit or banana flavor on such product.

Cough syrup generally classified under two major group which is mucolytic (expectorant) and anti tussive. This is the main reason why personnel in pharmacy religiously ask on every occasion whether the patient is having phlegm or not. If the patient have cough accompanied with phlegm, it is best to recommend the expectorant rather than the anti tussive.

Mucolytic examples:

1.       Bromhexine :

Reduce the viscosity of phlegm by increasing the lysosome activity. High lysosome activity (Secreting lysozyme) will reduce the viscosity of mucopolysaccharide in the phlegm.

2.       Guaifenesin:

Increase ciliary action to shove out the phlegm away from respiratory tract.

So don’t be alarm if you are taking those kind of cough syrup and yet you are coughing more often. This is to clear the phlegm that potentially accumulate in lung.

Most of the mucolytic preparation are non-drowsy or in other word not causing sleepiness. Imagine to have constant urge to expel the phlegm but in the same time you are in for bed.That could be a mess isn’t it?

Anti tussive examples:

1.       Codeine

2.       Dextromethorphan

These two acts on cough centre in brain. Suppressing cough centre so that there is no urge to cough. This is strictly indicated for dry cough (no phlegm) and beneficial especially if it is a nocturnal cough.

(Dry cough that usually worsen at night).

Anti tussive preparation can cause sleepiness or drowsy. This explained why codeine become choice of drug to be abused.

The similarity of these two type of cough medicine is that they possess systemic activity rather than local action. Meaning that it have to be ingested first before targeting any site of action.

Not drinking water after taking cough syrup is proven not beneficial. This is because for the mucolytics, it have to be absorbed in first before acted upon respiratory tract. As for the anti tussive, the action takes place on brain. No definite correlation with direct action on throat.

Bottom line, it is okay to sip water after taking that spoonful of not so flattering taste cough medicine.

Remind me on my favorite rhyme in Mercury Pharmacy, “Terima kasih,semoga cepat sembuh!”

They got the tempo you know.