Cough syrup: When to use, do you have to abstain from fishy foods, raw vegetables…?

Doctor Yen Lam Phuc, Military Medical Academy, said that people often use cough syrup but do not know how to use them to achieve the highest efficiency˳ In fact, taking cough syrup is not as easy as “drinking water”˳ We need to note a few points:

Severe cough should not use?

Cough syrups are still called cough suppressants and are recommended in people who have a cough˳ This is approximate, but not entirely true˳ And it should be noted that people with severe cough should not use this medicine˳

The syrup has no direct antitussive effect˳ In the composition of the drug, there are no peripheral cough suppressants and central cough suppressants on the brain˳ They have an indirect antitussive effect only when an expectorant effect is demonstrated˳ When the phlegm is gone, the cough will also decrease˳

The drug also has an antitussive effect thanks to a number of ingredients that have anti-allergic, anti-sensitizing effects to cold wind, but there is no ingredient that suppresses cough in the true sense˳

There is no specific antitussive, but it does thin the sputum, which causes a stronger cough immediately after taking the medicine˳ If it was continuous coughcough in the colon, cough until the throat is sore, you should not use more syrup at this time because it will only make the cough stronger˳

The medicine that should be used at this time is a specialized cough suppressant to relieve cough for the patient˳ After the cough has subsided, the new treatment syrup should be used˳ The cough stops and the patient feels less tired, which is a wise medication strategy˳

Drink before eating

If you have taken cough syrup, you should not drink it before eating, because it can cause a decrease in appetite in users, especially young children˳

The reason is that antitussive syrups are easy to cause cough from the effect of loosening phlegm˳ If you give it to your baby right before eating, the baby will cough continuously˳ Coughing a lot and strong easily causes vomiting and not wanting to eat˳

Therefore, it is best to avoid drinking at least 1 hour before eating˳ It is better to take the medicine 30 minutes after eating˳ This is enough time for the medicine to be safely removed from the meal and the food to pass through the intestines˳ Vomiting did not occur˳

Do not drink near bedtime

Cough syrup basically has no effect on the central nervous system, no side effects causing insomnia, does not cause awakening˳ But it cannot be used too close to sleep because it can indirectly cause insomnia for the user˳

The simple reason is that cough syrups often contain expectorants to loosen phlegm, thin phlegm, dissolve phlegm˳ They essentially increase secretions from the respiratory tract into sputum, and sputum increases in quantity and decreases in consistency˳

This provokes a strong cough˳ The looser the sputum, the more coughing it causes˳ This effect is good in terms of treatment (because it is easy to push the sputum out), but in terms of the body, it is not good because coughing makes the patient unable to sleep˳

Usually, the expectorant effect of sputum causing increased cough reflex appears about 20-30 minutes after taking and it lasts about 1-2 hours afterwards˳ People with a low threshold for respiratory irritation, which means they cough easily, are more likely to experience this problem˳

To combat unwanted harm, we should not drink near the night’s sleep˳ Drink at least 3 hours before bedtime˳ For example, if you sleep at 10pm, you should drink before 7pm˳

Avoid foods with a fishy odor when using cough suppressants

Anti-cough syrup is a liquid medicine, easy to take, used to treat cough, but when using the drug, try to avoid fishy foods or aquatic animals for the medicine to work˳

In fact, between fishy substances or between seafood-based foods and drugs, there is no direct antagonistic effect˳ But it’s better not to share˳ The reason here is that aquatic foods reduce the absorption of the drug˳

Anti-cough syrup is basically a medicine made from herbs˳ It is very close to traditional medicine in terms of ingredients˳ One of the basic principles of oriental medicine is to abstain from the use of fishy substances˳ There are many reasons, one of which is that seafood can cause diarrhea in people with poor digestive health˳

The syrup is again prepared in the form of a plant, also in the raw form˳ These two things combined, the risk of diarrhea in people with poor digestion is very high˳

Besides, in the composition of cough syrups, there are often anti-allergic drugs˳ Seafood is the easiest to cause allergies˳ Using these two together is completely opposite˳ So, in terms of benefits, it is advised not to take seafood with cough syrup˳

Do not use raw vegetables

This is also the principle of food combination when taking cough syrup˳ In general, if you have used cough syrup, you should not use raw vegetables, especially raw water spinach˳ There are many reasons, but one of the reasons is that raw water spinach often causes indigestion, slow digestion or easily causes digestive disorders˳

Meanwhile, syrup needs to be easily absorbed, especially in the small intestine˳ If using raw water spinach, this absorption in the small intestine is significantly reduced˳

Moreover, raw water spinach, if not cleaned, can easily cause diarrhea like fishy foods˳

Therefore, the best benefit for cough syrup is to avoid raw water spinach˳ We will avoid adverse drug interactions˳

The Ministry of Health warned that 14 cough syrup products put hundreds of children in critical condition

Recently, the Ministry of Health received a telegram from the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol) warning about hundreds of children dying or suffering acute kidney damage after using 14 banned cough syrup products˳ in some countries˳