>From: hat…@netcom.com (Susan Hattie Steinsapir)
>Subject: Re: Please help!  Good cough medicine?
>Date: Sun, 15 Jan 1995 08:33:19 GMT
>        The last time I had bronchitis, the doctor prescribed a codeine
>cough syrup.  I think the best thing about it is that it makes you sort
>of sleepy and you get some rest.  I think that plain old Robitussin, or
>dextromorphan in some generic form, is the best cough medicine.  That,
>lots of liquids, especially warm ones like tea with lemon and
>sugar/honey, rest, no smoking, no running around, and a couple of warm,
>steamy showers a day, plus the antibiotics if you’re that sick, ought to
>do it.

Have you tried taking straight guaifenesin tablets or at least something with
it in there?  This usually clears me out within a day or two.
—
                 \ \ \ \ \ \ \
                 ( @  @ )
——-ooO—(    )—Ooo———
       Gina        ~      Jozaitis
* gin…@interaccess.com*
********************************

Anyway, next time I get a cough, I’ll ask for Codiclear again.

Alice

–
Alice Sanders
e-mail: cf…@eiu.edu

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -

>I certainly share your wife’s desire to get some relief from her cough, and
>I agree it’s difficult to get doctors to prescribe anything that’s really
>effective. They’re all scared to death of the DEA, apparently.

>Codeine cough syrup ought certainly to take care of any cough–if you get
>enough codeine. Trouble is, the stuff that’s usually prescribed (e.g.,
>Robitussin AC) doesn’t have very much codeine in it. I find that Robitussin
>AC is actually _less_ effective than regular Robitussin DM (with
>dextromethorphan). Some other cough syrups work much better–e.g. Codicleer
>and Hycodan. Typically, these don’t contain codeine phosphate but other,
>more powerful forms of codeine (e.g., hydrocodone bitartrate).

>Of course, you need to be careful with these syrups, since codeine taken
>continuously over a long-term can lead to addiction.
>–
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>             |      Die Welt ist alles, was Zerfall ist.     |
>Peter Cash   |       (apologies to Ludwig Wittgenstein)      |c…@convex.com
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The best stuff is tussonex.  It is a narcotic and really works but makes you
very sleepy.

> I have found that codeine cough syrup (Phenergan and Codeine) and a few
> puffs from a cortisone inhaler (Proventil) is the best for my stubborn
> cough that I develop every year at this time. Make sure your wife takes
> enough cough syrup.  I sometimes take three or four teaspoons to stop a
> bad cough.  The codeine should also help your wife sleep.

> You may also want to try out some foam earplugs to block the coughing
> noise. They are very comfortable and you should be able to get a good
> night’s sleep, but they won’t help your wife much.

> Good Luck and get some sleep. :^)

> Matrk Maupin

Just to point out that Proventil is not a cortisone inhaler–it’s a beta
agonist. However, Vanceril, Azmacort, and Aerobid are. If you’re using
Proventil and you have a cough, it sounds like asthma.

…Carly…

        Sometimes people get a cough because they have post-nasal drip
and bronchitis or pneumonia.  It’s tough then, as decongestants tend to
dry up lung secretions, too.  You want to bring the crap in your lungs
out, that’s why your body is coughing.  Try humidifying the air to reduce
the irritation in the lungs.

        If your wife has pneumonia, after she coughs up the PLUG (and
those of you who’ve had pneumonia know what I mean), she’ll start feeling
a lot better.  Bronchitis can be worse because it’s, in my mind, more
like a blechy cold in the top part of your chest.  Expect to spit up goop
2 to 3 times a day for quite a while.

        I’m inclined to spice up my food when I have this sort of
illness.  I fancy it helps move it all up and out.

        Good luck.  She’s probably feeling better by now.

        My HMO, Kaiser, has advice nurses who can, tah dah, advise on how
to make oneself feel better during a bout of the lung funkies.  If you
belong to a HMO, maybe they have this service, too.
—
Yours,
Susan
_____________________________________________________________________________
Susan Hattie Steinsapir       hat…@netcom.com        Sacramento, California

: In article <3f190a$…@icarus.convex.com> c…@convex.com (Peter Cash) writes:

: >I certainly share your wife’s desire to get some relief from her cough, and
: >I agree it’s difficult to get doctors to prescribe anything that’s really
: >effective. They’re all scared to death of the DEA, apparently.

: Here is something that I use that helps immensely!  It is herbal, found at
: the grocery store, works well.  Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea.  It
: is 100% slippery elm which coats the throat very well and allows you to
: breathe!  I wouldn’t have gotten through my last bout of pneumonia without
: it.  Also, wild cherry bark is very helpful in tea form.  

Based on my personal experience, my family and others I would strongly
recommend our favorite herbal remedy, which works great.  Buy THYME syrup
or THYME extract/drops (taken on water or sweeten water) and give it
every couple of hours to your wife.  It is also great for children,
because its taste is nice.  The good thing about THYME is that it does
not contain narcotics and local anestetics and does not create all side
unwanted side effects.  It is particularly good for dry cough, but any
cough can be treated and eliminated quickly.  If this may additionally
help, thyme syrup is an old European cough remedy, particularly for
children of all ages.

Best of luck to your wife,

Jurek Giziewicz

Here is something that I use that helps immensely!  It is herbal, found at
the grocery store, works well.  Traditional Medicinals Throat Coat Tea.  It
is 100% slippery elm which coats the throat very well and allows you to
breathe!  I wouldn’t have gotten through my last bout of pneumonia without
it.  Also, wild cherry bark is very helpful in tea form.

Hope she feels better soon!

Satin
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c…@convex.com (Peter Cash) writes:
> I certainly share your wife’s desire to get some relief from her cough, and
> I agree it’s difficult to get doctors to prescribe anything that’s really
> effective. They’re all scared to death of the DEA, apparently.

> Codeine cough syrup ought certainly to take care of any cough–if you get
> enough codeine. Trouble is, the stuff that’s usually prescribed (e.g.,
> Robitussin AC) doesn’t have very much codeine in it. I find that Robitussin
> AC is actually _less_ effective than regular Robitussin DM (with
> dextromethorphan). Some other cough syrups work much better–e.g. Codicleer
> and Hycodan. Typically, these don’t contain codeine phosphate but other,
> more powerful forms of codeine (e.g., hydrocodone bitartrate).

> Of course, you need to be careful with these syrups, since codeine taken
> continuously over a long-term can lead to addiction.

There don’t seem to be many good evaluations of cough medicines.  The
subject is additionally complicated by the fact that a drug’s ability
to suppress an experimentally-induced cough doesn’t always correlate
with its ability to work in the real world.

A study by Matthys in 1983 (a double-blind trial) found that 20 mg of
codeine and 20 mg of dextromethorphan had equal effectiveness in
decreasing the frequency of cough; at those doses, DM was more
effective at decreasing the intensity of cough, and was considered
better by more subjects.

A second study by Aylward in 1984 found that 30 mg of codeine
suppressed cough as effectively as 60 mg of dextromethorphan.

I was unable to find any blinded, head-to-head comparisons of
hydrocodone and codeine or DM–if you know of any, I’d be interested in
the references. Hydrocodone is said to be "slightly more effective than
codeine on a per-weight basis", though with more potential for side
effects.

The regulation that goes along with controlled substances is part of
the reason for doctors’ reluctance to prescribe them. At least as
important, though, is the lack of any clear superiority of narcotic
cough suppressants over non-narcotic cough suppressants, as well as the
much greater tendency of the former to produce side effects (compared
to dextromethorphan).

——————
Greg Froehlich, MD
White River Junction, VT

Codeine cough syrup ought certainly to take care of any cough–if you get
enough codeine. Trouble is, the stuff that’s usually prescribed (e.g.,
Robitussin AC) doesn’t have very much codeine in it. I find that Robitussin
AC is actually _less_ effective than regular Robitussin DM (with
dextromethorphan). Some other cough syrups work much better–e.g. Codicleer
and Hycodan. Typically, these don’t contain codeine phosphate but other,
more powerful forms of codeine (e.g., hydrocodone bitartrate).

Of course, you need to be careful with these syrups, since codeine taken
continuously over a long-term can lead to addiction.
—
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
             |      Die Welt ist alles, was Zerfall ist.     |
Peter Cash   |       (apologies to Ludwig Wittgenstein)      |c…@convex.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~