Sudafed Chesty Cough

...breaks, the pharmacist handed me Sudafed Expecorant for Chesty Coughs - the non-drowsy version.


***The product***

This product comes in a white and orange rectangular box and is labelled "Non-drowsy Sudafed Expectorant". The box tells you that this product will clear chesty coughs and also relieve any nasal and sinus congestion. Apparently is loosens stubborn mucus and clears thick chesty coughs.
...with my bottle of Sudafed and was eager to take my first dose to stop my annoying cough. I took the bottle out of the box and tried to open the cap. I tried turning it right, I tried turning it left. No success. I tried using my shirt to open it. No success. I finally gave in and walked to my colleague next door, grinning sheepishly.

"Can I ask you a favour?"

He looked a little concerned, like I was going to ... more

Ah, it is the time of the year. The time of the year when you stock up on your Vitamin C supplements. The time of the year where you want to put yourself into a protective bubble whenever you go on public transport. The time of the year when all your colleagues are at work, coughing, sneezing and ill. And it is also the time of the year where no matter what you do, you will catch at least one cold of some sort, be it a sore throat, runny nose, blocked nose, cough, fever, headache - or all of the above.

Nothing frustrates me more when I go to Boots and ask for help, just to be told that the only thing that will work for a sore throat is "gargling with aspirin". It is only once you display the symptoms of coughs and blocked noses when they helpfully point you towards a remedy. So when my sore throat turned into a cough last week and I visited Boots during one of my rare lunch breaks, the pharmacist handed me Sudafed Expecorant for Chesty Coughs - the non-drowsy version.

***The product***

This product comes in a white and orange rectangular box and is labelled "Non-drowsy Sudafed Expectorant". The box tells you that this product will clear chesty coughs and also relieve any nasal and sinus congestion. Apparently is loosens stubborn mucus and clears thick chesty coughs.

In the box you will find a brown bottle containing 100 ml of liquid cough medicine. It has a white screw-top. The label on the bottle is also white and orange and contains information on the cough medicines properties and instructions for use.

The box also contains a dual-sided white plastic spoon. One end of the spoon allows you to measure out 5 ml of product and the other end of the spoon allows you to measure 2.5ml of product.

Each 5 ml of liquid contains 100 mg of Guaifenesin and 30 mg of Pseudoephedrine hyrdrochloride as active ingredients. The other ingredients include sucrose, methyl hydroxybenzoate, propyl hydroxybenzoate, glycerol and colourings.

The product is not recommended if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. If you are taking any other medication at the time, you should consult your doctor or pharmacist before taking the medication.

***How to use***

The medicine is to be taken every 4 to 6 hours. Adults and children over 12 years of age should take two 5 ml spoonfuls at regular intervals. Children from 6 to 12 years of age should take one 5 ml spoonful at regular intervals. Children from 2 to 5 years of age should take one 2.5ml spoonful. The product is not recommended for children under 2 years of age.

***Side effects***

There are not many side effects associated with the product and any side effects experienced are usually rare. The possible side effects include:

- restlessness or sleeplessness
- bad dreams or hallucinations (rare)
- skin rashes, sometimes itchy
- troubles passing water, especially for men with prostrate problems (rare)

***My experience***

I returned to my desk at work with my bottle of Sudafed and was eager to take my first dose to stop my annoying cough. I took the bottle out of the box and tried to open the cap. I tried turning it right, I tried turning it left. No success. I tried using my shirt to open it. No success. I finally gave in and walked to my colleague next door, grinning sheepishly.

"Can I ask you a favour?"

He looked a little concerned, like I was going to pass on a day's worth of work to him. Much to his relief I only handed him a bottle and he smiled. A few seconds later, I had gained access to the bottle. I mumbed something about the cap being way too complex to unscrew, but was quickly reminded about child safety. Alright then, I have to give them that - this bottle is definitely childsafe.

I then proceeded to pour some of the liquid onto my spoon and discovered it was a bright orange colour. Annoyingly, I spilled some of the product over my table. Believe me, it is not easy to measure out 5 ml of product from a bottle with a wide opening. Make sure you do the pouring VERY slowly, or else you wll have sticky stuff everywhere!

I took my first spoon and let it trickle down my throat. The taste was not very nice, but not nasty either. It had a cherry undertone to it that was bearable, but the medical taste was definitely apparent. It also left a slightly bitter after taste in my mouth. As a grown-up I think that you will be able to deal with the taste, but I am not so sure about children taking the medicine. You should make sure you have a treat lined up for them if they are expected to take it more than once!

When I took my second spoonful of medicine, I noticed that that it ran down my throat and warmed up my esophagus, kind of like tea or soup would do. It was rather pleasant and soothing. About 15 minutes after taking the medicine, I noticed that my annoying cough had disappeared considerably. The suppressing effect lasted about 3 to 4 hours.

I took the medicine 4 times a day: after breakfast, after lunch, just before going home and just before going to bed. It beat the irritation of my constant coughing and helped me through the day. It also helped me to sleep at night, simply because I was not coughing all night long.

After about three days, my cough disappeared almost completely. I still have a little bit of the liquid in my bottle. From that I estimate that one bottle of medicine would last an adult for about 4 to 5 days.

I did not experience any side effects while using the product.

***Price and availabily***

This product is available at Boots and Superdrug. At Boots it cost £4.15.

***The verdict***

I would strongly recommend the product to anyone trying to get rid of an iritating chesty cough. The taste is bearable and it is well worth suffering it for a few seconds, as the benefits far outweigh the taste. If you are a single woman or elderly, however, I would only recommend buying this product if you have a strong neighbour next door who is able to open the bottle for you. Trust me, this bottle is more than childsafe!

***Further information***

Pfizer Consumer Healthcare
Eastleigh
Hampshire
SO53 3ZQ

 

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