Health Centres - Benylin children's dry coughs
How does it work?
Benylin children's dry coughs solution contains the active ingredient pholcodine, which is a type of medicine called a cough suppressant. It is used to suppress a dry, tickly, unproductive cough.
Coughing is a reflex response to irritation of the airways. It is useful for clearing mucus, dust and other particles from the throat and lungs. It is important because it reduces the amount of mucus, dust and bacteria in the airways that would otherwise make breathing difficult. However, sometimes, coughing can become overstimulated even when there is no mucus to clear from the lungs or throat. In this situation coughing serves no purpose and can become painful and frustrating.
Pholcodine can be used to block the cough reflex in situations where the cough serves no purpose, ie when no plegm is being coughed up. It works by reducing the nerve signals sent from a part of the brain called the coughing centre to the muscles that produce coughing.
What is it used for?
-
Dry, tickly, unproductive cough in children.
Warning!
- Do not exceed the recommended dose.
- If symptoms persist consult your doctor.
- On rare occasions this medicine may cause drowsiness. If your child is affected they should avoid performing potentially hazardous activities such as riding a bike or climbing trees. Alcohol should be avoided.
- If your child has any of the following symptoms you should not give this medicine and consult your doctor so that the cough can be investigated further: coughing up phlegm that is green, rusty brown, yellow, blood-stained or foul smelling; shortness of breath, wheezing or difficulty breathing; chest pain; pain and swelling in the calf; sudden weight loss; recurrent night-time cough; or a long-term persistent cough.
Use with caution in
-
Asthma.
Not to be used in
- Children under one year of age
-
Kidney failure
- Liver failure
-
Chronic bronchitis
- Condition called bronchiectasis, in which there is persistent widening of the airways as a result of lung disease, eg infection, inflammation, tumours or cystic fibrosis.
This medicine should not be used if your child is allergic to one or any of its ingredients. Please inform your doctor or pharmacist if your child has previously experienced such an allergy.
Medicines and their possible side effects can affect individual people in different ways. The following are some of the side effects that are known to be associated with this medicine. Because a side effect is stated here, it does not mean that all people using this medicine will experience that or any side effect.
- Nausea
- Drowsiness
- Constipation
The side effects listed above may not include all of the side effects reported by the drug's manufacturer.
How can this medicine affect other medicines?
If your child is already taking any other medicines, including herbal medicines and those bought without a prescription, you should check with your pharmacist before giving this medicine, to ensure that the combination is safe.
The manufacturer states that this medicine should not be used by people who are currently taking a monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressant, eg phenelzine, tranylcypromine or isocarboxazid, or who have taken one of these medicines in the last 14 days.
This medicine may on rare occasions cause drowsiness. If this occurs, it may theoretically be made worse if this medicine is taken in combination with any of the following, which can also cause drowsiness:
- alcohol
- benzodiazepines, eg temazepam, diazepam
- sedating antihistamines, eg chlorphenamine, diphenhydramine, promethazine, triprolidine (these are often found in other non-prescription cough and cold or hayfever remedies)
- sleeping tablets, eg zopiclone
- strong opioid painkillers, eg codeine, dihydrocodeine, morphine
- tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline.
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