Health Centres - Benylin children's night coughs
How does it work?
Benylin children's night coughs solution contains two active ingredients, diphenhydramine hydrochloride and levomenthol.
Diphenhydramine is a type of medicine called a sedating antihistamine. It relieves the symptoms of nasal allergies such as hayfever and also works in a few ways to relieve cough and congestion.
Diphenhydramine prevents the actions of histamine, which is a substance produced by the body as part of its defence mechanisms. It is stored in cells called mast cells, in almost all tissues of the body. When the body reacts to a foreign substance (known as an allergen, eg flower pollen), the mast cells stimulated by the allergen release their stores of histamine.
The released histamine then binds to its receptors, causing a chain reaction that results in allergic symptoms. It causes an increase in blood flow to the area of the allergy, and the release of other chemicals that add to the allergic response. All this results in the symptoms of an allergic reaction. In hayfever, histamine causes inflammation of the nose, eyes, skin or airways and results in itchy watery eyes, a runny nose, sneezing and nasal congestion.
Diphenhydramine works by blocking histamine receptors. This in turn prevents the release of other allergy chemicals and increased blood supply to the area, and provides relief from the typical symptoms of hayfever and other nasal allergies, eg to pets or house dust mites.
Diphenhydramine also relieves coughs. Nasal mucus can often be the cause of cough in a cold, because it drips down the back of the throat, causing irritation. Diphenhydramine drys nasal secretions through its antihistamine action and reduces the production of mucus in the nose.
Diphenhydramine also enters the brain in sufficient quantities to causes drowsiness, and this sedative effect may help suppress a cough. It also has anticholinergic actions, which means that it reduces the nerve impulses that cause the cough reflex.
Levomenthol has mild cooling and decongestant properties that help soothe a cough and ease congestion in the nasal passages and lungs.
The combination of diphenhydramine and levomenthol in this medicine can be useful for relieving night time symptoms of hayfever, or coughs that are associated with a head cold in children.
What is it used for?
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Cough and congestion in children.
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Hayfever and other nasal allergies in children.
Warning!
- 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 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
- Moderate to severely decreased kidney function
- Moderate to severely decreased liver function
- Difficulty passing urine (urinary retention).
Not to be used in
- Children under one year of age
-
Closed angle glaucoma
-
Enlarged prostate gland .
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.
Side effects
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.
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Disturbances of the gut such as diarrhoea, constipation, nausea, vomiting or abdominal pain
- Dry mouth, nose and throat
- Blurred vision
- Difficulty in passing urine (urinary retention)
- Awareness of you heartbeat (palpitations)
- Tremor
- Allergic skin rashes
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.
There may be an increased risk of drowsiness if this medicine is taken in combination with any of the following, which can also cause drowsiness:
- alcohol
- benzodiazepines, eg temazepam, diazepam
- other sedating antihistamines, eg chlorphenamine, hydroxyzine, promethazine
- sleeping tablets, eg zopiclone
- strong opioid painkillers, eg codeine, dihydrocodeine, morphine
- tricyclic antidepressants, eg amitriptyline.
These should be avoided while taking this medicine.
There may be an increased risk of side effects such as dry mouth, blurred vision, constipation or difficulty passing urine if this medicine is taken with any of the following medicines:
- anticholinergic medicines for urinary incontinence, eg oxybutynin, flavoxate, tolterodine, propiverine, trospium
- anticholinergic medicines for Parkinson's disease, eg trihexyphenidyl, orphenadrine, procyclidine
- antipsychotic medicines, eg chlorpromazine, clozapine
- antispasmodics, eg atropine, hyoscine
- certain antisickness medicines, eg promethazine, prochlorperazine, meclozine, cyclizine
- muscle relaxants, eg baclofen
- tricyclic or related antidepressants, eg amitriptyline, maprotiline.
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