Download
1 / 12
120 likes | 209 Views
Learn about the harmful effects of certain cough medicines on the respiratory system and understand the importance of drinking fluids to counteract these effects.
E N D
Who the Heck Would Give This to a Child? • “Carbetapentane tannate” is a decongestant/antihistamine which “acts on the brain to decrease the urge to cough and helps relieve stuffy nose and itchy watery eyes, nose and throat.” The side effects are: “drowsiness, dizziness, flushing, headache, nausea, nervousness, blurred vision, dry mouth/nose/throat, mood changes, hallucinations, tremors, trouble urinating, weakness, fast/slow/irregular heartbeat, seizure.” • The instructions read: “Ask your doctor about other ways to relieve cough and cold symptoms (like saline nose drops, humidifier.) They suggest you “drink plenty of fluids when you use the med” and tell you “the fluid will help loosen the mucus in your lungs.” • However, the warning on the second ingredient in the liquid, “Chlorpheniramine tannate,” reads: Chlorpheniramine can dry up and thicken mucus in your lungs, making it more difficult to breathe and clear your lungs.” • So you need to drink more liquids to try to undue the harmful effects of the medicine. And why would anyone with a respiratory infection take a drug which “can dry up and thicken mucus in your lungs, making it more difficult to breathe and clear your lungs?” • The cough suppressant that “decreases the urge to cough” can block the body’s design to clear the lungs of mucus and allow the phlegm to stagnate, grow bacteria and causing pneumonia.
