In the cold season, colds often trouble everyone, and many people may experience symptoms such as coughing and excessive phlegm after a cold. At this time, taking expectorant medicine can relieve the feeling of throat congestion.
There are mainly two types of commonly used expectorant medicines. One type is mucolytic expectorants. These medications reduce the viscosity of phlegm by breaking down the sticky components in the phlegm. They can dissolve the thick phlegm into flowing phlegm, making it easier to cough out. They are mainly used for diseases such as bronchitis and emphysema that cause white and sticky phlegm. Commonly used drugs include Bisolvon and Mucosolvan. The other type is stimulating expectorants. Patients with chronic bronchitis often cough up phlegm after a cold or flu. They can try stimulating expectorant drugs. These drugs stimulate the bronchial mucosa or gastric mucosa, reflexively promoting bronchial secretion, thereby diluting the phlegm. Commonly used drugs include potassium iodide mixture and ammonium chloride.
In addition, traditional Chinese medicine also has good effects in expectorant. Compound Fresh Bamboo Liquor (Gu Tan Ling), Loquat Syrup, Er Chen Wan, etc., are commonly used in clinical practice. However, when taking expectorant medicine, pay attention to the following points:
Cough suppression and expectorant are two different concepts. When suppressing cough, medications should be used according to whether there is phlegm or not, rather than expecting cough suppressants to have both expectorant and cough suppressant effects. If coughing with excessive phlegm, it is also important to drink plenty of water to replenish fluids, which can dilute the phlegm and facilitate expectoration. There are many causes of excessive phlegm and coughing, and treatment should be based on symptoms or relevant examinations. Expectorant medicine alone is not enough for treatment and should be combined with other drugs such as antibiotics. If a cough with phlegm is accompanied by other symptoms such as wheezing, fever, or persists for more than a few weeks, it may suggest the presence of other lung diseases. If a patient has long-term irritating dry cough, they should seek medical attention promptly to avoid delaying treatment.
