Every dry cough medicine: Pharmacist explains

What can you get for a dry cough from your pharmacy?

Adults and children over 12 years old can get a cough suppressant liquid or syrup, which is something that stops you from coughing. A common cough suppressant is Dextromethorpan.

You will also find dextromethorpam with other ingredients that can make you sleepy and stop the itchy or scratching feeling at the back of your throat. These are antihistamines like diphenhydramine and triprolidine.

You might find pseudoephedrine with dextromethorpan too. Pseudoephedrine can help unblock your nose if you have a lot of mucus.

There’s also levomenthol which gives you a cooling effect in your throat.

Dextromethorpan also comes in a lozenge or pastille which is like a sweet that you can suck on and it melts in your mouth.

For adults and children over 6 years old, you can get lozenges or pastilles that have honey or glycerin. These are thick sugars that help coat the back of your throat to help soothe it.
You can get menthol in pastilles or lozenges too, which, like levomenthol, helps cool your throat.

For adults and children over 1 year old you can get a thick sugary syrup that has honey, glycerol, glycerin or sucrose in it. These all help coat the back of the throat to help it feel better. You can get different flavours like blackcurrant or apple.

Speak to your pharmacist to check which dry cough medicine is right for you, especially if you are pregnant, take other medicines or have any medical conditions.

For adults and children over 2 months old, you can take paracetamol to help with pain in the throat from dry coughing.

If you have a dry cough, drink warm liquids like soup and eat warm foods to help your throat get better. Avoid breathing in cold air and do not have ice in your drinks.

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Virginia is a pharmacist registered with the GPhC (General Pharmaceutical Council) in the UK and this channel is for informational purposes only. The information presented is accurate to the best of Virginia's knowledge. You are responsible for your own research and application of the information presented. Please see a healthcare professional such as a pharmacist, doctor or nurse as appropriate for your own health needs.

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