The best expectorants for adults, children and pregnant women. Expectorants and folk remedies for wet and dry cough, bronchitis and asthma

Read about when to take expectorant drugs, what kinds they are, and what folk remedies they can replace.

• Expectorants are designed to reduce the viscosity of sputum and accelerate its evacuation from the respiratory tract, primarily from the bronchial lumen. In another way, they are also called
• exponents. A certain amount of secret, approximately 100 ml, is always present in the airways. This secret performs a protective function. In a healthy state, this secret does not bother us, and most of it is swallowed during the day.
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• If the airways are inflamed, viscous sputum is secreted in them in a significantly increased amount. Therefore, specific cells lining the respiratory tract, the ciliated epithelium, can not push it. The secret accumulates, and it becomes more difficult to remove it
• Sputum, dense and stagnant, is the environment where microbes successfully multiply. When it stagnates in the respiratory gleam, gas exchange is disrupted, respiration is disrupted, cough irritates the respiratory tract
• In this case, it is necessary to take expectorants that reduce the viscosity and tightness of the mucous secretion, quickly remove from the respiratory tract with the productive cough

What groups of expectorants exist?

According to the principle of the effect on the body, expectorants are divided into the following groups:

• secretionotics, those that have a reflex action
• secretolithic or mucolytic agents, or those that have a direct effect

Secretory preparations

When taking drugs in this category, the cough center irritates,located in the medulla oblongata. As a result of its activation, there is an increase in the production of liquid bronchial mucus. The cough reflex also works.

IMPORTANT: However, the same cough center is also a vomiting center, so the possible effects of the secretion medication may be nausea and vomiting.

These medications are:

• herb of thermopsis
• licorice root
• sodium benzoate
• eucalyptus essential oil

Tablets against cough based on thermopsis- secretory motor expectorant.

Preparations of resorptive action are aimed at stimulating the secretion of bronchial sputum, which means that it will be liquefied and easier to remove from the lumen of the respiratory organs. However, there can also be unpleasant effects - nasal congestion and lacrimation.

These are the preparations:

• sodium hydrogen carbonate
• iodides sodium and potassium
• ammonium chloride

They are prescribed already when the slime is not thick and not viscous, and the cough is productive.

Secretolithic or mucolytic drugs

• The principle of action of funds from this group is the immediate dilution of mucus, produced by the respiratory system. They are prescribed for thick, sticky, poorly separating sputum
• Contain enzymes trypsin, chymotrypsin, ribonuclease, as well as sulfur compounds - acetylcysteine, carbocysteine ​​
• Also in their composition are derivatives of bovine, alkaloid( bromhexine, ambroxol)

Bromhexine is an expectorant drug from the mucolytics group.

Mucolytic preparations( from Latin Mucos - mucus, and from Greek Lysis - dissolution) are used for:

• bronchitis
• pneumonia
• bronchiectasis
• bronchial asthma
• cystic fibrosis
• tracheostome
• with bronchial obstruction

Bromhexine and ambroxol, the most popular mucolytics, aresynthetic analogues of vizicin alkaloid having independent antitussive action
There are also combined preparations for the treatment of dry, unproductive cough. Combined drugs differ in different mechanisms of action.

Usually they are prescribed in combination with antibacterial or antiviral drugs, sometimes, according to indications, in combination with antipyretic, decongestants, vitamins and immunostimulants. In this case, the doctor must take into account the compatibility of all prescribed drugs.

VIDEO: Treatment for cough expectorants

Expectorants for bronchitis

Bronchitis is an inflammation of the bronchial mucosa. It can be acute, chronic, obstructive, purulent.
Always a faithful companion of this disease is a cough. It can be of various types - dry, not productive, productive with waste phlegm, with mucus with particles of pus, unproductive cough with hard-to-go sputum.

Lazolvan - a medicine from the expectorant group, used to treat bronchitis in adults and children.

Depending on the type of disease and its stage, expectorants are prescribed in combination with other drugs( antiviral or antibacterial, immunostimulating, antipyretic, and sometimes corticosteroids).

The purpose of these agents is to:

• to reduce the inflammation of the mucosa of the respiratory organs
• to improve the permeability of the respiratory organs
• to dilute the produced secretion of the mucosal respiratory secret
• to stimulate its withdrawal
• to facilitate the non-productive cough

Mucolytic medications used for inflammation of the bronchi:

Ambroxol (or imported lazolvan analog) is the best mucolytic agent that can be taken with different types of bronchitiss, as well as pneumonia and upper respiratory tract inflammation, in which the formation of thick sticky mucus obstruction. Preparations analogous to lazolvan and ambroxol are:

• Ambrogen
• Ambrohexal
• Ambrosan
• Flavamed

Acetylcysteine ​​(ACS) .Fluimucil - reduce the inflammatory process, have a mucolytic effect. With caution should be used for bronchial asthma.

Bromhexine is a drug for expectorant and weak antitussive action.

Bronchosan ( solvine) - analogues of bromhexine.

Expectorants reflex action, shown with bronchitis - is:

1. Thermopsol. Tablets for cough( based on the herb of thermopsis).Take them for cough weakening carefully, because simultaneously with the impact on the cough center, there is an effect on the vomiting center of the
2. Alteika. The drug based on the althea( the root of the althaea) has a stimulating effect on the peristalsis of bronchioles, dilutes the viscous secretion, produces an anti-inflammatory effect. Assign bronchitis to adults and children.
3. Mukaltin
4. Ascoril
5. Dzhoset
6. Kashnol
7. Kodelak broncho

Ascoril is a medicine of reflex action.

Given that the combination drugs have components that can be incompatible with other drugs that the patient takes with bronchitis, they should be prescribed only by a doctor.

Expectorants for asthma

• Researches and observations of doctors of recent times record the tendency of the appointment of expectorants in bronchial asthma, a trend that proved to be completely justified
• After all, with asthma, the problem of cleansing the bronchial tree from the continued accumulation of sputum and the restoration of its normal separation
• methods of treatment with antiallergic drugs, eufillin, inhaled steroids must necessarilyto be treated with expectorant medications

Among such medications:

• lazolvan( ambroxol)
• acetylcysteine ​​
• sodium bicarbonate solution 2%

The most effective effect is with the inhalation route of administration.

ACS - expectorant for bronchial asthma.

Expectorants with a damp cough for children

Cough and runny nose in children are the most frequent problems with which all parents are struggling from time to time. Because of the cough, the child often can not fall asleep, becomes irritated, and because of frequent coughing, he loses his strength. A moist productive cough prevents breathing, the child swallows up phlegm, which again, again produces a new cough.
The first and most safe cough remedy for children is a warm drink. Expectorants should be given no later than 2 to 3 hours before bedtime, otherwise because of excreted sputum it will be difficult for him to fall asleep.

Children can be given an expectorant Tussin.

Among the most commonly prescribed expectorants are:

• Mukaltin
• Tussin
• Acetylcysteine ​​
• Salbutamol

IMPORTANT: Dear and popular in our time, Dr. Komarovsky strongly opposes the use of expectorants for children, especially children up to 2, 5 years old. The main ways to treat cough and runny nose in children is to wash the nose, air a room and drink enough.

VIDEO: Mucolytic preparations in pediatrics

Expectorants with dry cough

Dry cough, most often, worries at the initial stage of the disease and is a symptom of either a cold orbronchitis or pneumonia, or influenza. Clearance in the larynx, trachea and bronchi narrows, dry cough accompanied by whistling and noise.
Dry cough may be caused by:

• viruses
• by irritation of the mucosa of the respiratory tract
• by the allergic reaction
• by the reflex response of the body to the environment( smoke, pungent odor)

The sinecode is a non-narcotic cough remedy.

Dry cough is treated in such a way as to turn it first into a moist one, and then get rid of cough mucolytics and expectorants. Sometimes with a debilitating dry cough, it is advisable to take antitussive and combination drugs. However, it should be remembered that antitussive drugs do not combine with mucolytics.
Among the drugs effective for dry cough, the following:

1. Sinecod - effective for dry cough of any origin, affects the cough center
2. Herbion - a combined herbal preparation on the basis of plantain. Has antitussive, expectorant, antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory effect.
3. Kodelak is an antitussive combination drug, which contains codeine, herb of thermopsis, thyme and licorice.
4. . Stoptussin is a combination antitussive and secretolitic drug
5. . Bronchicum is a combined antitussive drug based on herbal extracts of thyme, primrose and others.
6. Broncholitin - combined antitussive, bronchodilating and bronchoseptic drug
7. Libexin - antitussiveA new preparation of peripheral action.
8. Linkas is a herbal preparation effective in the transition between dry and wet cough

When the cough changes from dry to wet, Linkas can be drunk.

Expectorants for adults

Adults, in the absence of contraindications associated with the effects of the components of the drug, can be assigned( according to the indications and the clinical picture of the disease and anamnesis of the patient) any of the list of expectorants listed above.

Expectorants for pregnant women

In pregnancy, any medication should be taken with great care, assessing the risk of harm to the fetus and the pregnant woman and the harm from her illness.

When you cough pregnant, it is better to drink herbal teas allowed by a doctor.

If a pregnant woman has a cough, then without consulting a gynecologist, prescribing medication is not recommended. To facilitate a pregnant cough, you should take safe means to help cough up, or at least reduce it.

For example, a warm drink - milk with honey and soda, tea with honey, lemon, lime tea. Possible inhalation with thyme or alkaline inhalation with soda.

Expectorants for children

Generally, preparations intended for the treatment of cough in children are made on a plant basis. And only a doctor can prescribe a child, especially a small one, an expectorant.

Before the doctor makes the appointment, parents should use well-proven folk remedies, namely, to give the baby a warm milk with honey, milk with alkaline mineral water, milk with honey and goat fat, juice of black radish with milk. And, if there is a need to be treated with expectorant drugs, the most popular among them are:

• pertusin
• gedelix
• Dr. Mom
• mukoltin
• ambroben

Some preparations, on the advice of a doctor, can be used as inhalations.

Pertussin successfully cures for children for several decades.

Folk expectorants

Among the folk remedies used for cough, the following recipes proved to be most effective:

RECIPE: Juice with black radish and honey
Radish wash and cut the core in it, making a kind of funnel. Put a tablespoon of honey inside the funnel and leave it for a few hours. Radish will start the juice, mixing with honey. The juice with honey should be drunk several times a day.

RECIPE: Milk with honey and goat fat
You can take a teaspoon of goat fat and a teaspoon of honey for a glass of warm milk. All stir and drink warmly.

RECIPE: Milk with badger fat, honey and aloe juice The beverage prepared on the basis of these ingredients will have a specific consistency and specific taste. However, all these ingredients are so useful that the drink can be completely overpowered.

RECIPE: Steam inhalation with boiled potatoes and iodine
Boil potatoes in a uniform, chop it roughly, drop 2 drops of iodine and breathe until the potatoes are frying.

Inhalations with potatoes and iodine are a folk remedy for liquefaction and expectoration of sputum.

• Also folk remedies include special collections and herbal teas that successfully borrowed medicine and created many medications on their basis.
• The so-called Thoracic Coughs can be purchased from pharmacies. Chest harnesses have several numbers - 1, 2, 3, 4, which differ in the composition of the herbs that make up
• . For example, in Breastfeeding 1 includes mother-and-stepmother, oregano, in Breastfeed 2 -mother stepmother, plantainand licorice, in Thoracic collection 3 - marshmallows, pine buds, sage, anise
• There are also expectorant gatherings of herbs, based on licorice, ledum, elecampane, plantain, peppermint and others

Vegetable expectorant Chest.

Expectorant herbal remedies

On the basis of herbal remedies, the following drugs are offered in pharmacies:

1. Bronchophyte( tea in bags with solid herbal composition having expectorant effect)
2. Herbion with plantain
   Plantain has a mass of biologically active properties that promote coughing, cramping, inflammationand other symptoms. Has several contraindications, therefore it is better if he is prescribed by the doctor
3. Stoptussin with psyllium, thyme and thyme in the composition has an anti-inflammatory and expectorant effect.
4. Caldrex broncho
5. Pertussin
6. Syrup Alteika

Herbion plantain - expectorant on plant basis.

Which expectorants are best for use?

This question is best answered by the attending physician. After all, even if you or your relatives were once helped by an expectorant, it is not at all necessary that this time it will help you. Your disease may this time have a different nature, accompanied by several other symptoms, proceed with complications and without.

It is possible that you will have to use several expectorants - first those that moisten the cough, then those that dilute mucus, then - mucolytic. Therefore, do not engage in self-medication, but seriously approach such an unpleasant phenomenon as coughing and treating it, based on the testimony for a specific moment of its course.

VIDEO: Cough improving preparations