A cough is a natural reaction to the ingestion of foreign organisms and objects on the pharyngeal mucosa. It can also appear in healthy children. But most diseases of the upper respiratory tract are accompanied by this very symptom. Pharmacies offer a variety of medicines, syrups, cough tablets for children. However, not all of them have the same effect. Therefore, it is important to know how to choose the right remedy to fight cough and not harm your baby.
Causes of cough in a child
Before buying cough pills for children, you need to decide what type of bronchospasm you plan to fight. For this, it is worthwhile to establish its reasons. After all, random treatment can lead to undesirable consequences for the health of the little patient.
The main factors causing cough:
- Colds, ARVI. In this case, a virus enters the mucous membrane of the respiratory tract, which initially provokes dry bronchospasm. After a few days, it becomes damp.
- Respiratory tract infection. Depending on which part of the respiratory system is affected, pneumonia, bronchitis, tracheitis, pharyngitis or laryngitis develops. In each of these cases, a cough occurs.
- Reflux disease. Sometimes the contents of the stomach are thrown back into the esophagus or pharynx. The mucous membrane is irritated, and there is a reflex dry cough, accompanied by a sore throat.
- Foreign bodies in the upper respiratory tract. This factor is especially dangerous for babies under 6 years old who like to put toys and other objects in their mouths.
- Allergy. Various irritants, settling on the mucous membrane, cause coughing fits in the child. This number of reasons also include bronchial asthma, which develops precisely due to an allergic reaction.
- Smoking (active and passive). The risk group includes not only adolescents who smoke, but also patients under 6 years old, if their household suffers from this bad habit.
In children under 6 years of age, bronchospasm may occur due to teething. It provokes increased salivation. Also, due to too low air humidity, the back of the throat may dry out in a child, which causes a reflex cough.
Types of medicines for bronchospasm
For coughs, children are prescribed pills, focusing on the principle of their action. Usually, the following means are attributed:
- Expectorants. The ingredients in these drugs make the cough worse. This helps the child to quickly get rid of viruses and bacteria that are in excess phlegm. The active ingredients are extracts of marshmallow, thermopsis and other medicinal herbs.
- Antitussives. They affect the part of the brain that is responsible for the cough reflex, inhibiting its activity. Distinguish between non-narcotic drugs that are not addictive, and narcotic drugs that provoke drug dependence. The latter are prescribed to children only in very difficult situations and are not released without a prescription.
- Mucolytic. These drugs work by thinning the phlegm, making it easier to cough up the phlegm.
- Antihistamines. They are used when bronchospasm occurs due to an allergic reaction. Prescribed only by a doctor.
Choosing a drug
In each case, the medicine is selected based on what type of cough is bothering the child. There are such main varieties of it:
- Unproductive (dry) - during a coughing attack, sputum is not separated. It is characteristic of the initial stages of laryngitis and bronchitis, the ingress of foreign objects into the trachea or bronchi.
Productive (wet) - Helps to cough up mucus that accumulates in the airways. It manifests itself approximately on the fourth day of ARVI.- Barking accompanied by hoarseness or shrunken voice. It occurs due to edema of the vocal cords and sounds like a dog barking. It is a sign of laryngitis.
- Spastic — usually develops in bronchial asthma. The throat is compressed by a spasm, the cough is painful without secretion discharge. Often a low whistle is heard at the end of the cough.
Productive (wet) - Helps to cough up mucus that accumulates in the airways. It manifests itself approximately on the fourth day of ARVI.Children usually have a productive cough, so mucolytics are prescribed. They cut and evacuate mucus. In this case, the volume of sputum does not increase. Prescribe pills for dry cough so that it turns into a wet one and helps the child cope with the disease. Mucolytics are not attributed to the allergic nature of the cough.
When a nonproductive bronchospasm has been transformed into a productive bronchospasm with the help of mucolytic agents, expectorant drugs can be used to remove mucus from the respiratory tract along with the infection.
It should be borne in mind that not all drugs in this group are safe for children. Some of them are prescribed only to patients aged 3 years and older, and sometimes from 6. A number of drugs are made on a plant basis, so they are prescribed with caution to allergy sufferers. If the product contains thermopsis, it can cause vomiting, and in some cases, mucus aspiration into the lungs.
Instructions for the use of preparations containing licorice or anise do not recommend taking them if the child has diarrhea against the background of an infectious disease. These components have a laxative effect.
Children's medications of central action that affect the brain are prescribed when the baby coughs up to vomiting, because of this, he cannot fall asleep. These include "Codterpin", "Codelmikst", "Nurofen", "Kaffetin" and others.
The exception is "Codelac", which can be taken even by a 2-year-old child. It does not inhibit the functions of the respiratory system, but at the same time it helps to cough up phlegm and quickly cope with bronchospasm. However, it can only be used on the recommendation of a doctor.
It is reasonable to start treating a baby with medications only after consulting a pediatrician. He will establish the cause of the disease, listen to the cough and determine the type of bronchospasm, select the necessary remedy and treatment regimen. The smaller the child, the shorter the list of approved drugs.
How is dry cough treated?
With unproductive bronchospasm, the doctor prescribes pills, if the cough interferes with sleep, does not subside for a long time, and comes to vomiting. These drugs can be addictive, so they are given in short courses. The dosage should strictly correspond to the recommended one. The most commonly prescribed medications are:
Lorraine Mukaltin contains paracetamol, chlorphenamine, phenylephrine, which act in combination. They thin phlegm, eliminate the symptoms of acute respiratory infections, and inhibit coughing. The tablets can be taken by children over the age of 6, the dose is no more than five tablets per day, one every four hours. The medicine can increase anxiety, pressure, and cause dizziness.- "Falimint thermopsis" is produced in the form of a dragee for resorption. It relieves irritation of the mucous membrane, without overdrying it, has a mild anesthetic effect. The effect of the drug is felt immediately. The tool is used from 5 years, but no more than four days in a row.
- "Sinekod" copes well with dry cough caused by tracheitis, bronchitis. It contains butamirate, which helps relieve spasms and inflammation of the bronchi. It is produced in the form of dragees and syrup. The latter is prescribed for babies under the age of 6 years. Older patients are given 2 to 3 tablets a day.
Lorraine Mukaltin contains paracetamol, chlorphenamine, phenylephrine, which act in combination. They thin phlegm, eliminate the symptoms of acute respiratory infections, and inhibit coughing. The tablets can be taken by children over the age of 6, the dose is no more than five tablets per day, one every four hours. The medicine can increase anxiety, pressure, and cause dizziness.How to heal wet bronchospasm
If phlegm leaves during a cough, it is worth taking medications to help remove it from the airways. Children are usually prescribed:
- "ACC Mucolytic" in the form of effervescent tablets.It is based on acetylcysteine, which loosens mucus and makes coughs more productive. Relief comes already in the first days of therapy. Please note that this drug cannot be combined with other antitussives, as well as with paracetamol. Can be given to children in the second year of their life.
- "Bromhexin Thermopsol" copes well with viscous, poorly flowing sputum. Prescribe a medicine for children aged 6 years, half a tablet three times a day, from 10 years old it is worth giving a whole. In especially severe cases and patients with heavy weight, the doctor may prescribe two tablets at a time.
- "Ambroxol", as well as its analogues: "Ambrobene", "Abrol", "Lazolvan". All these funds contain one active ingredient, but it is "Ambroxol" that has the lowest cost. It quickly eliminates cough, enhances the effect of antibacterial and anti-inflammatory drugs. Babies are prescribed medicine in the form of a syrup, and tablets can be given from the age of six. However, in any case, the course of therapy should not exceed five days.
Central antitussives
Drugs in this group affect the cough center located in the medulla oblongata. Their main component is a substance derived from morphine, such as codeine. The danger of using such drugs is that they can touch the respiratory center, which is located next to the cough. Therefore, they are taken as a last resort to solve specific and complex medical problems.
One of these drugs - "Codelac", which acts on the cough center of the brain by inhibiting its excitability. But at the same time, breathing disorders do not happen. In addition to herbal ingredients (thermopsis and licorice), it contains codeine. The medicine in the form of a syrup is prescribed for children from the age of two, and in the form of tablets - from the age of 6. Give one capsule no more than three times a day, otherwise "Codelac" will be addictive.
Also use "Libeksin" - a peripheral antitussive agent. It affects the muscles of the trachea, larynx, bronchi, suppressing nerve impulses transmitted from the mucous membrane to the cough center. Without receiving them, the brain does not activate the cough center, and the symptom is eliminated.
Combined drugs
Pharmaceutical companies began producing combined-action drugs. They contain two or more active components that have an expectorant, mucolytic, bronchodilator, antihistamine effect simultaneously in different combinations. Sometimes antibacterial substances, means for lowering the temperature are introduced into the composition. However, with a wide spectrum of action, these drugs have an impressive list of side effects. It is difficult to combine them with other medications, to correctly select the required dose. Therefore, it is not recommended to give such funds to children.
These drugs include Stoptussin, which includes guaifenesin and butamirate. It reduces the viscosity of mucus, improves coughing, and has a slight anesthetic effect. At the same time, bronchospasm is inhibited. But the drug also has a negative effect on the body, therefore it is not prescribed for children under 12 years old, and adults are advised to take it only with a strong obsessive cough.
The list of such drugs also includes Tussin Plus, Codelak Fito, Bronholitin, Doctor Mom. It should be remembered that if the cough does not go away for several days in a row, accompanied by chest pain, discharge of thick sputum, you should immediately consult a doctor, even if the temperature is within normal limits.
When choosing a remedy for the treatment of a cough in a child, one should not be guided by its cost. Even the most expensive medicine can be powerless if it does not have the necessary direction of action.
Conversely, it is often possible to find an inexpensive drug that will effectively eliminate the symptoms of the disease.
Therefore, always consult a doctor for advice. He will establish the exact cause of bronchospasm, determine its nature, select the right medication and the regimen for its administration. Otherwise, there is a possibility of aggravating the clinical picture.
