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The variety of medications that help reduce cough and improve sputum production is very large. One of these medications can be called Pertussin. It has been used in the treatment of coughs for many decades, but is such a drug relevant today? Can it be given to children, in what cases and in what dose? Can Pertussin harm a child’s body and what analogues can replace it?
Pertussin is a domestically produced medicine and is produced by several Russian pharmaceutical factories in two forms:
Also in pharmacies you can find a syrup called Pertussin Ch. Its composition and effect are the same as regular Pertussin, and the presence of the letter H in the name indicates the main ingredient - thyme. This medicine does not have any distinctive features, and it can be used as a replacement for Pertussin.
There is no solid form of Pertussin, but the medicine is often confused with Pectusin tablets. They have a completely different composition (this medicine contains eucalyptus oil and menthol) and a different mechanism of action, so you should not replace liquid Pertussin with such tablets.
In any of the forms of Pertussin there are two active ingredients:
Additional components of Pertussin and Pertussin H are ethyl alcohol (80% or 95%), sucrose and water.
Taking Petrussin helps expectorate mucus, makes bronchial secretions more fluid and speeds up their separation from the lungs. This effect of the drug is due to the essential oil from the extract of thyme (thyme). It is its presence that activates the secretory function of the bronchial glands and reduces the viscosity of mucus, which is secreted by the bronchi, resulting in easier coughing of sputum.
The second ingredient in the medication (potassium bromide) affects the patient’s central nervous system, reducing its excitability and thereby reducing the cough reflex. Thanks to this substance, Pertussin has a mild sedative effect, and the number of coughing attacks is reduced.
Pertussin is prescribed for acute diseases of the respiratory system, the symptom of which is a wet (productive) cough with viscous sputum. The drug is used for:
In severe cases of such diseases, as well as in cases of non-productive dry cough, Pertussin is usually not prescribed, but is replaced by stronger and more effective drugs
Since Pertussin contains potassium bromide, this drug is not prescribed to patients under three years of age, since young children have an increased risk of developing bromism.
Children 3 years of age and older are also given the medication with caution., because one of its auxiliary ingredients that ensure long-term storage of the syrup is ethanol.
Among them are:
Note:
Pertussin is prohibited for use not only in young children, but also in such situations:
Since Pertussin has a plant base, taking such a medicine can cause allergies. If the use of the drug provokes fever, rash and other signs of an allergic reaction, you must refuse treatment, take a sorbent and consult a doctor.
Some children the medicine can cause heartburn or sour belching. When it appears, it is recommended to take an antacid.
If the drug is given for a very long time, bromism may occur. Such poisoning is manifested by a runny nose, skin rash, apathy, general weakness, sleep disturbances, conjunctivitis and other negative symptoms.
If these symptoms occur, discontinuation of the medication and examination by a doctor is necessary.
Pertussin is given to children after meals, since taking it at other times can affect the appetite of a small patient. The drug is taken three times a day.
The procedure is carried out 3-4 times a day for 5-10 minutes. During inhalation, the child should inhale the drug calmly so as not to provoke coughing attacks.
Exceeding the dose of Pertussin leads to nausea. As a rule, syrup or solution taken in excess does not cause other negative symptoms.
A child with an overdose should be given some kind of sorbent, and if the condition worsens, a doctor’s examination is recommended.
The drug can be prescribed together with analgesics, antibiotics, vitamins, antivirals and many other medications that are prescribed for pathologies of the respiratory system.
However, like other expectorants, Pertussin should not be given along with medications. capable of suppressing the cough reflex, because this combination will interfere with coughing up sputum and worsen the patient’s condition.
Pertussin can be purchased at most pharmacies without any difficulties, because it is a Russian drug from the group of over-the-counter drugs. The cost of the medicine depends on the manufacturer and the volume of the bottle, but it is not high and on average you need to pay 20-30 rubles for a bottle with 100 grams of syrup.
The shelf life of the solution and syrup, as well as the drug Pertussin Ch, is 4 years.
To store Pertussin, a dry and cool place is required (recommended temperature is below +15 degrees). Since the medicine is sweet, it is important to ensure that it is not accessible to small children during storage in order to prevent a situation where a child finds the syrup and drinks it in a large dose.
It is unacceptable to give medicine that has expired to children.
Medicinal syrup Pertussin for children due to its composition effectively eliminates cough, helps thin mucus and remove it from the bronchi. The medicine is easy to use, children are treated with it with pleasure.
Pertussin has a mucolytic and expectorant effect.
The composition of Pertussin medicinal syrup includes active and auxiliary substances presented in the table:
Based on the composition of the active components, Pertussin:
For children under one year of age, only a doctor can prescribe the drug.
Before using the medicine, be sure to read the instructions -.
Indications for the use of Pertussin syrup for children are acute respiratory diseases:
The drug Pertussin indicated for dry or wet incipient cough. As a rule, these are the first days of the disease, when the cough causes a scraping pain in the trachea and throat. When using Pertussin The cough usually subsides on the second or third day.
The drug is good in the treatment of tracheitis and bronchitis, pneumonia.
Sometimes the disease begins immediately with a serious condition. This can be an unproductive cough with thick, viscous and difficult to separate sputum, or an exhausting paroxysmal dry and unproductive cough. Then it is necessary to use stronger and more effective medications as prescribed by a doctor.
Contraindications to the use of Pertussin are:
To treat cough in children, in addition to treatment with syrups and drops, inhalations with drug solutions, be sure to give the child a back and chest massage. This is a safe and effective way to quickly get rid of an unpleasant symptom. How to properly massage a child when he or she coughs
Cases of overdose occur rarely. An accidental overdose is possible if the baby gets to the medicine without your knowledge and drinks the entire bottle - because the syrup tastes sweet.
Attention! To avoid accidental overdose, the medicine must be stored in a place where the child cannot find it.
In case of an overdose of Pertussin, symptoms of bromism (bromine poisoning) and alcohol intoxication may develop:
Very often, children drink sweet cough syrup, not knowing what this can lead to.
In this case, the drug must be immediately discontinued and not given for the next year. If symptoms are severe, it is better to call a doctor. If a doctor is unavailable or the symptoms are questionable, you can independently give the child activated charcoal (8-10 tablets), try to drink sugar-free water more often (you can use highly diluted homemade cucumber pickle). Monitor your child closely for symptoms throughout the day.
You should not combine taking Pertussin with cough suppressants - this can worsen the child’s condition due to the accumulation of mucus in the bronchi and their blockage. For example, Pertussin should not be taken simultaneously with Codelac or Libexin.
This is not said or written anywhere. However, when prescribing Pertussin, the alcohol content in it should be taken into account.
Early alcohol consumption is harmful even in small dosages.
Firstly, it shapes a person’s taste preferences in the future; secondly, it is a prerequisite for the formation of resistance (tolerance) to alcohol. In this regard, you should be extremely careful when prescribing Pertussin to a child if one of his parents abuses alcohol. You should choose another drug, without alcohol, if both parents suffer from alcoholism, especially in its malignant form. In the latter case, the child may have a congenital (prenatally formed) dependence on alcohol.
The medicine contains ethyl alcohol.
These warnings apply to all medications containing alcohol.
Pertussin has both pros and cons, listed in the table.
pros | Minuses |
It has a sweet, pleasant taste; children drink it with pleasure. | Contains alcohol. |
Convenient release form. | High sugar content. |
Combined effect: expectorant and sedative. | With excessively long-term use, the sedative effect may also contribute to difficulty in sputum discharge due to suppression of the cough reflex. |
Effective for common acute respiratory infections. | There are more effective phlegm-thinning medications, as well as more effective central cough suppressants. (Note: cough of central origin - caused by overexcitation of the nervous system). |
Indicated for children from 3 years of age and adults. | Contraindicated for children under 3 years of age. |
Inexpensive. | Allergic reactions to any of the components of the drug are possible. |
Pertussin dosage for children:
Regular Duration of administration in children is from 5 to 7 days, maximum - up to 10 days (adults can do up to 14 days).
Pertussin is taken orally, it is better after meal. The syrup tastes very sweet and has a specific aroma (usually regarded as pleasant). If the child does not like the medicine, it can be diluted a little with water, in this form it is better absorbed.
Instructions for use:
Pertussin is a combined herbal-synthetic agent with an expectorant effect. Speaking less formally, the name of this drug has been familiar to us since childhood. There is some slight nostalgic flair in it: remember, as soon as we caught some kind of respiratory viral infection, our parents tried to pour a couple of spoons of this syrup into us. Fortunately, there has never been a shortage of this unique development of domestic pharmacists (other drugs with the same composition cannot be found) in pharmacies.
Pertussin is available in the form of syrup in dark glass bottles of 50 and 100 g. The bottle with syrup itself, instructions for Pertussin and a plastic spoon for easy dosing are placed in a cardboard box. In addition, almost the full text of the instructions for use for Pertussin (fortunately, it is not voluminous at all) is placed on the packaging.
Pertussin's composition includes liquid extract of thyme or creeping thyme (12 g per 100 g of syrup) and potassium bromide (1 g per 100 g of syrup) as a pharmacologically active component. Pertussin contains sucrose and ethyl alcohol 80% as excipients. And Pertussin Ch even contains 95% ethanol. (Pertussin Ch is the same Pertussin, except for the ethanol concentration, no other differences were noticed between them). Judging by the reviews about Pertussin and his almost complete “clone”, there is really no difference between them.
As already mentioned, Pertussin has no complete analogues. Meanwhile, there are many drugs containing herbal ingredients and having an expectorant effect:
Thyme herb extract has an expectorant effect, increases the amount of mucus secreted by the mucous membranes of the respiratory tract, promotes its dilution and stimulates its rapid evacuation. Potassium bromide, for its part, has a calming effect on the nervous system.
Reviews of Pertussin from several generations of patients indicate that this combination was chosen extremely well.
In accordance with the instructions for Pertussin and reviews of ENT doctors about it, this syrup works well as one of the components of the complex treatment of acute respiratory tract diseases, including tracheitis, bronchitis and the disease of our childhood - whooping cough.
Pertussin should be taken three times a day:
For everything about everything - 1.5-2 weeks. You can increase both the dosage and duration of treatment, but it is better to do this in consultation with your doctor.
Contraindications to the use of Pertussin are the following factors:
When using Pertussin, allergies and heartburn are possible.
Pertussin contains ethyl alcohol, which must be taken into account when taking the drug. God knows how much it is, but nevertheless... Using the dry language of numbers, this is 0.43 g of alcohol in a teaspoon of syrup.
While on a course of treatment with Pertussin, you should be careful when engaging in potentially hazardous activities that place increased demands on reaction speed, incl. driving a car.
People suffering from diabetes mellitus must carefully select the dosage of the drug due to the sucrose contained in it.
Pertussin can be obtained at a pharmacy without a doctor's prescription.
Pertussin requires special storage conditions: temperature not higher than 15 ˚С and humidity not higher than 80%.
The shelf life of the drug is 4 years.
You are a fairly active person who cares and thinks about your respiratory system and health in general, continue to play sports, lead a healthy lifestyle and your body will delight you throughout your life. But do not forget to undergo examinations on time, maintain your immunity, this is very important, do not overcool, avoid severe physical and strong emotional overload. Try to minimize contact with sick people; if forced contact, do not forget about protective equipment (mask, washing your hands and face, clearing your respiratory tract).
You are at risk, you should think about your lifestyle and start taking care of yourself. Physical education is required, or even better, start playing sports, choose the sport that you like most and turn it into a hobby (dancing, cycling, gym, or just try to walk more). Do not forget to treat colds and flu promptly, they can lead to complications in the lungs. Be sure to work on your immunity, strengthen yourself, and be in nature and fresh air as often as possible. Do not forget to undergo scheduled annual examinations; it is much easier to treat lung diseases in the initial stages than in advanced stages. Avoid emotional and physical overload; if possible, eliminate or minimize smoking or contact with smokers.
You are completely irresponsible about your health, thereby destroying the functioning of your lungs and bronchi, have pity on them! If you want to live a long time, you need to radically change your entire attitude towards your body. First of all, get examined by specialists such as a therapist and a pulmonologist; you need to take radical measures, otherwise everything may end badly for you. Follow all the doctors’ recommendations, radically change your life, perhaps you should change your job or even your place of residence, completely eliminate smoking and alcohol from your life, and reduce contact with people who have such bad habits to a minimum, toughen up, strengthen your immunity as much as possible spend more time in the fresh air. Avoid emotional and physical overload. Completely eliminate all aggressive products from everyday use and replace them with natural, natural remedies. Do not forget to do wet cleaning and ventilation of the room at home.