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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Is Codeine Effective In The Treatment Of Persistent Cough?

my mother in law (90 years old) has the flu. Several days in the hospital. treated with albuterol. seemed to be much imporved. She has been home now for several days. She is no longer coughing up phlem but she has a persistent cough that is exhausting her. She has an albuterol inhaler for home use but that seems ineffective. We tried delsym that too seems ineffective. The pharmacist mentioned codeine cough syrup. My research shows that codeine is a pain reliever not a cough suppressant.
Wed, 22 Mar 2017
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General Surgeon,  's  Response
Hello,
Thanks for the query.
I have gone through your short description and I can understand your concerns.

Codeine belongs to the class of opioids,the same class where morphine belongs. It is used as an analgesics(pain killer) and antitussive(cough suppressant).
Codeine is not a good option especially in elderly as in your case. It can cause side effects like nausea,dizziness,confusion and constipation which can which can cause serious discomfort in elderly people. More over,cough is a protective mechanism of our body to fight off allergens and pathogen. When you block this protective reflex it can cause problems.
You can use expectorant cough syrups in place of codeine containing syrups and in case of breathing difficulty nebulization with a bronchodialator drugs can be tried.

Hope I have answered your query.
Regards.

Dr.Shinas
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Is Codeine Effective In The Treatment Of Persistent Cough?

Hello, Thanks for the query. I have gone through your short description and I can understand your concerns. Codeine belongs to the class of opioids,the same class where morphine belongs. It is used as an analgesics(pain killer) and antitussive(cough suppressant). Codeine is not a good option especially in elderly as in your case. It can cause side effects like nausea,dizziness,confusion and constipation which can which can cause serious discomfort in elderly people. More over,cough is a protective mechanism of our body to fight off allergens and pathogen. When you block this protective reflex it can cause problems. You can use expectorant cough syrups in place of codeine containing syrups and in case of breathing difficulty nebulization with a bronchodialator drugs can be tried. Hope I have answered your query. Regards. Dr.Shinas