Cough and cold medicines

Cough and Cold Medicine Use in Children, http //www.fda.gov/cder/drug/advisory/cough cold 2008.htm... 

Similarly, some OTC medications, such as cough and cold medicines containing dextromethorphan, have beneficial effects when taken as recommended but they can also be abused and lead to serious adverse health consequences. Parents should be aware of the potential for abuse of these medications, especially when consumed in large quantities, which should signal concern and the possible need for intervention. 

The ephedra alkaloids are all sympathomimetic amines, which means that a host of drug interactions are theoretically possible. In fact, only a handful of adverse drug interactions have been reported in the peer-reviewed literature. The most important of these involve the monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI). Irreversible, nonselective MAOIs have been reported to adversely interact with indirectly acting sympathomimetic amines present in many cough and cold medicine. In controlled trials with individuals taking moclobemide, ephedrine s effects on pulse and blood pressure were potentiated, but only at higher doses than those currently provided in health supplements (137). Ephe-drine-MAOI interaction may, on occasion, be severe enough to mimic pheo-... 

Isbister GK, Prior F, Kilham HA (2012) Restricting cough and cold medicines in children. J Paediatr Child Health 48(2) 91-98... 

Non-prescription cough and cold medicines [SEDA-31, 314 SEDA-32, 326]... 

Cough Medicine. In 2006, a question about the use medicines to get high was asked for the first time. Rate of Past-Year Use in 2008 of cough and cold... 

NOTE Alcohol is an ingredient in many OTC and even some prescription medicines. The amounts are modest in most cases, but a few reach concentrations of 40% or 50% proof. Cough and cold elixirs are the most likely sources, but some vitamin tonics and laxatives also contain alcohol. 

All prescription-only medicines (POMs) must be subjected to local clinical studies prior to local marketing approval. Exceptions are rarely granted, even for breakthrough drugs. This applies even to cough and cold remedies normally available without prescription in the rest of the world. 

Ethanol has been used widely as a beverage, a medicinal, and a solvent in numerous pharmaceutical preparations. Such common usage often overshadows the fact that ethanol is a toxic substance. Ethanol consumption is associated with a variety of long-term effects, including cirrhosis of the Uver, death of brain cells, and alcoholism. Alcohol consumed by the mother can even affect the normal development of her unborn child and result in fetal alcohol syndrome. For these reasons, over-the-counter cough and cold medications that were once prepared in ethanol are now manufactured in alcohol-free form. 

Naltrexone (25 mg initially), a pure narcotic antagonist, is indicated for the treatment of the opioid-free state in formerly opioid-dependent individuals who have undergone a methadone detoxification program. Patients taking naltrexone may not benefit from opioid-containing medicines, such as cough and cold preparations, antidiarrheal preparations, and opioid analgesics. 

The existence of bioactive compounds in plants and other natural sources has been known for millennia, with history recording the use of such poisons as hemlock, used by Socrates in his court-ordered suicide and the infusion of yew used by a Gallic chieftain to avoid capture by Julius Caesar. The medicinal use of natural products, particularly those from plants, is also very ancient. The first known records, written in cuneiform on hundreds of clay tablets, are from Mesopotamia and date from about 2600 BC. Amongst the approximately 1000 plant-derived substances that were used are some that are still in use today for the treatment of ailments, ranging from coughs and colds to parasitic infections and inflammation. Many codifications or what may well be called Pharmacopoeias were compiled in the next 4000 years, culminating in the publication in... 

UUcatcho (BC, Canada) dahgha [ limb hair ] Medicine for coughs and colds, drink tea made from a couple handfuls of dagha in 1 L water. Also chewed fresh to help the lungs (Hebda et al. 1996)... 

Traditional Medicine. Common household medicine used in South Africa for the treatment of urinary tract and kidney diseases, symptoms of rheumatism, and externally on wounds and hruises. Also used to treat cystitis, urethritis, and others also as a diuretic, tonic, and stimulant (blumenthal 1 wichtl), and for the treatment of coughs and colds. 

Traditional Medicine. American storax is used as antiseptic and expectorant in treating wounds and skin problems (e.g., scabies), as well as coughs and colds. 

Achiral-chiral chromatography has also been accomplished using subcritical fluid chromatography (Phinney et al., 1998). In this work, the structurally related [3-blockers, 1,4-benzodiazepines, and two cold medicines were separated using methanol or ethanol modified carbon dioxide mobile phases. The (3-blockers were separated using cyanopropyl and Chiracel OD columns connected in series. Likewise, an amino bonded phase and Chiracel OD column were used for the separation of the 1,4-benzodiazepines. Guaifenesin and phenylpropanolamine from cough syrup were separated on cyanopropyl and Chiralpak AD columns in series. 

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