Symptomatic treatment cough

It is mostly used for the relief of moderate to severe pain and also for the symptomatic treatment of cough. It is a narcotic analgesic and considered to be more addietive than codeine. 

Acupuncture has been tried in many studies as a treatment of asthma and other respiratory conditions associated with cough. The results are highly inconsistent (Ernst et al. 2006). Symptomatic treatment of cough itself has seldom been studied. One study showed that acupuncture worked significantly better than conventional medicine in asthma (Maa et al. 2003). However, none of the studies were blinded or adequately controlled to test for placebo effect. 

Maher-Loughnan GP, Macdonald N, Mason AA et al (1962) Controlled trial of hypnosis in the symptomatic treatment of asthma. Br Med J 2 317-321 Manocha R, Marks GB, Kenchington P et al (2002) Sahaja yoga in the management of moderate to severe asthma A randomized controlled trial. Thorax 57 110-115 May AJ, Widdicombe JG (1954) Depression of the cough reflex by pentobarbitone and some opioid derivatives. Br J Pharmacol 9 335-340... 

Pavord ID (2004) Cough and asthma, Pulm Pharmacol Ther 17 399-402 Poolsup N, Suthisisang C, Prathanturarug S et al (2004) Andrographis paniculata in the symptomatic treatment of uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection Systematic review of randomized controlled trials, J Clin Pharm Ther 29 37 5 Rabe A, Weiser M, Klein P (2004) Effectiveness and tolerabflity of a homeopathic remedy compared with conventional therapy for mild viral infections, Int J CUn Pract 58 827-832... 

Apart from disease entities, one recognizes a variety of symptoms that makes up a disease, like pain, fever, convulsions, cough, rhinitis, nausea, meteorism, diarrhea, headache, dyspnea, anorexia, insomnia, constipation, etc. All these symptoms could make up a symptom complex or syndrome, or may stand alone by themselves without being part of a disease entity. The term of symptomatic drug treatment usually refers to its use for the alleviation of symptoms, whether as a part of a syndrome or standing alone. 

This chapter will discuss the treatment approaches to acute and chronic cough, highlight the currently available disease-specific and symptomatic cough suppressants, and look into the development of more efficacious antitussives, particularly for chronic cough. The treatment of chronic cough has two aims specific treatments of causative factors (disease-specific), and symptomatic cough suppression. 

Although for many patients with chronic cough there may be adequate control with a careful diagnosis and specific treatments directed towards associated canse(s), for others, symptomatic cough suppressants may be needed. We need better treatments of the associated cause(s) and more efficacious symptomatic antitussives. 

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