Patient's question:
My baby is ten and a half months old. She has a cold and a very severe cough. The doctor at the hospital prescribed Zukamu Granules, Erythromycin, and Children's Digestant Cough Syrup. After taking them for two days, her condition improved significantly, and she coughed less. I then stopped giving her the erythromycin and digestant twice. However, her condition suddenly worsened again, and now it's even worse than the first day. What should I do?First follow-up question: My mother-in-law has changed her medication again, giving her Hongtai Children's Cold Granules, Erythromycin, and Digestant Oral Liquid. But I think it's not a good idea to change the medication, as it may increase antibiotic resistance. Seeing my child in such pain, I am extremely worried!!!!
Doctor's answer:
Hello: Cough itself is not an independent disease but a defensive response to clear foreign objects from the respiratory tract. Mild cough is harmless to the body and can be treated by addressing the cause without the need for cough suppressants. However, when severe cough causes suffering to the patient, cough suppressants can be used as appropriate. There are many causes of cough, such as acute or chronic respiratory inflammation, respiratory foreign bodies, compression of the respiratory tract, allergic reactions, pleural irritation, and so on. Therefore, when a patient presents with cough, a comprehensive analysis of the condition is necessary to identify the cause. On the basis of treating the underlying cause, appropriate cough suppressants should be selected for symptomatic treatment.Medications for treating cough are mainly divided into three major categories: antitussives, expectorants, and bronchodilators.
Antitussives mainly include: codeine, morphine, pholcodine, fenoterol, licorice syrup, etc. These drugs are effective for mild respiratory inflammation and irritative dry cough. However, certain anesthetic drugs in this category must be used under the guidance of a doctor.
Expectorants include: juniper oil, ammonium chloride, potassium iodide, acetylcysteine, rhododendron, and little cough syrup, etc. These drugs are effective for clearing excessive and viscous respiratory mucus.
Bronchodilators include: ephedrine, salbutamol, theophylline, vitamin K1, etc. Asthma is often caused by allergies or inflammation stimulating bronchial smooth muscle spasm. The pharmacological action of bronchodilators primarily involves relaxing bronchial smooth muscle spasm, which facilitates mucus expulsion. When using these medications, it is important to choose those with minimal side effects and that are safe and reliable for children.