How do cough expectorants work

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No menu assigned! March 14, Health Tips. No Comments. For instance, dry cough needs a different cough syrup whereas congestion ridden cough will require a different one. There are several times that the common cold builds up mucus which leads to chest congestion or what we call congested cough. Expectorant medicines that are usually prescribed for congested cough work by loosening up congestion and clearing the mucus from the congested lungs.

Basically, a cough does for your lungs what a sneeze does for your nose. At this point you might be thinking, what exactly can cause irritation? Irritation in your lungs can be caused by pollution in the air, dust, or smoke. If your little one is fighting off a virus or a bacterial infection, then the irritation is probably mucus or cold, dry air. Usually coughs are divided into two main categories: acute and chronic. The only thing you need to know about these two descriptors is that acute coughs last less than three weeks while chronic coughs last longer than four weeks in kids.

The most common causes of this type of cough are the common cold and the flu. If your kid has a wet cough, they might complain about having something stuck in their throat or dripping in the back of their throat. If it sounds like your kid is hacking or experiencing long coughing fits, the odds are that they have a dry cough.

One of the most severe types of cough that your child can have is croup cough. These work best when taken with a medicinal expectorant. Staying hydrated and drinking up to 8 glasses of water a day, in conjunction with expectorants, will help loosen mucus. What does an expectorant do? Expectorants are used in the treatment of wet coughs due to cold or infection.

How does an expectorant work? During a cold or respiratory infection, the airways in the lungs become infected and produce excess phlegm. This causes blockages in the lungs and throat, leading to congestion, shortness of breath and a wet cough. An expectorant thins and loosens phlegm, breaking up the congestion and clearing the phlegm from the airways.

This makes it easier to expel phlegm via coughing.