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Cough Suppressant Vs. Expectorant

Looking to get relief from your cough? You might reach for an OTC medication like Robitussin. Depending on your symptoms, you may benefit from using a cough suppressant, an expectorant or a medicine that contains both kinds of ingredients. Learn the difference between these two ingredients and find the right product to help you manage your symptoms with this guide.

A Natural Reflex

Coughing is your body’s way of protecting itself.3 It essentially is a reflex that keeps your airways clear from mucus and irritants such as dust or smoke.3 Certain Robitussin products help your body cough more effectively or help to bring your cough under control. How? By using two key active ingredients:4

  • An expectorant to loosen and thin mucus so it can be more readily discharged.
  • A cough suppressant to control your cough reflex.
Understanding Coughs

Culprit: Mucus

One of the main coughing culprits is mucus. Normally, mucus in the body is thin and fluid. It protects and moistens the lining of body’s organs such as the lungs and intestines, and also helps remove bacteria.1 But when you get sick, your body often produces more mucus, which can get thick and stuck in your lungs and airways1. This makes it hard to breathe and easy to get infections.1 The expectorants in certain Robitussin formulas can thin mucus and loosen it, making it easier for your body to cough it up.

Calm the Cough

Certain Robitussin formulas also contain cough suppressants to keep the cough reflex under control. Prolonged coughing can cause unpleasant side effects, such as chest pain, difficulty sleeping and lightheadedness.2 Cough suppressants also aid what’s known as “dry cough,” or “unproductive cough,” where no mucus is produced.3 A dry, hacking cough may develop toward the end of a cold or after exposure to an irritant such as dust or smoke.3 See the Robitussin formulas below to find one that’s right for you. Always read and follow label directions. Consult your doctor with any questions.

Quotation marksCoughing is your body’s way of protecting itself.Quotation marks

Formulas with Cough Suppressant:

Formulas with Expectorant and Cough Suppressant:

TAGGED: COUGHING, COUGH MEDICINE, EXPECTORANT

Source Citations:

  1. Marvels of Mucus and Phlegm. NIH News in Health. https://newsinhealth.nih.gov/2020/08/marvels-mucus-phlegm. Accessed 9/20/24.
  2. National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, a program of the National Institutes of Health and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Bronchitis. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/bronchitis. Accessed 9/20/24.
  3. Dry Cough With Chest Tightness: Causes & Treatment. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/symptoms/21888-dry-cough-and-chest-tightness. Accessed 9/20/24
  4. Expectorant: Uses, Side Effects, Interactions & Types. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/22078-expectorant. Accessed 9/20/24.

We are aware of FDA’s proposed order to remove oral phenylephrine (PE) as a nasal decongestant from the OTC monograph. Note, FDA’s proposed order does not question the safety of oral PE, only efficacy. We have introduced several new formulations across our brand portfolios, to remove oral PE, to ensure product availability for consumers to treat their symptoms ahead of the 2024/2025 cold, cough, flu season and to provide new remedies and forms to ensure people have options.

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