From Halls to Ricola and countless others, the variety of cough drops that line the cold care section of pharmacy shelves seems to grow with each passing flu season. Cough drops, also referred to as a lozenge, are small medicated drops that help alleviate dry or irritated throats. They are usually taken during a cold or flu infection to moisten the tissues of the throat, which have become inflamed due to illness or a cough.
Cough drops come in two varieties: mentholated or non-mentholated. Menthol is an oral anesthetic that comes in the form of eucalyptus oil, menthol or benzocaine. It works to temporarily reduce the sensation of pain experienced in the throat and suppress cough.
The vapors of the mentholated cough drops also cool the nasal passages bringing temporary relief to clogged mucus membranes.
Non-mentholated cough drops use oral demulcents as their active ingredient. Demulcents usually in the form of pectin, glycerin or honey coat the throat and reduce inflammation.
They are made in a similar fashion as hard candies with the active ingredients added as the drop is cooked and then hardened. Some cough drops contain added ingredients to help keep breath smelling fresh and to fight colds. Cough drops also come in sugar-free varieties.
What to Look for
Choose a cough drop based upon your symptoms and your flavor preference. Menthol, honey, lemon and cherry are just a few of the numerous flavors of cough drops.
If you choose mentholated cough drops, they can have anywhere from 3 milligrams to 10 milligrams of menthol per drop. Non-mentholated kinds can contain approximately 1.5 milligrams to 3 milligrams of pectin per drop.
Most package directions suggest taking two cough drops every 2 hours.
Common Pitfalls
Even though cough drops may be taken as a medicine, they still contain calories. An average cough drop has about 15 calories per lozenge. They also contain sugar. In fact, many of them contain more sugar than medicine, so be careful not to pop them in your mouth like candy.
If you're diabetic or are watching your sugar intake, sugar-free varieties are available but come with side effects. Consuming too many sugar-free drops may induce a laxative effect. Also, those who have phenylketonuria should be read the package label carefully since the sugar-free varieties that contain aspartame also contains phenylaline.
Even though cough drops are often considered harmless, it is still necessary to follow the instructions on the package before taking them.
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