The market is flooded with a bunch of cough syrups, Benadryl, Cheston, Honitus, Ascoril to name a few. People usually gulp these syrups when mucus or cough accumulates in their chest. No doubt, these cough syrups are effective, and one might also feel a bit sleepy after consuming them. However, if you consume too much of these cough syrups you might experience excessive sleepiness. Considering this, people who face trouble while sleeping at night, are sleep deprived or have insomnia consume these cough syrups to get a good night’s sleep. If you take these syrups without any cough, it might take a toll on your health.
How are cough syrups made?
Initially, substances like opium, heroin, chloroform, and morphine were used in the making of cough syrups. With time controlled, synthesis substances replaced these drugs in cough syrups. In today’s time, much better research-based ingredients are used. However, this doesn’t rule out the harmful side effects they possess. Dextromethorphan chemical (Dextromethorphan -DXM), Promethazine-codeine, and Benzonatate are some of the elements used in the making of the majority of these syrups.
How Does It Affect Your Health?
According to the NCBI, the DXM has a hallucinogenic effect on the human mind. The drug directly affects the central nervous system of the brain. When a synthetic substance made from opium reaches the bloodstream, it binds to the receptors of brain cells, following which the feeling of pleasure overpowers the feeling of pain.
When Should You Visit A Doctor?
Cough is a natural process of removing harmful substances, but sometimes cough and mucus can end up being very harmful to the body. In a situation like this, cough syrup is recommended. But there are some side effects of cough syrup as well. In case patients suffer – dizziness, headache, restlessness, hallucinations, difficulty in sleeping after drinking cough syrup, they should reach out to their doctors.
