What is the medical verdict on Guafenaisen? Is it effective? Years ago, I heard a doctor say that water was just as effective. Was he correct?
Thank You,
greatshakes
For coughs, or for fibromyalgia? IANAD, but my impression is that it’s pretty useful for the former but has no proven effect for the latter.
Guaifenesin has been very effective for me. Here is information from the National Institutes of Health.
Like the previous poster, IANAD, or even a medical professional. I don’t have a factual answer for you, per se. But my personal experience is that guifanesen is an effective suppressant for “productive” coughs, i.e. “chest congestion” coughs. For “dry” or “non-productive” coughs, the only thing that works for me effectively is a prescription cough suppressant with codeine. Fortunately, I have a primary care physician who knows me and is comfortable prescribing such things when I really need them.
I’m sorry, but it is NOT a suppressant. Please see the NIH site.
No need to be sorry. I didn’t look at the NIH site before I posted. I guess my point was, when my cough is productive, guifanesin helps get the congestion out thereby reducing my need to cough, whereas when it’s a “dry” cough, guifanesan does nothing because there’s basically no congestion to get out.
Actually, evidence for the effectiveness of guaifenesin is iffy at best.
According to this recent study:
“Although expectorants, such as guaifenesin (eg, Robatussin or Mucinex), are sold over the counter, there is no evidence that they are effective for the therapy of any form of lung disease, and when administered in combination with a cough suppressant such as dextromethorphan (the “DM” in some medication names) there is a potential risk of increased airway obstruction.”
When it comes to over the counter use of guaifenesin for acute cough, a Cochrane Review published this year found that there is no good evidence for or against using it (for example, in adults there was one quality study finding it was better than placebo, but another such study did not find it superior to placebo).
Mucinex is pretty pricey stuff, and I’d want better evidence of its effectiveness before using it on a regular basis. The fact that it seems to work for some people is not a reliable indicator (anecdotes cut both ways; in my family’s case it’s thumbs down based on anecdotal evidence).
This stuff is very bad for some of us. I was prescribed some for chronic bronchitis a few years ago and was much sicker until I stopped taking it. The experience was very nasty.
I swear by the stuff. When I have bad sinus congestion, I take some with pseudophedrine. Works much better than pseudophedrine alone.
As others have mentioned, it helps me have more productive coughs.