# Has Robitussin's formula changed? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 1, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269 "2010-09-01T16:01:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/21 "2010-09-03T15:47:51Z")
When I have a bad cough (as I did recently) I don’t want a suppressant, I want something that will help my coughs be productive. I recently had pneumonia and there is nothing more satisfying that coughing up a big hunk of mucus that used to be in your lung. ---
**Author:** ![chorpler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chorpler/32/2888_2.png) [@chorpler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chorpler)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/22 "2010-09-03T18:43:50Z")
> [@Skammer](#): > > When I have a bad cough (as I did recently) I don’t want a suppressant, I want something that will help my coughs be productive. I recently had pneumonia and there is nothing more satisfying that coughing up a big hunk of mucus that used to be in your lung. What about a “dry” cough, when there’s not really any extra junk in your lungs, and your cilia are working fine, but for some reason, your vagus nerve or your brain or SOMETHING is out of whack, and you cough all the time for no apparent reason? I wish there was a decent suppressant for that kind of worthless cough… ---
**Author:** ![Baracus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/2bfe46/32.png) [@Baracus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baracus)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/23 "2010-09-03T19:21:25Z")
> [@crazyjoe](#): > > Yes, sir, but the FDA didn’t mess with the labelling requirements JUST for that drug. They included ALL of the children’s cold and cough medicines. > > Children’s Triaminic Night-Time Cold and Cough medicine says not to give to children under 4: > > [Haleon - Service not currently available or no longer active](http://www.triaminic.com/products/syrups/night-time-cold-and-cough-ingredients-dosing-and-safety-information.shtml) > > It does not contain the ingredient you mention. I applaud agencies stepping in to try to protect kids, but this one was just plain dumb. I’ll look forward to the studies that prove it has saved lives. Traiminic was withrawn for children under 4 because it contains phenlyephrine, not just because it falls under the general category of cough and cold medicine. I believe studies showed that decongestants, such as phenylephrine, were not effective in children under four and a number of kids were getting overdosed every year. ---
**Author:** ![crazyjoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f14d63/32.png) [@crazyjoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crazyjoe)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/24 "2010-09-03T19:49:37Z")
> [@Baracus](#): > > > [@crazyjoe](#): > > > > Yes, sir, but the FDA didn’t mess with the labelling requirements JUST for that drug. They included ALL of the children’s cold and cough medicines. > > > > Children’s Triaminic Night-Time Cold and Cough medicine says not to give to children under 4: > > > > [Haleon - Service not currently available or no longer active](http://www.triaminic.com/products/syrups/night-time-cold-and-cough-ingredients-dosing-and-safety-information.shtml) > > > > It does not contain the ingredient you mention. I applaud agencies stepping in to try to protect kids, but this one was just plain dumb. I’ll look forward to the studies that prove it has saved lives. > > Traiminic was withrawn for children under 4 because it contains phenlyephrine, not just because it falls under the general category of cough and cold medicine. I believe studies showed that decongestants, such as phenylephrine, were not effective in children under four and a number of kids were getting overdosed every year. I beleive phenylephrine was found to be ineffective in just about everybody 🙂 And all joking aside, I used these products on my children sparingly and under a doctor’s direction. And they do have a positive effect. ---
**Author:** ![GiantRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@GiantRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GiantRat)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2010, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/25 "2010-09-03T20:00:15Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > Yes, you can synthesize crystal meth (whose terrible impact I do not want to minimize) from pseudoephedrine, but the vast majority of it is made on an industrial scale by gangs who import it, rather than being home-brewed. With all due respect - industrial my ass. When was the last time you were in a meth lab? I’ve been in them. They’re not exactly “industrial.” They tend to be in hotel rooms, trailers, stashed-away-in-the-woods type places. If you know of an “industrial” clandestine lab, give me your phone number and I’ll get someone to sign you up as an informant. Bring batteries, anhydrous ammonia, and your stack of pseudoephedrine. ---
**Author:** ![Memnosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6bbea6/32.png) [@Memnosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Memnosyne)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/26 "2010-09-04T02:07:15Z")
While there has been no evidence which indicates that dextromethorphan is effective at stopping a cough, it has a number of therapeutic effects and a rather benign side effect profile. I would honestly like to ask Qadgop the Mercotan what he is referring to when he speaks of ‘significant side-effects.’ There have been issues regarding it’s safety in children, but the track record is pretty good when we look at use in adults as far as I know. There is actually quite a wealth of evidence which points toward the drug having a number of therapeutic uses: [http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/reprint/03-0983fjev1.pdf](http://www.fasebj.org/cgi/reprint/03-0983fjev1.pdf) > [@](#): > > Supporting this conclusion was the observation that DM markedly reduced the MPTP-induced production of superoxide free radicals and, to a lesser degree, the elevation of intracellular ROS. Furthermore, the neuroprotective effect of DM appeared to be closely related to NADPH oxidase, the primary enzymatic system in microglia for the generation of ROS, because the neuroprotective effect of DM was observed only in the wild-type but not the NADPH oxidase-deficient mice. > **[Neuroprotection following focal cerebral ischaemia with the NMDA antagonist...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8103583/)** > > Although N-methyl-D-Aspartate (NMDA) antagonists protect against focal cerebral ischaemia, there is concern that the high doses necessary for neuroprotection may cause unacceptable adverse effects. We studied the dose response characteristics of the... > [@](#): > > These results demonstrate that systemic treatment with dextromethorphan after 1 h of focal ischaemia can significantly protect against cerebral damage if adequate plasma and brain levels are achieved. Dextromethorphan was concentrated 7-30 x in brain compared with plasma, and brain levels were highly correlated with plasma levels (r = 0.89). Neuroprotective doses of dextromethorphan were tolerated with only transient side effects. > **[Treatment of pseudobulbar affect in ALS with dextromethorphan/quinidine: a...](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15505150/)** > > AVP-923 palliates pseudobulbar affect in ALS. Overall benefits of treatment are reflected in fewer episodes of crying and laughing and improvements in overall quality of life and quality of relationships. > [@](#): > > RESULTS: AVP-923 patients experienced 3.3-point greater improvements in CNS-LS than DM patients (p = 0.001) and 3.7-point greater improvements than Q patients (p \< 0.001). AVP-923 patients exhibited lower overall episode rates, improved QOL scores, and improved QOR scores (p \< 0.01 for all endpoints). Adverse effects were mostly mild or moderate; treatment-related discontinuation was 24% for AVP-923, 6% for DM, and 8% for Q. > > CONCLUSIONS: AVP-923 palliates pseudobulbar affect in ALS. Overall benefits of treatment are reflected in fewer episodes of crying and laughing and improvements in overall quality of life and quality of relationships. I could fill pages with human and animal studies in this vein if need be. The drug isn’t ‘lousy,’ it’s labeled incorrectly. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/27 "2010-09-04T02:57:45Z")
> [@Memnosyne](#): > > I could fill pages with human and animal studies in this vein if need be. The drug isn’t ‘lousy,’ it’s labeled incorrectly. The first two studies you cite are about rats and rabbits. The third is an interesting trial of the medication for a very specific neurologic disorder, but more work needs to be done to determine if it is really safe and effective. I’ve no problem with its use being explored for other problems, and its side-effects are well within the acceptable range compared to other drugs. Nor do I want it banned or anything. I just think it’s oversold and overdosed as a cough suppressant, especially with its tendency to cause dysphoria, ataxia, dystonia, and its association with serotonin syndrome in people on MAOIs and SSRIs. Add onto that the complete lack of testing on infants and children for this drug, and I’m just as happy it is not being dosed so readily to the younger set. I do wish there was a safe, effective non-prescription cough medicine which would quiet down a painful, dry cough. Thus far, there really isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/28 "2010-09-04T15:15:16Z")
> [@WarmNPrickly](#): > > You’ve said this before, and I respect your knowledge, but I certainly feel like it helps me. It could well be a psychosomatic response. Works great for me too. I usually take it in pill form though so I assume dosing is more accurate than with the liquid. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/29 "2010-09-04T15:46:46Z")
> [@GilaB](#): > > Yes, you can synthesize crystal meth (whose terrible impact I do not want to minimize) from pseudoephedrine, but the vast majority of it is made on an industrial scale by gangs who import it, rather than being home-brewed. Yeah well, considering the number of home meth labs in this county, it’s still a horrifying scourge. And OTC pseudoephedrine is/was indeed a common ingredient–it’s not like that’s an urban legend. About 80% of our crime is directly attributable to meth. A huge number of our child abuse cases are too. A lot of that meth is home-brewed, and poisons people, homes, and the environment. ---
**Author:** ![AmunRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AmunRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmunRa)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/30 "2010-09-04T19:16:15Z")
> [@dangermom](#): > > About 80% of our crime is directly attributable to meth. Do you mean 80% of all crime in the US? If so I don’t know what to say, other than cite? ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/31 "2010-09-04T19:31:58Z")
> [@AmunRa](#): > > > [@dangermom](#): > > > > About 80% of our crime is directly attributable to meth. > > Do you mean 80% of all crime in the US? If so I don’t know what to say, other than cite? I had previously said “in our county,” and I was continuing in that vein. I live in a poor and rural county (by CA standards) and meth is our major problem. ---
**Author:** ![AmunRa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@AmunRa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AmunRa)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 7:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/32 "2010-09-04T19:59:08Z")
Ah, I see. Unfortunately that is far too plausible. ---
**Author:** ![dangermom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e274bd/32.png) [@dangermom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dangermom)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2010, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269/33 "2010-09-04T20:13:54Z")
> [@AmunRa](#): > > Ah, I see. Unfortunately that is far too plausible. Yup. Until a couple of years ago, we had the most home meth labs per capita in the whole US. Quite the distinction, huh? (There has been a big push to get rid of them, with the result that our gang problem is growing fast.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/has-robitussins-formula-changed/552269.md?page=1)