Apparently cough medicines containing dextromethorphan should not be used by folks on SSRIs. Does anyone know of an over-the-counter alternative?–everything I’ve looked at seems to contain dextromethorphan.
Thanks for any help.
DXM is the most common OTC cough remedy. Frankly there’s not a lot else. Some cough relief can occasionally be found with diphenhydramine (benadryl). Or try taking steam and pushing fluids. Otherwise, annoying coughs due to scratchy or dry throat can be eased by lozenges.
Best find the underlying cause of the cough if it is a chronic problem (not due to a sudden nasty cold or bronchitis). ACE inhibitors, sinus infections, undiagnosed asthma, and smoking make up 4 pretty common causes of chronic cough.
If an acute cough is so severe that it needs treatment (prevents one from sleeping or being able to rest, making one cough until one vomits) then it probably merits a medical evaluation to ensure nothing really funky is going on. Remember, the cough is the body’s way of dealing with a situation; the body wants those lungs kept clear! Suppressing a cough is not a good idea if one is trying to clear a pneumonia!
Prescription alternatives include things like benzonatate pills (some patients swear by them, others think they do nothing), or codiene/hydrocodone based cough syrups.