Delsym 12 Hour Cough Relief and Alcohol Food Interactions

If it is almost time for your next dose, skip the missed dose and take the medicine at your next regularly scheduled time. It is available over-the-counter alone and is also present in many over-the-counter and prescription combination medications. A dry cough is a common symptom of respiratory infections, such as the common cold. It typically occurs along with other symptoms, like throat pain or irritation. When you have irritation in your throat or airway, your body naturally gets the urge to cough.

“Extended release” means the drug is released into your body slowly over a long period of time. Generic drugs are thought to be as safe and effective as the brand-name drug on which they’re based. In general, generics usually cost less than brand-name drugs. For those who drink three or more alcoholic beverages a day, the safe daily limit is likely much lower. It is not known if or how dextromethorphan dextromethorphan with alcohol could affect pregnancy or harm an unborn baby.

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Talk with your doctor or pharmacist if you have questions about other medications that contain dextromethorphan. Taking a medication with certain vaccines, foods, and other things can affect how the medication works. Dextromethorphan belongs to a group of drugs called cough suppressants. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approves dextromethorphan to help relieve coughing from a short-term cause. Healthcare professionals may recommend dextromethorphan for adults and some children. The most common are nausea and gastrointestinal discomfort, while drowsiness and dizziness can also occur.

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Quite a few cold and cough medicines that have DXM also have acetaminophen, the active ingredient in Tylenol. Overdosing on these multi-ingredient products increases the risk of liver toxicity and liver failure. In summary, we did not identify a significant increase in the reporting of alcohol and/or substance misuse abuse with DXM/BUP relative to acetaminophen. However, we did observe a significant increase in abuse liability for dextromethorphan. The absence of alcohol or substance misuse reported to the FAERS with DXM/BUP aligns with the lack of evidence of abuse liability prior to FDA approval and its DEA non-scheduling.

• This includes opioids, marijuana, alcohol, sedatives, and sleep medications.
• When misused at doses high enough to produce psychoactive effects, the central nervous system action of DXM can lead to significantly slowed breathing, which can be life-threatening.
• At high doses, DXM can produce psychedelic symptoms including mania, panic, extreme agitation, and hallucinations.
• When we consider the complexities of DXM and its interactions, especially with alcohol, we unravel a narrative filled with potential risks and unintended consequences.
• Dextromethorphan is the only cough suppressant available as an over-the-counter drug without a prescription.
• Users may experience dizziness, confusion, and impaired motor coordination, increasing their risk of falls and injuries.
• Other factors may also affect whether dextromethorphan is a good option for you.

There is no safe amount of alcohol, and any mixture of these substances poses dangerous risks. Any sort of substance misuse has serious implications for our health, and dextromethorphan is no different. DXM suppresses coughing by reducing the activity of our central nervous system — the part of our brain responsible for breathing, blood pressure, and heart rate. Because it acts on such a critical part of our body, DXM has a wide range of side effects. In recent years, dextromethorphan has also been investigated for its role in treating other psychiatric conditions, such as the pseudobulbar affect and certain symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Drug Interactions between Alcohol (contained in alcoholic beverages) and dextromethorphan

Tolerance means you need more of a substance to feel its effects. DXM is one of the most common over-the-counter (OTC) products adolescents misuse. Read to learn how DXM and alcohol can affect the body and why you should avoid mixing them. This pertains to all the authors of the piece, their spouses or partners.

Drugs & Supplements

This means you feel like you need the drug to function as usual. Dextromethorphan oral capsule is approved for use in adults and children ages 12 years and older. The recommended dosage is 30 mg every 6–8 hours as needed for cough.

• Always tell your healthcare provider about any prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medicines, vitamins/minerals, herbal products, and other supplements you are using.
• Here’s a list of some of the mild side effects dextromethorphan can cause.
• These include stimulant drugs like amphetamines and depressant drugs like benzodiazepines.
• Using dextromethorphan together with ethanol (alcohol) can increase nervous system side effects such as dizziness, drowsiness, and difficulty concentrating.
• While DayQuil products come in a number of different formulations, many contain the drugs acetaminophen and dextromethorphan — and neither ingredient is safe to use with alcohol.
• Avoid taking diet pills, caffeine pills, or other stimulants (such as ADHD medications) without your doctor’s advice.
• Dextromethorphan (DXM) is an over‐the‐counter drug that is commonly abused by teenagers.

What should I do if I miss a dose of dextromethorphan?

There are many dextromethorphan warnings to consider, but the most severe ones have to do with combining DXM and other substances, especially alcohol. In the short term, DXM can cause extreme drowsiness and sedation, impairing our dexterity, balance, reaction time, and mental clarity. Users may experience dizziness, confusion, and impaired motor coordination, increasing their risk of falls and injuries. It can also impair our judgment and decision-making abilities and lead to hallucinations, delusions, or a dissociative state.

The FAERS database was searched from 2022 to September 30, 2023 for dextromethorphan/bupropion, dextromethorphan and acetaminophen (control). There are 363 drug interactions with Delsym 12 Hour Cough Relief (dextromethorphan). There is 1 alcohol/food/lifestyle interaction with Delsym 12 Hour Cough Relief (dextromethorphan). This is not a complete list of dextromethorphan side effects and others may occur.

Immediate reactions can include problems with balance, movement, and judgment. If you or someone you know has taken DXM and is experiencing any of the above symptoms, call 911 immediately. Long-term heavy use of DXM can cause toxicity and tolerance to the drug.

In 2005, the FDA issued a warning regarding DXM abuse to increase awareness of this growing trend. This warning was in response to reports of deaths of teens that were related to the use of raw DXM purchased over the Internet. While DayQuil products come in a number of different formulations, many contain the drugs acetaminophen and dextromethorphan — and neither ingredient is safe to use with alcohol. For people who suffer from alcohol addiction, it may be safest to avoid medications containing acetaminophen or dextromethorphan.

Because of these risks, many states have restrictions on OTC dextromethorphan. Some limit the amount of dextromethorphan products that can be sold. And some allow sales only to people ages 18 years and older.