After changing weather many people suffer from cold, influenza, and flu. All these symptoms lead to a sore throat. Sore throat itself irritated so much that the person could not eat, speak or even sleep well. One common solution is to take cough drops to take relief temporarily. But in some cases instead of sucking it slowly, it is suddenly swallowed by a patient who fearfully asked
What happens if you swallow a cough drop? The cough drop simply slides into the stomach and digests there. It is itself nontoxic and no harmful effects are observed. But if It takes in a large quantity, menthol poisoning occurs. It does not extend your illness or lead to disease in other parts of your body.
Sometimes tablets enter your air passage which will certainly be a dangerous condition that can block your air passage and prove to be lethal.
What Happens If You Swallow a Cough Drop
A cough drop is a small medicated tablet, planned to be liquefied slowly in the mouth to temporarily control cough, and soothe upset tissues of the throat. The throat may be disturbed by the common cold, or influenza.
Many names are given to these tablets like Lozenge, troche, cachou, pastille, or cough sweets.
Sometimes people swallow the whole tablet instead of slowly absorbing it, this creates fear in them. A wave of uneasiness comes to their brain.
Don’t worry the small number of cough drops does not harm you if you are not allergic to its contents. Eating a single tablet is quite harmless
What Ingredient Cough Drop Made of
It is prepared by different compounds like benzocaine eucalyptus oil and menthol made of peppermint, and mint oil
Non-menthol generally contains zinc gluconate glycine or pectin as an oral demulcent. In several cough drops, dextromethorphan is an essential part
In Hall variety menthol, peppermint oil spearmint is used as active components.
The purpose of the throat lozenge is to soothe the irritation that may be sensed in the throat while swallowing, breathing, or even drinking specific fluids.
What Long Do a Cough Drop Last
Normally a person can use it after every two hours but it depends on your need and the doctor’s advice. If your doctor suggested you should follow his advice on how to use it. Do not increase its quantity on your own. It is your doctor who decides How often or for longer, you can use it.
What Long Do Halls a Cough Drops Last After Expiration Date
The expiry date on the medicine is not the date when the medicine becomes harmful or dangerous to health. Rather it tells about the duration after which the company can longer be responsible for the efficiency of that drug. 90% of drugs are proven to be effective even after the 10 years of their expiry
If you store your drugs in a cool, dry, and dark place. you have better chances to use the drugs more than expiry. If your Hall cough drop is placed in a cool and dry place and its upper surface is safe and smooth you can use it without hesitation. But if it’s color and texture change due to warm and humid conditions, never use it.
Can Cough Drops Get Moldy
You have an experience that if your cough drops don’t last for more than a year it begins to look cloudy, and it becomes softer and stickier. It loses its shape and begins to flow into gaps and cracks of its wrapper appear on the outside of cough drops. It is a sugar bloom. Some people also called it graining. Its main reason is humidity over the time, sugar in cough drops recrystallizes making them white
You should note its expiry. If its expiry date is over don’t use it. This will be risky for your health.
Does Manthole Expire
Most research indicates that they do not expire soon like other medicines. Most menthol cough drops do not change their shape, taste, or effectiveness even after 3years of expiry.
The best way to use medicine is to discard expired medicines. If in an emergency you use expiry medicines consult doctors only when negative signs appear.
What Happens If Accidentally Swallow A Cough Drop
Nothing happens, one cough drop usually has no harmful effect. But for children, it may be harmful if choked in the esophagus. For adults, it will cause some stomach upset, nausea, and vomiting if you eat more than normal. You may suffer from diarrhea due to its artificial sweeteners as it shows laxative effects.
Is It Bad to Swallow Whole Cough Drops
Instead of swallowing it as a whole, it is better to dissolve it slowly in the mouth. It is specially designed to keep in the mouth for a long time. You should swallow saliva that is combined with it and when goes into the throat give relief to strep throat.
What Amount Of Cough Drop Can Kill You
These significant cough drops may be fatal if overdose.500 to 1000mg of menthol/kg of body weight is considered to be dangerous. Simply if a man has 150pounds (68kg)weight, more than 6,800 cough drops of 10mg menthol in each, is enough to kill him. This is Menthol poisoning.
What Are The Symptoms If You Overdose Cough Drops
If you eat too many cough drops in a short period, you may face the following problems:
- Stomach ache
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Headache
- Rapid heart rate
- Confusion
- Drowsiness
How To Protect From Menthol Poisoning
- If you are worried about methanol poisoning you may use non-menthol tablet-like Zarbee’s honey cough soothers or cough drops that contain Pectin such as Ludden Throat Lozenges.
- Gargling with salt water is another way to soothe your throat
- If a person is a diabetic patient he should avoid cough drops with sweetness. Sugar-free varieties of cough drops are also available but ingesting too many of them can have laxative effects especially due to sugar substitute Sorbitol
- You should keep it out of reach of children. They think that it is candy and try to engulf them which may block their air passage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do Cough Drops Break up Mucus?
During flu or cold when you are congested cough drops will help you to lose the air passage.
But for it, you should take a strong cough drop. This menthol vapor can help you to loosen up and break up the mucus in your nose lining and your throat.
How Long Does it Take a Cough Drop to Dissolve?
The cough drops dissolve in about 10 to 15 minutes. But its effect remains for a long time.some lozenge is salivary stimulant.It creates mild tingles in your salivary gland that help to produce more saliva. This is a different approach than other cough drops. These try to improve dry mouth
How Many Cough Drops Can Make You High?
A safe dose of products with DXM is usually 15 to 30 milligrams (mg) within 24 hours. It usually takes additional than 10 times (30×10=300mg)is the quantity to cause you high. There are usually several steps to DXM intoxication, depending on how much you take.
Bottom Lines
Some people use cough drops as candies and also give them to their children. Be careful it is a medicated tablet designed for sucking for some time to slow mint taste and relieve the throat from pain. Accidental uptake has no harmful effect but engulfing too many medicines can show its side effects like stomach pain, vomiting, or diarrhea is also called Menthol poisoning.
You may protect yourself from menthol poisoning by using non-menthol cough drops, or by simply gargling with salt water which comforts your sore throat. Always follow doctor instructions before its use otherwise the risk of overdosing can make you sick.
