What medicines will stop my dry cough?
ANSWER
Suppressants do their job by blocking your cough reflex. Dextromethorphan is the most common ingredient for this. You'll see it listed as DM on the bottle or package.
This type of medication isn't used to treat a cough with mucus. And it can't relieve pain like the medicine codeine -- you'll need a doctor's prescription for cough meds with that in it.
Reviewed by Carol DerSarkissian on May 15, 2019
SOURCES:
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: "Common Cold: Treatment."
Mayo Clinic: "Common Cold."
MedicineNet: "Cough."
American Academy of Family Physicians: "Cough Medicine: Understanding Your Options."
UptoDate: "The common cold in adults: Treatment and prevention."
SOURCES:
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases: "Common Cold: Treatment."
Mayo Clinic: "Common Cold."
MedicineNet: "Cough."
American Academy of Family Physicians: "Cough Medicine: Understanding Your Options."
UptoDate: "The common cold in adults: Treatment and prevention."
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