Homemade cough syrup

[arbilab]

You're going "why?", right?  When next-gen antihistamines (cetirizine) work pretty well.  Old people can't take that daily, it builds up in our sluggish metabolisms.  I do take it but only every third day.  Stick with me through the discussion then we'll get to the (simple) recipe.  Oh, it's DEE-LISHUSS too.

 

Chronic wet sinuses were tolerable until I got old (when everything that bothers you gets worse) and the drip makes me cough to the point sleep is compromised.  Researched all the available commercial products (most make your tongue cringe) and had it boiled down to one with *ONLY* essential actives.  Then Kroger quit selling it and the only remedy with those same actives was an adult tab from Walgreens.

 

But I didn't want a tab, I wanted a liquid so I could control the dose.  And I didn't want "adult", I wanted kiddy (one half) strength.  Since I take this stuff chronically, MUST BE the absolute <span style="text-decoration: underline;">minimum effective dose</span>.    I'd sooner just buy it but there is no such thing. 

 

*--* What's wrong with the plethoraplex of commercial products?  All contain useless or harmful stuff:

Acetaminophen-- Outright poison.  No sinus benefit.

Aspirin-- Milder poison.  No sinus benefit.

Naproxen-- Same as aspirin.

Guaifenesin-- Not shown effective greater than placebo.

Dextromethorphan-- Psychoactive, numbs the cough reflex (and others).  I want the drip stopped, not numbed.  Side effects.

Aspartame, sucralose, other toxic sweeteners.

 

Boils down to the two actives in Walgreens "Wal-Phed PE Sinus and Allergy".  Chlorpheniramine antihistamine, phenylephrine decongestant.  We'll be dissolving 10 of these in our syrup.

 

First, google those two actives and confirm they won't interact with drugs you take or conditions you have.  E.g., phenylephrine can affect blood pressure.  Next, observe Good Manufacturing Practices.  All utensils scrupulously clean.  Use stainless or ceramic pan; not aluminum or teflon.

 

This is kiddy strength per 5ML, like the commercial preps.  Follow their dosing directions.  5ML kids over 6, (up to) 10ML adults, no less than 3 hours between doses, no more than 3 doses in 24 hours.

 

250ML bottled water, in pan, medium heat to 180F.

100ML granulated sugar, in pan, stirring to dissolve.

4 Ricola cough drops, cherry-honey, in pan, stirring.  Hold temp at 180F while these dissolve (slower than you'd think).  You may also use other flavors of candy-only cough drops, or flavor extracts.  Suggest pure extracts, not artificial.  If liquid, aprx 1/4 tsp.  Alcohol (if any) will evaporate.

 

When all solids are dissolved, bring briefly to low boil (205F) then remove from heat.  Place pan in cold water until temp comes down to 105F.  Measure 200ML of the pan mixture, discard excess.  Add 10 Wal-Phed PE tabs, stir until no 'chunks' remain.  Allow sediments (inactives that form the tab) to settle ~1hr.  DECANT into sterile storage container, discard sediment.

 

The sugar will preserve the syrup for the duration of a cold or allergy attack. 

 

Keep out of children's reach.  Resist temptation to pour it unmeasured onto waffles. 

 

What should I call it?  Arbitussin?  Snot Away?

 

[this post was last edited: 9/15/2018-08:25]

 

[ea56]

While I certainly appreciate your ingenuity Rick as well as you allergy symptoms, thats a whole lot of work. I’ve been a lifelong allergy sufferer, al least since kindergarden. And have over the years taken just about every allergy medication known to man. I too prefer to take as little of this as possible, the side effects can very bad. Since 1990 been getting regular allergy shots, every other week, because I’m so highly allergic that my body can’t take the high dose of antigens required to be on a monthly shot maintenance schedule. And even with the shots I still have regular post nasal drip, but at least I can be outside year round without convulsive sneezing.

So, to cut to the chase, have you ever tried Children’s Dimetapp Cold and Allergy formula? It is excellent, and recommened by my allergy doctor. The active ingredients are Brompheniramine maleate USP 2 mg, the antihistamine and Phenylephrine HCI, USP 5 mg, the nasal decongestant, contained in each 20 ml dose, in tasty a grape flavored syrup. It is somewhat expensive, but Walmart, Safeway and Walgreens have store brand equivalents that are less pricey.

And the other plus is since its a liquid it acts almost instantaneously.

HTH
Eddie

 

[arbilab]

I dragged the Walgreen's pharmacist out from behind the counter to scan everything they sold for those two actives.  The adult tablets were all she came up with.  So I got those and thought about it for a couple weeks while my last doses of liquid I had ran out.

 

Not that much work.  Any dinner besides Marie Callenders is more.  And it lasts >2 weeks. 

 

The cheapest I could get this (while they sold it) was $2.39.  This costs $5 to make just short of FIVE TIMES as much.

 

Plus it tastes like whatever you want, no bitter additives or chemical aftertaste.  Also, I get enormous satisfaction out of challenges like this.  Sometime let me tell you about making my own scratch skin lotion when the manufacturer discontinued the one I was addicted to.  That WAS a lot of work. Hey, it's 'sometime' right now.

 

100 attempts and refinements over two years, tracking/paying it through mfg scaleup, even did the label with consult from a product liability attorney.  Sold about half, took the other half off taxes as promo & charity, still got about 300 btls, lifetime supply plus.  And learned business taxes (but never used that again).

 

[brisnat81]

I love how medically information differs so much country to country. Some of what you’ve written is the entire opposite to the advice we have here.

1) acetaminophen (paracetamol) is poison. Over here it’s seen as the safest analgesic as long as you stay within the maximum daily dosage and don’t have liver impairment. Ibuprofen and Asprin can cause stomach issues and we don’t get Naproxin here.

2) Phenylephrine is better than a placebo. Over here they used it to replace Pseudoephedrine in cold and flu meds, so that it could be sold in the supermarket and now the original formula is only available in select pharmacy’s. I bought two boxes of the new stuff when it first became available and ended up writing to the manufacture that it did absolutely nothing. They refunded my money and sent me a paper that showed Phenylephrine did absolutely nothing for over 80% of the population. I was amazed to find when I took my box of Australian cold/flu medication to a pharmacist in the US at Christmas, the solution was to give me a box of acetaminophen and a box of Sudafed or pure pseudoephedrine tablets. Those were discontinued here in the 80s due to abuse. Why don’t you start with those, they’ll dry your nose out in a heart beat. With your method you could drop the dose right down to the minimum effective level.

Anyways, no criticism, just surprise at how different beliefs are country to country.

 

[arbilab]

Don't have liver impairment?  Do you want some?  Paracetamol a great way to get it.   They pass it out like candy 'over here' too.  That doesn't make it good but apparently that makes it SELL because that or another/multiple NSAIDs are in almost every shelf remedy.  We don't get 'better results' by throwing in medications which fail to target the condition but we do get better SALES so in it goes.

 

Guaifenesin was no better than placebo.  It's labeled 'expectorant' which implies it helps blow snot.  But the idea is to STOP snot and if it works I won't be awake to blow it out.  That's the whole idea, not being awake.  And not drugged to sleep either, though many remedies insist upon doing that as well. 

 

The epinephrines (epi = surface; nephrine = of the kidney) are systemic stimulants.  AKA adrenaline, part of the flight/fight system.  Tend to keep you awake; somewhat offset the drowsiness of prior-generation antihistamines.  Could likely do without that too, but it's a small amount and I seem to tolerate it.  Does target engorged membranes but not necessarily the histamine reaction to irritation.

 

Drugs generally get accepted if they work 15% of the time, and don't kill anybody in the process.  No surprise there.  All the more reason not to dump everything we can think of into remedies, like in a 3 Stooges movie.  Except for two facts:  Long ingredient lists SELL, and the pharm industry has little if any ethical restraint when it comes to SELLING.

 

 

 

[ea56]

Rick, this is in no way meant to discount your recipe of homemade cough medicine. I think your idea has merit, and if this works for you, or anyone else, I say great, go for it. Necessity is the mother of invention as the old saying goes. But I also have some other thoughts to add, with no offense intended.

I’ve been using Guaifenesin since the early 80’s when needed for sinus and/or lung congestion with great success. I use it as infrequently as possible, because ALL medications are potentially harmful to your liver, as the liver filters every medication that enters your system. See the Wikipedia link below, it has been proven to be no better than a placebo for the treatment of Fibromyalgia only, but for the thinning of mucus it is very effective. It has prevented me for having sinus infections by getting the congested mucus out, likewise it is beneficial in the treatment of bronchitis and prevention of pneumonia from mucus congestion in the lungs.

I agree that overuse of acetaminophen is very bad for the liver, particularly if taken with alcoholic beverages, it can be the kiss of death. But taken infrequently, in small dosages it shouldn’t be harmful, but its a personal decision. I only take one 500 mg caplet at a time, and never more than every 6 hrs., if needed. I think that aspirin is safer, but it is harder on the stomach. I try to tough out any pain for a while to see if it will go away on its own, but if after a few hours it doesn’t, I’m going to take something.

I have also found that the newer OTC decongestants work just as well for me as the old Sudefed that you have to get from behind the counter, because meth heads use it to cook meth. I’ve had bad sinus problems all my life, that have caused me to develop ear infections, bronchitis, sinus infections and pneumonia. I even had surgery on my sinuses in 1985, a hellacious experience, if there ever was one, and I’ll never do it again. After years of trial and error I’ve learned how to self medicate, as per doctor instructions using all of these medications, but only as needed. And as a result, knock on wood, I haven’t had a severe sinus or ear infection in over 10 years, and after having pneumonia 4 times since the age of 19, I haven’t had a case of it either in almost 30 years.

Everyone is different, and its very important to know how your body works, and what works for your body, and to take all medications with caution. And if you don’t feel its safe to take a particular medication, don’t take it. But there is no “one size fits all” as far as medication goes, what works for one, may not work for someone else.

Eddie [this post was last edited: 9/15/2018-17:20]

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[gyrafoam]

A slug of Jack is less complicated.

 

[arbilab]

Or 3 beers and a wine chaser.  Had to give that up.  It let me sleep in spite of  the space aliens possessing my nose.  At which point snot from frontyard tree allergy ran down my airway in my sleep and gave me pneumonia 2yrs ago.  Last time that happened was 60yrs earlier, minus the beer.  Almost killed me then, almost killed me again.

 

Ah yes, mid- and lower-airway congestion (snot) is what (I think) guaifenesin is for.  I don't have those.  This drips out my nose, tickles my throat, induces coughing (as it should).  Not to jinx it but I tend to be ruggedly immune to most infection.  We're mostly/moistly looking at overzealous mast cells.

 

The entire practice of western medicine is based on statistics.  If one falls outside those statistics, it is to be expected that OTC and scrips may provide the side effects only, not relief.  I'm cantankerously resolute that I will not be sold 'stuff' just because everyone takes it. 

 

By no means 'prescribing' this to anyone for any condition.  Only a suggested solution to the problem I encountered, that drug sellers find commercial success packaging (sometimes) needless, functionless, or harmful substances for statistical conditions they know they can make money on.  The practice is good for THEM, wholly irrespective of whether it is good for ME.  Nobody else is going to make that distinction, I must make it myself.