Our downstairs neighbor Ms. Liu has been coughing after catching a cold a few days ago, and she has tried all kinds of methods that can be used, but she still coughs, she posted her experience in our owner group, asking who has a good cough suppressant, and then someone introduced her to buy compound licorice tablets.
Several people in the group said that this medicine is simply a cough medicine, and the cough that can't be better after taking other medicines will be good if you take this medicine, Ms. Liu said that she remembered that when she was young, she seemed to have this cough medicine at home, but later she couldn't buy this medicine in the pharmacy, and someone suggested that she go to a doctor to prescribe it, this medicine is now a prescription drug, and the pharmacy does not sell it, but the doctor can still prescribe it.
Ms. Liu registered to find a doctor, but when the doctor learned about her situation, he refused her, did not prescribe this medicine to her, and told her not to think about taking this medicine in the future, and prescribed her another cough medicine.
A neighbor asked her why the doctor didn't prescribe it to her, she said that the doctor told her that it is not recommended to prescribe this drug now, this drug has many side effects, and Ms. Liu has high blood pressure, and the doctor does not recommend her to use it, saying that patients with high blood pressure will have symptoms such as increased blood pressure and low blood potassium after taking licorice tablets, which is not conducive to blood pressure stability, and the doctor repeatedly told her to remember this.
What exactly is compound licorice tablets?
The full name of licorice tablets we often say is compound licorice tablets, containing licorice flow extract, camphor, opium powder, star anise oil, sodium benzoate and other ingredients, which is a strong antitussive drug, in the past when the seasons turned, many people were prone to catch a cold and get sick, and then began to cough, so almost most families will stock up on a bottle of compound licorice tablets, and eat them for a few days whenever they cough, and many people's coughs are easily stopped.
The smell of this medicine is actually not particularly good, many people say that if it is not because of coughing, no one wants to smell that smell, it is not generally unpalatable, and some people will be nauseous and want to vomit after eating. But because of the cough suppressant effect, I will insist on eating it even after the unpleasant taste. In the past, it only cost a few dollars a bottle, which was very popular, and it was very practical to keep it at home.
Compound licorice tablets used to be very popular, why are they not sold in pharmacies now, and doctors do not recommend using them?
Compound licorice tablets used to be very popular, cheap and easy to use, and were regarded as "cough medicines", affordable and symptomatic, many people think that they are better than other cough medicines, but now most pharmacies do not sell them, and doctors do not recommend using them, why is this?
This is because compound licorice tablets contain an ingredient called opium powder, opium is extracted from the unripe fruit of opium poppy, this ingredient is to directly inhibit the nerve center to suppress cough, although the effect is relatively good, but if you take it for a long time, it is easy to form drug dependence, once you stop taking it, there will be yawning, runny nose, cold sweats, irritability and other addiction symptoms, these conditions often take several months to slowly recover.
The adverse reaction of compound licorice tablets is greater, such as nausea, dry mouth, constipation, etc., and the patient will have drowsiness, if the adverse reaction is not treated in time, the patient may also have heart failure, kidney failure, and even periodic paralysis. Doctors do not advise patients to self-administer compound licorice tablets.
As early as 2005, compound licorice tablets were classified as prescription drugs, and it is not recommended to buy them on their own, and they should be used under the guidance of a doctor. In 2014, a passenger brought licorice tablets abroad and was later banned from entering the country for five years.
In 2020, in order to further ensure the safety of drug use, the State Food and Drug Administration also issued an announcement on revising the instructions of compound licorice tablets, revising the contents of "adverse reactions" and "precautions" in the instructions. Since then, the use of this drug has been further controlled.
Adverse reactions before and after modification:
As we can see from the figure above, the modified adverse reactions have significantly increased several items, including nervous system problems, cardiovascular system problems, gastrointestinal system problems, systemic damage problems, urinary system problems, skin and its attachment problems, metabolic and nutritional disorders, respiratory problems, etc.
Precautions: Comparison between before and after the modification:
As shown in the figure above, the precautions before and after the modification are also clearer, and the number of people who use it with caution has increased, in addition to explaining that it cannot be taken for a long time, it also emphasizes the people who should use it with caution, including gastritis, gastric ulcers, athletes, high blood pressure, pregnant and lactating women, etc.
Doctors said that there are four groups of people who should not take compound licorice tablets without authorization, which will have serious consequences
Now compound licorice tablets are listed as prescription drugs, but there are still many people who will try their best to buy this drug, some people are too obsessed with the antitussive effect of this medicine, but if you ignore your own physical condition, the more serious consequences will outweigh the losses.
There was once an old man in his 60s, suffering from high blood pressure, has been taking antihypertensive drugs, and his blood pressure is maintained well, but after a cold, he took licorice tablets to suppress cough, and suddenly his blood pressure soared to about 180/110mmHg for several days, and he also had dizziness and fatigue.
The doctor asked him how he prescribed compound licorice tablets, he said that he ran to several pharmacies but did not find this medicine, and finally found a small pharmacy in an urban village to buy it, and then, he took 4 tablets three times a day, he was worried that it would be more difficult to treat if he was not cured once, so when the cough symptoms had improved, he took it for several days.
The doctor was speechless and told him that it was this method of taking that hurt him, and for patients with high blood pressure, long-term overdose of compound licorice tablets will cause pseudoaldosterolosis, which will cause a sudden increase in blood pressure, and if it is not taken under the guidance of a doctor, it is likely to cause other problems. The old man regretted it.
Ouyang Hua, director of the Department of Pharmacy at Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Xiamen University, said in an interview that the severity of drug dependence is no less than that of poisons, and the losses caused by blind use are immeasurable. There are four groups of people who should not take compound licorice tablets without authorization. One is infants and young children, the elderly, the second is peptic ulcer patients, the third is hypertension patients, and the fourth is diabetes patients. These types of patients can easily cause serious consequences if they take compound licorice tablets without authorization.
What should I do if I have a bad cough? Here are two good ways to use it for yourself
Different people have a bad cough may be caused by different reasons, we must not take medicine at will, it is best to go to a regular hospital to see, let the doctor determine the cause, and then take the medicine according to the doctor's guidance, you can also adjust it through diet. Share two small methods for personal use, I hope it can help everyone.
- 1. Steamed pears with rock sugar
After washing and peeling a pear, cut a lid on the pear, remove the core from the lower part of the pear, put rock sugar in it, steam it for about 20 minutes, then open the lid, drink the juice of the steamed pear, and then eat the pear while it is hot. If you eat it for a few days in a row, your cough will get better.
- 2. Ginger and pear to simmer
Take a pear and a piece of ginger, then cut them into slices, put them in a pot together, add an appropriate amount of water, boil over high heat first, then change to low heat and boil for 15 minutes, drink the soup that comes out of the boiling, and the pear slices can be eaten or not, according to personal wishes.
Sydney pear is a great fruit, low in calories and high in fiber, it is a standing fruit for many people's healthy diet, it is rich in vitamin C, etc., which helps to replenish water and collagen. Sydney pear has the effect of clearing heat and detoxifying, moistening the lungs and quenching thirst, and is often used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat respiratory diseases such as cough and sore throat.
Although a cold and cough is a minor problem, you still have to follow the doctor's instructions when taking medicine, which is a three-point poison, and you should not increase the dose at will or take it indiscriminately without following the doctor's instructions.
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