Abstrakt

Cough is one of the most frequent presenting symptoms when visiting a doctor. Efforts should be made to identify and treat the underlying cause. If the cough is not helpful, as in dry cough, and if it presents a considerable burden for the patient or disturbs his/ her sleep, antitussive agents may be indicated. Opioids are regarded the gold standard of antitussive compounds. Noscapine is a non-narcotic opioid chemically related to papaverine which effectively suppresses non-productive cough. It has been used as an antitussive agent in many countries for several decades. Noscapine was licensed in Germany in 1966 as a medication available on prescription only for the treatment of non-productive dry cough. It reduces both cough frequency and cough intensity in patients with chronic cough. A two week treatment course is indicated for acute dry cough assessed as distressing by the patient. Noscapine is well tolerated and causes neither respiratory depression nor addiction. Its large therapeutic window further supports its safety profile compared to other antitussive agents. In contrast to codeine, noscapine is licensed for infants older than 6 months.

Autoreninformation

Autoren

• G. Steinkamp¹
• H. Lindemann²

Abteilungen

• ¹ Klinische Forschung, Medizinisch-wissenschaftliches Publizieren, Hannover,
• ² Justus-Liebig-Universität, Gießen

Adresse

Prof. Dr. med. Gratiana Steinkamp
Schellingstraße 5a
D-30625 Hannover

Email: [email protected]

Citation