Will cough drops raise blood pressure?

[ayl2871]

I had been taking cough drops for suppress coughs in the past 6 days.
I noticed that my blood pressure was elevated to 149/90 after taking cough drops. My blood pressure was about 134/79 two weeks ago when I had an annual checkup.

Has anyone experienced elevation of blood pressure after taking cough drops?
How long the cough drops effects will stay in my body?

Thanks

[jemma116]

You should read the instructions on the packet of the cough drops and use them as directed.

Different cough drops contain different active ingredients.  There are usually instructions how to use them on the packet and the dosage that can safely be taken with 24 hours.

Most cough drop medications do carry warnings with regard to use with other medications and side effects that may experienced.  There will also be a warning that if you have an allergy to any of the ingredients, you should not use the product.

You can ask your pharmacist for advice if they are OK to use with other medications that you may be on and about the active ingredients that are in the product.

[gymdandee]

that's o

[gymdandee]

If you over use menthol caugh drops it's possible you could raise your H.R. not your pressure.

[Paxiled]

I would doubt there's anything in a cough drop to raise blood pressure.  Sugar might cause elevated blood sugar over a period of years of abuse, but certainly not just a few days, and many other risk factors would have to be there as well.  Some cough drops don't contain sugar at all, including most of the ones you can get in a good health food store.  Pseudoephedrine isn't a cough suppressant, it's to clear the sinuses and lungs, so it's unlikely to be included in a standard cough drop.  I'm also not even sure you can get it anymore, as I think the DEA and FDA teamed up to severely limit its availability because it was being used to cook meth.  But the suggestion above to stop using those particular drops and try a different brand would solve the question -- if you stop them and the blood pressure goes back to normal it was the cough drops; if not, it wasn't.  There's a great herbal tea called Herbatussin that will help with the cough and sooth the throat and contains only plants, not sugar.  It's made by Traditional Medicinals.  Thayer's makes a good cough drop based on slippery elm.  Consider that most cough drops are still using plant ingredients as the main suppressants, including slippery elm and black cherry.  Good luck.  

[jemma116]

The question was "Has anyone experienced elevation of blood pressure after taking cough drops?" and nothing to do with low blood pressure.

It is a well know fact that  pseudoephedrine which is in decongestants does cause raised blood pressure.  Hence if the cough drops contain  pseudoephedrine, this is a possibility why the blood pressure has gone up.  Once the cough drops/decongestant containing  pseudoephedrine is stopped, the blood pressure will resume back to what it was before.

If the blood pressure does not return to its lower levels, you may need to consider recording the readings over a period of a few weeks and your doctor would consider whether you would require to be started on medication.

Eating lots of salty products, stress and anxiety can raise the blood pressure.  It is also best to take a reading when at rest and not soon after drinking any fluids or after rushing around.  Blood pressure readings will show up higher if you have been rushing around.   Best also not to speak or move about when having your blood pressure taken.

You clearly do not have a condition called "White Coat Syndrome".  This is when people are so worked up by seeing the doctor that their blood pressure will be raised.

[Dxrosemary]

I have never seen or heard of a cough drop having pseudo ephedrine in it. Cough drops are usually just sugar, sodium and menthol, sometimes with benzocaine. None of the active ingredients raise blood pressure. If you have a whole bag you might get a bit much sodium. What raises blood pressure is being sick and coughing a lot and not sleeping well. Not cough drops. You're confusing correlation with causation and don't know what's in cough drops.

[caregiver222]

The answer is somewhat complicated. When a person coughs, the cough activates the vagus nerve, which releases substances into the bloodstream that reduce heart rate and in turn reduce blood pressure. The effect varies with the individual. In some cases the lowered heart-rate is only for a minute. In other individuals the rate main remain lowered for quite a long period. Thus, a blood pressure reading after a coughing spell will always be lower than usual. Taking cough drops eliminates this mechanism.

[jemma116]

It all depends on what the cough drops contain.

As your blood pressure has increased significantly since you started taking the cough drops, it appears that the rise in the blood pressure has been caused by the cough drops.  I presume that you have had no adverse stress and anxiety problems since that time.

I suggest you stop taking these cough drops and make a note not to use them in the future.

Any product that contains pseudoephedrine should not be taken with people with high blood pressure.  Sudafed contains pseudoephedrine and should only taken under the supervision of your doctor if you have hypertension.  Even with that, should the blood pressure increase, you would be advised to stop taking the medication.

Coughing is the body's natural way of getting rid of any irritant and that includes virus and bacteria.

To help with the relief of your cough if this is caused by congestion, do steam inhalations.  To do steam inhalations, boil up a kettleful of water and pour this into a bowl (taking care not to get scalded).  Put some Vick or olbas oil or any other menthol oil of your choice.  Bend your head over the bowl and cover your head and the bowl with a towel.  Breathe in the steam through your nose and out through your mouth for about 10 minutes duration.  Do this 4 times a day if you can.

Other soothing remedies for cough is having honey and lemon hot drinks and also having a teaspoonful of honey on its own.  Make sure that you drink plenty of warm drinks and cover your mouth and nose with a scarf to avoid breathing in the cold air when you go out.

If you get any other symptoms as well as the cough, make an appointment to see your doctor to make sure that you do not have a chest infection.

Wishing you a speedy recovery.

[Fruttibiscotti]

Cough drops have lots of sugar.  Sugar raises the risks of cardiovascular disease factors, including blood pressure.  Many medical studies have shown this.  Here is an example peer reviewed study in a medical journal showing link of sugar to increased triglycerides and blood pressure:

http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/100/1/46.abstract

Alternative to cough drops is sipping hot, warm or cool water with a segment of fresh lemon.