Last Night I want to a local Pharmacy to get some medicines regarding acute FLU and Nasal secretions. I was given CIRCOTUSSIN and RHINOTAPP (02 tablets, three times a day) as advised by Pharmacist.

I want to know if CIRCOTUSSIN is safe for me, as on Internet, it is classified as dangerous medicine.

http://www2.fda.moph.go.th/exporters/select/eng/drug/dgexp111e.asp?dgnmt=%E0%AB%CD%E2%A1%B7%D8%CA%AB%D4%B9&lcnsid=1888&lcnscd=6171&lctnmcd=3815&lctdtnmcd=&lctcd=10210318&lcntype=%BC%C21+&lcnno=3200002&rctype=2A%20&rcno=4400050&dgnmoth=CIRCOTUSSIN&dgtype=3&ndrug=2&typecd=1

Any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers

Travelman

My Dr gave me first up after taking a swab 500mg amoxycillin 7 days but then changed me to what really fixed it for me and put me on ciproxyl 500 I hope this helps but better to go to ENT and have it swabed so they can work out what is best 4 u

The active ingredient is DEXTROMETHORPHAN a cough suppressant which may cause drowsiness.

A common ingredient of many OTC "cough" medicines

The Thai FDA "dangerous drug" (D) category simply means that the drug has sufficient contraindications/risks that it should not be sold by people with no medical/pharmaceutical training. As opposed to drugs that can be safely sold at say a 7 Eleven.

The vast majority of drugs in Thailand have this classification, including antibiotics, blood pressure medications and so forth. It is no way implies anything untoward.

Circotussin is a simple cough syrup similar in composition to those sold over the counter in most western countries. It contains DEXTROMETHORPHAN, a mild cough supressant (which doesn't work well IMO0 and some expectorants (ditto). Google Dextromehtorphan for more info. If you have ever bought OTC cough syrups back home this was likely in it.

Rhinotapps is a decongestant/antihistamine which contains Phenylpropanolamine HCl 5 mg, phenylephrine HCl 5 mg, brompheniramine maleate 4 mg. Again very similar to OTC cold preparations old in the west except that there you'd have psuedoepehedrine rather than phenylephrine which does not work as well. Thailand recently made all drugs containing pseudoephedrine prescription-only. You can still get them, just need to see a doctor at a hospital for it.

in short these are very common drugs with a very large safety margin and you have most likely taken equivalents back home. They may not help all that much but they are unlikely to hurt you.

The rhinotapps because they contain an antihistamine should not be taken when driving nor mixed with alcohol.

P.S.

Zinc has been proven to shorten the duration of repsiratory infections. Some people feel Vit C does as well though the evidence for that is mixed.

You can buy something called "Redoxan" at any pharmacy, effervescent tablets containing Vit C and zinc, take daily, makes a big difference if started early.