Mucaltinum are cough tablets that appeared in the 19th century and have since been in great demand for various respiratory diseases. In addition to the undeniable effectiveness of the drug, its advantages are its low price and minimal list of adverse reactions. Let's look at the instructions for use of the medicine and its best analogues.
What is Mucaltin needed for?
The medicine, created on a plant basis, is effective for various types of cough. Its main purpose is to increase the production of bronchial secretions, make it more fluid and stimulate the removal of mucus from the respiratory tract. This property is useful both for dry cough and for high viscosity of sputum, when coughing is difficult.
Mucaltin is based on marshmallow root extract. The substances included in it have a strong expectorant effect, gently envelop, and relieve inflammation from the irritated mucous membranes of the oropharynx.
The natural composition allows Mucaltin to be prescribed from an early age and used in the treatment of viral, bacterial infections, systemic diseases as an adjuvant. Along with the excreted mucus, pathogens, their metabolic products, and exfoliated areas of the mucous are removed from the body, which allows the tissues to recover faster and speeds up recovery.
Indications for the use of Mucaltin:
- Dry cough of any origin. To find out the cause of the malaise, you should definitely contact your pediatrician. But even frequent coughing from excess dust or dry air can be eliminated by taking Mucaltin.
- Barking, dry, painful cough without mucus secretion, which requires diagnosis. To relieve symptoms and transfer attacks into a productive phase, Mucaltin can be prescribed until the causes are finally determined.
- Laryngitis, tracheitis, bronchitis. A mucolytic is prescribed for viral/bacterial inflammation, as well as for colds without infection.
- Pneumonia. For pneumonia, the drug is used as prescribed by a doctor, only as part of a complex treatment, after assessing interactions with other medications.
- Emphysema, obstructive bronchitis. Mucaltin is used to relieve symptoms, reduce tissue swelling, and reduce attacks.
- The recovery period after suffering respiratory diseases. To eliminate coughing, remove residual mucus and cleanse the bronchi.
Other indications for prescribing the drug: bronchial asthma, tracheobronchitis, bronchiectasis, pneumoconiosis, pulmonary tuberculosis, bronchoadenitis.
Mucaltin for children, instructions for use defines it as a quick way to transfer the syndrome to the stage of wet cough for any type of respiratory disease. The drug should be discontinued immediately if the sputum secreted contains blood clots, has a green tint or contains pus. This condition requires immediate examination.
Composition and effect of the cough medicine
The main advantage of the drug is the plant raw materials from which it is made - marshmallow and potassium bicarbonate. The first has anti-inflammatory, enveloping and expectorant properties, and the second provides the antitussive and secretolytic effect of Mucaltin. The drug also contains tartaric acid, which thins mucus.
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The drug is available in tablet form. They are packaged in blisters of 30 pieces or in jars of 100 pieces. Bottles of 30 and 50 tablets are also produced. One tablet weighs 50 grams and contains 10 mg of marshmallow extract. In addition, the drug contains other substances: 14.5 mg of sodium bicarbonate, 16.7 mg of tartaric acid and 0.5 mg of calcium stearate.
Marshmallow root has a stimulating effect on the smooth muscles of the bronchioles, accelerates the movement of epithelial cilia in the respiratory tract (we recommend reading: marshmallow root: instructions for using syrup based on it for children). As a result, sputum from the bronchi enters the throat, and the cough becomes productive. Mucaltin works as follows:
- has a moderate antitussive effect,
- thins mucus in dry coughs,
- reduces the number and duration of coughing attacks,
- accelerates the removal of mucus,
- has a softening, enveloping and anti-inflammatory effect,
- stimulates coughing with wet coughs,
- normalizes the secretion of the bronchi and lungs.
Composition of Mucaltina
The main active ingredient in the drug is an extract obtained from the roots of marshmallow.
The chemical composition of the plant contains many useful, highly active substances:
- pectins;
- sucrose;
- starch;
- steroids;
- vegetable acids;
- tannins;
- vitamins and microelements.
The raw material contains up to 35% polysaccharides, which, when entering the body, are broken down, turned into mucus and provide the main medicinal properties of the drug. The semi-liquid substance gently envelops the mucous membranes, creating a thin film on them. Under the influence of the drug, a protective layer is formed not only in the bronchi, but also on the mucous membranes of the digestive organs.
The higher the acidity of the stomach, the more active the polysaccharides are. Plant mucus relieves inflammation, binds pathogenic microorganisms and toxins, and accelerates tissue regeneration. The expectorant effect of marshmallow is a reflex contraction of the bronchioles, which causes a cough when sputum accumulates.
Additionally, the work of the glands that produce bronchial secretions is stimulated. At the same time, the mucus thins out and is easier to separate, which allows you to quickly remove accumulated sputum from the bronchi along with exfoliated cells, thickened fragments, and pathogens.
Indications for taking Mucaltin
This drug belongs to a number of mucolytics, that is, drugs that promote expectoration of sputum. It should be remembered that Mucaltin only relieves cough, but does not eliminate it. Dry under its influence becomes productive, and wet becomes softer. The drug is recommended for a number of diseases:
- inflammation of the mucous membranes of the bronchi and trachea,
- pharyngitis,
- obstructive and chronic bronchitis,
- pneumonia,
- laryngitis,
- bronchial asthma,
- emphysema,
- tracheitis,
- pneumonokyosis,
- bronchiecstasy,
- tuberculosis with concomitant bronchitis, etc.
In what form is it produced?
Mucaltin is produced by many domestic pharmacological enterprises, but its release form is always the same - round flat tablets weighing 50 mg. The color of the drug varies from gray-yellow to brown. The consistency is loose with small inclusions of other shades. There is a mark on the tablets, which makes it easier to break into equal parts.
Packaging of the drug:
- in paper flat packages of 10 pcs.;
- in foiled blisters of 10 tablets;
- subsequent packing into cardboard boxes of 2, 3 or more packages;
- polymer cans or pencil cases of 30, 50, 100 pcs.
Bottles are often additionally packaged in cardboard boxes. Sale in separate blisters from an opened box is acceptable.
Application of Mucaltin
The main reason for prescribing Mucaltin to a child is a cough.
But different types of syndrome require a separate approach:
- Acute cough caused by a respiratory infection is not recommended to be treated with Mucaltin in the first 3 days of the disease. At this time, there is not enough sputum in the bronchi, and stimulating its formation is premature.
- For influenza, a mucolytic is started to soften the cough, which signals the release of bronchial secretions.
- Attacks of barking cough, without mucus discharge, can be a symptom of pneumonia. In this case, treatment and dosage should be prescribed by a doctor. Regular doses may not be enough or a stronger mucolytic may be required.
- At the wet cough stage, treatment with Mucaltin makes attacks rare, but more productive, with easy coughing up of large amounts of sputum.
In rare cases, children experience a lack of reaction to the components of marshmallow. If there is no effect within 7–8 days, the drug is discontinued and other remedies prescribed by the doctor are used.
For babies
Mucaltin for children instructions for use recommends use from 2 years of age. In practice, pediatricians consider it possible to prescribe a herbal mucolytic even to infants.
The drug will be beneficial and will not harm the baby if the following rules are followed:
- The doctor calculates the dosage based on the child’s body weight;
- the daily amount of the drug is divided into several doses;
- the tablet is dissolved in water or mixed with milk or drinks;
- The last dose is given to the child no later than 4 hours before bedtime.
Mucaltin for children is used to treat cough.
The instructions for infants assume that the dosage will be calculated by the attending physician. In infants, the process of removing phlegm is difficult, so stimulating bronchial secretion before bed is dangerous. During daytime wakefulness, active body movements stimulate coughing. To safely remove mucus, when a cough occurs, the baby is picked up and placed vertically.
The daily amount of Mucaltin for an infant does not exceed 75 mg. It is permissible to use ½ tablet at a time. The course of treatment ranges from 7 to 14 days and depends on the severity of the disease and is calculated by the doctor. The accumulation of sputum can cause complications; for infants, when taking mucallytics, medical supervision is required.
For children under 3 years old
Children under 3 years of age from Mukaltin are allowed to prepare syrup. This makes it easier to take the tablet form and does not affect the effectiveness. After dissolving the solid medicine in a small amount of water, it is mixed with honey, jam or sweet drinks. The composition of the medicine allows it to be diluted in milk, tea, and juices.
The maximum daily dose of Mucaltin for children under 3 years of age is 2 tablets (100 g).
The norm is divided into 4 doses (½ tablet each) and given to the child 30 minutes before meals. The duration of use depends on the speed of disappearance of symptoms, but cannot be less than 10 days.
For effective sputum production, a sufficient amount of free fluid in the body is required. Taking Mucaltin is accompanied by drinking plenty of fluids. In case of dehydration due to high fever and vomiting, the drug is ineffective.
For children under 12 years old
A child from 3 to 12 years old can be prescribed Mucaltin from 3 to 4 tablets per day. A single dose is equal to 1 tablet. The amount of medicine depends on the child’s body weight and the nature of the cough.
At this age, it is possible to use the product without dissolving in water. The whole tablet should be offered to the child for resorption 20 minutes before meals. Continue to give Mucaltin in dissolved form in the presence of gastric diseases. The reaction of soda neutralization with foaming can harm the affected gastric mucosa.
The course of treatment for severe conditions can be extended to 30 days. If there is no effect within the first 7 days, the drug is discontinued and replaced with another medicine on the recommendation of a doctor.
For children over 12 years old
Mucaltin for children over 12 years of age; the instructions for use recommend prescribing it in adult dosages. In 4 doses, up to 400 mg of the drug per day is allowed (up to 2 tablets at a time). The medicine is absorbed or taken in an aqueous solution.
It is allowed to dilute the entire daily norm in 0.5 liters of water. Before each meal, drink ¼ cup of the solution. The usual course of treatment is 14 days.
Attention should be paid to adequate fluid intake in adolescents during treatment. An additional warning for older patients - marshmallow preparations are absolutely incompatible with alcohol.
Medication dosages and dosage regimens for different ages
The mucolytic is taken strictly according to the instructions. Violation of the manufacturer's recommendations may result in problems with the gastrointestinal tract, in particular, heaviness, nausea, diarrhea or vomiting.
The drug is administered orally according to the treatment regimen. Mucaltin is prescribed to children in accordance with the dosage specified in the instructions depending on the age of the patient.
Patient age (years) | Dosage | Reception features |
until 3 | 1/2-1 tab. 2-3 times a day | Babies cannot swallow tablets, so they are dissolved in two tbsp. l. boiled water at room temperature. You need to drink one spoon at a time. It should be borne in mind that the daily dose should not exceed 1.5 tablets. |
3-6 | 1 table 2-3 times a day | Taking the drug is optimal before eating. When taking Mucaltin, it is recommended to drink as much fluid as possible. |
7-12 | 1-2 tables 2-3 times a day | //-//-// |
12 and older | 1-2 tables 3 times a day | //-//-// |
Inhalations with Mucaltin
The therapeutic effect of Mucaltin on the respiratory tract increases many times over if it is delivered with vapor directly to the mucous membranes of the throat, into the bronchi. When inhaled, microscopic drops of warm solution fall directly onto the inflamed areas, cover them with a protective layer and immediately begin to act. A sore throat is quickly eliminated, pain is reduced, and tissue swelling subsides.
Procedures for children over an open vessel of boiling water can be dangerous. A more convenient method of treatment is inhalation using a nebulizer. The device allows you to use a minimal amount of medicinal solution, control the spraying, and is safe for children. Since breathing occurs through a special mask, there is no danger of burns to the skin or mucous membranes.
Contraindications
The instructions for use describe Mucaltin for children as a medicine that does not have strict contraindications, but the child’s body can react unpredictably to an unfamiliar substance.
If you are prone to allergies, especially if a reaction is noted to plants, start taking it with small doses, carefully monitoring the body's reaction. If nausea, diarrhea, headache, or skin rashes occur, treatment should be stopped immediately.
Diseases for which the use of Mucaltin is prohibited:
- diabetes mellitus (due to the high content of polysaccharides and starch);
- phenylketonuria – hereditary inability to absorb phenylalanine;
- severe damage to the kidneys or liver (due to the inability to remove the breakdown products of the drug).
The drug is prescribed with caution for ulcerative lesions of the stomach and intestines, gastritis with low acidity. You should completely abstain from treatment at the stage of exacerbation of diseases.
Overdose
Side effects during therapy with Mucaltin are extremely rare. Most of them are associated with gastrointestinal reactions: stool disorders (constipation or diarrhea), flatulence, nausea. Symptoms disappear on their own after discontinuation of the drug or completion of the course of treatment.
The same signs should alert you if they are accompanied by increased blood pressure, swelling, and itchy skin. Symptoms warn of a possible overdose. The natural preparation does not contain plant poisons and its excessive intake is not life-threatening. If symptoms of overdose occur, stop taking
Mucaltina continues to act based on the symptoms:
- In case of nausea and severe vomiting, wash out the stomach.
- Prescribed sorbents: Enterosgel, Polysorb, activated carbon.
- Maintain an increased drinking regime. It is advisable to drink sweet tea and still mineral water.
- Allergic manifestations are treated with antihistamines (Suprastin, Loratadine, Zodak).
Against the background of complex therapy, it is important to identify the real cause of intoxication. It is difficult to suspect an overdose of Mucaltin in a child due to the typical nature of the symptoms. A blood sugar test may be ordered to confirm if you have too much of this particular medication.
How to combine Mucaltin with other medications?
Mucaltin is a herbal preparation and has a small number of contraindications. The main ones are combination with other medications. Features of the interaction between Mucaltin and other drugs:
- Mucaltin can be taken simultaneously with Bromhexidine. The latter helps reduce the viscosity of sputum and reduces bronchial irritation.
- The use of tablets for bronchospasm is unacceptable. The only exception is if the patient takes antispasmodic drugs (Eufillin, No-shpu or Berodual) together with it (we recommend reading: dosage for children for the drug "Berodual" in a nebulizer).
- Simultaneous use of Mucaltin and a synthetic expectorant is possible. However, more than one such drug should not be used and must be prescribed by a doctor.
- Mucaltin is incompatible with cough medications that contain codeine. This combination threatens complications and the inability to cough up phlegm.
Combination with other drugs
Marshmallow extract causes increased formation of sputum, which must be removed from the bronchi. It is unacceptable to combine treatment with Mucaltin with taking any medications containing codeine. The effects of the drugs are opposite. Codeine blocks the cough center, causing mucus to remain in the body.
This condition is dangerous due to the occurrence of bacterial complications, severe bronchitis, and pneumonia. Ethylmorphine in medications has an effect similar to codeine; its combined use with mucolytics is also prohibited. Mucaltin for children instructions for use prohibit the use of thrombosis requiring the administration of heparin.
Althea can significantly reduce the effectiveness of anticoagulants. Mucolytics are carefully combined with antibiotics of the tetracycline and penicillin groups, and iron supplements. Due to an increase in their absorption in the gastrointestinal tract, dose adjustment may be required.
With prolonged congestion in the bronchopulmonary system, with the accumulation of a large amount of thick sputum, in the first days of treatment with Mucaltin, attacks of painful coughing and shortness of breath may occur. To relieve symptoms, marshmallow is combined with Bromhexine or Vasicine. This combination can only be prescribed by a pediatrician.
Mucaltin - at what age can it be given to children?
"Mukaltin" is a plant-based antitussive drug. Can this remedy completely relieve a child of a cough?
When a child has a cough, many people remember Mukaltin and look for an answer to the question: At what age should children be given Mukaltin? To answer this question, you need to figure out what kind of drug it is.
It is available in the form of tablets, each of which contains 50 mg of active ingredient. It consists mainly of marshmallow root extract and soda, which is responsible for the antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties of the medicine.
The herbal naturalness of the drug should not mislead the parents of a sick child. “Mukaltin” alone is not a warrior on the battlefield against cough: pharmacists and doctors, not without reason, consider it just an adjuvant that must be taken in combination with other, more effective medications. If you treat a cold with Mukaltin alone, there will be no benefit.
In addition, the seemingly safe herbal composition of the drug can be dangerous for allergy sufferers.
At what age can you give Mukaltin?
From any age, if there are no allergies. But if children 4-5 years old can already swallow pills, then, for example, problems may arise with one-year-old babies. But Mukaltin dissolves well in warm water; you can mix it with a warm drink or milk.
"Mukaltin" should be consumed three times a day an hour before meals. This is the dosage.
- up to 3 years - one and a half tablets per day (three times half a tablet). You can dissolve the dose in warm juice or syrup solution;
- from 3 years - three times a day, one tablet;
- the course of treatment is one week. If the cough does not go away during this time, you need to consult a doctor, since the disease is most likely much more complex than expected.
When is it better to choose something else?
At what age children can take Mukaltin is absolutely not important. The main thing is that there are no contraindications. And they exist! Taking Mucaltin is prohibited in the following cases.
- if you are allergic to ingredients;
- with thrombosis and increased blood clotting. "Mukaltin" reduces the effectiveness of blood thinners;
- with diabetes mellitus. “Mukaltin” contains sugar and starch - a real “poison” for diabetics;
- when the body is unable to absorb phenylalanine;
- for kidney or liver diseases. They are the ones responsible for removing any medicine from the body, so you shouldn’t overload them with Mucaltin.
The drug has the following side effects:
- allergy;
- nausea;
- diarrhea;
- increase in pressure.
Recommendations for use
In addition, Mukaltin is incompatible with codeine drugs. And codeine is found in many medicines, both for coughs and for relieving pain and fever.
Codeine blocks the center of the cough, reducing its frequency. And “Mukaltin” works for intense coughs, helping to remove phlegm. And when drugs act in opposite directions, what kind of effect can we talk about?
Together with Mucaltin, Bromhexine, Vasitsin or drugs on a similar basis are usually recommended. They are necessary to thin the mucus that the drug removes.
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Analogs
Indications for replacing Mucaltin with analogues:
- child's age up to 12 years;
- immunity of the body to drugs based on marshmallow;
- ulcerative lesions of the stomach and duodenum in the acute stage;
- the need to replace herbal preparations with synthetic ones;
- allergic response of the body to Mucaltin.
Analogues of the drug can be made on the basis of the same active substance (marshmallow extract) or have a similar effect on bronchial secretions.
Herbal cough remedies:
- Alteyka;
- Marshmallow syrup;
- Macrotussin;
- Doctor MOM (syrup);
- Tussamag;
- Gedelix;
- Bronchosol;
- Thermopsol.
Synthetic analogues of Mucaltin have a more pronounced effect. They are prescribed instead of a plant mucolytic or in addition to it for difficult to treat conditions.
Synthetic drugs similar in action:
- Ambroxol;
- Ambrobene;
- Bromhexine;
- Acetylcysteine;
- Lazolvan;
- Flavomed;
- Joset.
Analogues of Mucaltin for children are often produced in the form of syrup for oral administration. The products have a multicomponent composition, which should be studied before use. Pertussin (solution) is made from thyme extract with the addition of potassium bromide, which calms the nervous system and inhibits the cough center.
Amtersol syrup from thermopsis and licorice is also fortified with potassium bromide and ammonium chloride. Each such drug has its own restrictions for use. Mucaltin is considered the simplest mucolytic in composition on the pharmaceutical market and one of the most inexpensive.
Cheap analogues for children:
- Rubital Forte – syrup with raspberry flavor;
- Arida – mixture in powder for dilution with water;
- Prospan forte – effervescent tablets or syrup.
Soledum is a preparation of eucalyptus extract in capsules that dissolve in the intestines. Suitable for treating peptic ulcers.
Mucaltin is a medicine based on herbal raw materials, which is an undoubted advantage when treating children. But we must not forget that the use of any potent drug can have unexpected consequences. Before treatment, you should carefully study the instructions for use and do not prescribe tablets to children without consulting a pediatrician.
Article design: Oleg Lozinsky
Mucaltin is a cough medicine...
There are a few important things to keep in mind when purchasing cough medicine. Firstly, a cough is only a symptom of a particular disease and it is impossible to cure a cough alone. It is necessary to look for the cause of the disease and influence it, and cough medicine is an additional therapy that can alleviate the symptoms of the disease and speed up recovery. Secondly, the drug must be chosen depending on the nature of the cough, and the cough can be dry, barking, whooping cough, spastic, wet, moist with viscous difficult-to-clear sputum, psychogenic. To alleviate the patient's condition with different types of cough, different drugs are used.
So, for a dry, unproductive cough that deprives the child of appetite and does not allow him to sleep normally, cough suppressants are prescribed, for example, Sinekod, Glaucine, Sedotussin. With a spasmodic cough, antitussive drugs are generally useless; antispasmodics will help here. For a wet, unproductive cough, the doctor most often prescribes combined cough medications with expectorant and enveloping effects, such as Stoptussin, Bronholitin, Doctor Mom. Mucolytic antitussive drugs are prescribed if viscous, difficult-to-clear sputum has accumulated in the bronchi. Mucolytic drugs include Bromhexine, Solutan, Ambroxol, ACC, Mucaltin.