Check what you take when you cough, say anaesthetists

The normal cough syrups or lozenges that you may take for that common cold induced cough may end you in a tight spot in a future surgery,thats what the Australian anaesthetists say. A group of anaesthetists , led by Dr Helen Crilly, have asked the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration to ban around 53 various cough medicines and lozenges , which contain opioid cough suppressant pholcodine, the prolonged use of whose has been researched to lead to allergic reaction during surgeries upon administration of muscle relaxants.

1 in 10000 people were found to show anaphylaxis normally during surgeries upon giving muscle relaxants, the number increasing to 1 in 6000 in case of patient exposed to pholcodine containing medications. Though fatalities are low, at 1-2% , but the anaphylaxis could cause brain damage in other cases.

There is quite some reason to believe that pholcodine is the culprit for the increased allergic response to the muscle relaxants. In US, where cough suppressants do not contain the opioid, the incidences of anaphylaxis are less. Also, it was found that the cases for anaphylaxis to muscle relaxants decreased in Norway after pholcodine containing cough medications were banned there.

Though there is scope for more work to be done to actually come up with a solid association between the two, the evidence up till now can be considered bewaring enough for patients to check on their dosages.