Study the Effects and Complications of Antitussive Medicines to the Population of Pakistan

Cough is the utmost common medical problem in Pakistan, affecting at least one of every tenth. Antitussive medicines are the most widely used medications after analgesics. Antitussive medicines are generally used for soothing in mild, intense, dry or sputum conditions of cough. The current study was conducted among the population of Pakistan to check awareness regarding effects of antitussive drugs and its complications. 562 participants of various demographic details were included in this study. To reduce the effects of cough, 80.78% participants were found to be using antitussive drugs whereas 19.21% were not using any. 77.94% were found to be aware of side effects of the antitussive drugs. It was established that daily routine of 46.79% participant was not found to be affected by the use of antitussive medicines. The findings of the current study indicate that the main antitussive drugs used by the citizens of Pakistan are aminophylline and Dextromethorphan. 41.63% of the participant use antitussive medicines for moderate conditions of cough, 35.02% for intense and 20.04% for sputum cough. 287 participants have taken up antitussive medicines as over-the-counter (OTC) while 151 of the participants have taken up as a prescription drug. The results of current study clearly indicate the participants of the this study have enough awaredness about using antitussive medicine for the relief of various type of cough. The participants of the current study are also found to be aware of the effects of increasing dose as well alternatives of the antitussive drugs. The participants were also found to have enough knowledge about the management of antitussive drugs alongwith other disease.