British journal of clinical pharmacology
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Br J Clin Pharmacol · May 2008
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyAssessment of antitussive efficacy of dextromethorphan in smoking related cough: objective vs. subjective measures.
Dextromethorphan is widely used as a cough suppressant in over the counter medications. Its efficacy in altering cough reflex sensitivity has been shown in healthy volunteers. In contrast evidence for an effect on clinically important cough is poor. ⋯ The objective measure of cough sensitivity demonstrates dextromethorphan effectively diminishes the cough reflex sensitivity. However, subjective measures do not support this. Other studies support these findings, which may represent a profound sensitivity of the cough reflex to higher influences.