Delsym Nighttime Cough
Delsym Nighttime Cough is a combination of three medications: acetaminophen (an analgesic), dextromethorphan (a cough suppressant), and triprolidine (an antihistamine). It's used to help temporarily relieve symptoms from the common cold and flu, such as cough, aches and pains, and itchy or watery eyes. Delsym Nighttime Cough is available over the counter as a liquid for adults and children who are 12 years of age or older. The liquid is taken by mouth every 4 hours. Possible side effects include sleepiness, dizziness, and dry mouth.
What is Delsym Nighttime Cough?
What is Delsym Nighttime Cough used for?
Short-term relief of symptoms from the common cold and flu:
Minor aches and pains
Headache
Cough
Sore throat
Runny nose
Sneezing
Itchy nose or throat
Itchy, watery eyes due to hay fever or allergies
Fever
How Delsym Nighttime Cough works
Delsym Nighttime Cough is a combination of three medications:
Acetaminophen is an analgesic. It blocks inflammatory chemicals in your body that are involved in causing pain and fever. This helps relieve pain and lower fever.
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant that works in the brain to lower your urge to cough.
Triprolidine is an antihistamine. It blocks a natural substance in your body called histamine that normally causes runny nose, sneezing, and watery eyes. By blocking histamine, it helps relieve these symptoms.
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What are the side effects of Delsym Nighttime Cough?
Common Side Effects
- Sleepiness
- Dizziness
- Dry mouth
Other Side Effects
- Blurry vision
- Trouble urinating
Serious Side Effects
- Allergic reaction: rash; hives; difficulty breathing, swelling of face, lips, tongue, or throat
- Serious skin reaction: skin reddening, blisters, rash
- Liver damage: severe stomach pain, yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite
- Excessive sleepiness or dizziness
- Serotonin syndrome: fast heart rate, sweating, muscle stiffness or spasms, high fever, confusion
Source:Â DailyMed
Pros and cons of Delsym Nighttime Cough
Pros
Starts working within 30 minutes to an hour
Can treat a wide variety of common cold and flu symptoms
Available over the counter
Generally considered safe to take while pregnant or breastfeeding
Cons
Taken every 4 hours when you have symptoms
More difficult to customize the dose since Delsym Nighttime Cough is a fixed combination of three medications
Only available as a liquid
Might not be the best choice for people over 65 years old or people with liver, breathing, or urinary problems
Pharmacist tips for Delsym Nighttime Cough
You can take Delsym Nighttime Cough with or without food. If it upsets your stomach, try taking the medication with food to help.
You can take Delsym Nighttime Cough as needed for cold and flu symptoms. But it's recommended that you take the medication on a scheduled basis according to the package instructions while you're having symptoms to get the most relief.
Use the medication dose cup that comes with Delsym Nighttime Cough to measure your dose. Don't use household spoons because they might not be accurate and using them might cause you to take the wrong dose.
It's common to feel sleepy after taking Delsym Nighttime Cough. Don't drive or do anything that requires you to be alert until you know how this medication affects you.
It's best to avoid drinking alcohol while you take Delsym Nighttime Cough because it can worsen sleepiness and dizziness. Drinking alcohol while you're taking Delsym Nighttime Cough can also raise your risk for liver damage.
Although Delsym Nighttime Cough usually makes adults sleepy, it's possible for children who take this medication to become overly excited or energetic. Contact the pediatrician's office if it's recommended that your child takes Delsym Nighttime Cough and they get very energetic after taking the medication.
Stop using Delsym Nighttime Cough and contact your primary care provider if your pain or cough gets worse or lasts more than a week; your fever gets worse or lasts more than 3 days; or your cough comes back or occurs with a fever, rash, or headache. You might need other treatment for your symptoms.
Also stop taking Delsym Nighttime Cough and call your primary care provider if you start noticing redness, swelling, or any new symptoms appear while you're taking Delsym Nighttime Cough. You might need to get examined by a healthcare professional.
Speak to your primary care provider if your sore throat lasts for more than 2 days or if you have a sore throat with a fever, headache, rash, nausea, or vomiting.
Don't start any new medications while you're taking Delsym Nighttime Cough without talking to a healthcare professional first. Tell your care team about all the medications you take — especially warfarin (Coumadin), sedatives, other cold and flu medications, antihistamines, and other medications containing acetaminophen. Since there can be serious drug interactions with Delsym Nighttime Cough, your care team can make sure that all your medications are safe for you to take.
Don't take Delsym Nighttime Cough with a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). This combination can raise your risk for a serious side effect called serotonin syndrome. Contact your primary care provider for other options to treat your cold or flu symptoms if you're currently taking or have taken an MAOI in the last 2 weeks.
Frequently asked questions about Delsym Nighttime Cough
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What are the risks and warnings for Delsym Nighttime Cough?
Delsym Nighttime Cough can cause some serious health issues. This risk may be even higher for certain groups. If this worries you, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about other options.
Liver damage
Risk factors: Drinking three or more alcoholic beverages a day | Taking other medications containing acetaminophen | Taking too much Delsym Nighttime Cough | History of liver disease
Taking too much acetaminophen (an ingredient in Delsym Nighttime Cough) can cause permanent and life-threatening liver damage. The maximum amount of acetaminophen that adults can take is typically 4,000 mg in a 24-hour period. But it can be lower depending on your primary care provider's instructions and your risk for liver damage. Ask a pediatrician how much acetaminophen your child can take in a day.
Speak to your primary care provider before you use Delsym Nighttime Cough if you have liver problems. It's possible for this medication to cause further damage to your liver. Avoid drinking alcohol while you're taking this medication to lower the risk for liver damage.
Get medical attention right away if you notice signs or symptoms of liver problems. These can include feeling tired or having an upset stomach, stomach pain, or yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes.
Serotonin syndrome
Risk factors: Taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI) 14 days before starting Delsym Nighttime Cough | Taking other medications that raise serotonin levels in your brain
Serotonin syndrome is a rare, but potentially life-threatening condition that happens when there's too much serotonin in the brain. Serotonin is one of the chemicals in your brain responsible for your mood.
It's possible for dextromethorphan (an ingredient in Delsym Nighttime Cough) to raise your serotonin levels. What more, the risk for serotonin syndrome goes up if you take Delsym Nighttime Cough with other medications that affect serotonin levels, such as antidepressants, MAOIs, lithium, and migraine medications called triptans. Make sure your primary care provider knows about all the medications you take (including over-the-counter medications and supplements). Your healthcare team can check that Delsym Nighttime Cough is safe for you to take.
Get medical help as soon as possible if you have symptoms of serotonin syndrome, such as fast heart rate, sweating, muscle stiffness or spasms, high fever, and confusion.
Accidentally taking too much medication
Delsym Nighttime Cough contains an analgesic (acetaminophen), a cough suppressant (dextromethorphan), and an antihistamine (triprolidine). These ingredients can be found in many other over-the-counter products.
Using more than one medication containing acetaminophen, dextromethorphan, or an antihistamine raises the risk that you might accidentally take too much of an ingredient. This can lead to serious side effects, such as liver damage, seizures, or hallucinations (seeing things that aren't real).
To lessen the risk of accidentally taking too much medication, carefully read package labels. Ask a pharmacist if you're not sure whether a product has any of the same or similar ingredients. Get medical help as soon as possible or contact a Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 if you think you or a loved one has accidentally taken too much medication.
Worsening of certain medical conditions
Risk factors: Liver problems | Glaucoma | Cough from smoking, asthma, or emphysema | Mucus-producing cough | Breathing problems (e.g., emphysema, long-term bronchitis) | Urinary conditions
Be sure your primary care provider and pharmacist know about all the medical conditions you have. Ask them whether Delsym Nighttime Cough is safe and appropriate for you to take.
People who are 65 years of age or older might be at higher risk for side effects from Delsym Nighttime Cough. This medication might also worsen certain medical conditions, including liver problems, urinary problems, and glaucoma. What's more, Delsym Nighttime Cough might not be appropriate for certain medical conditions. For example, you might need other treatment if you have a cough that's lasted for a long time; a cough that occurs with smoking, asthma, or emphysema, or a cough with a lot of mucus.
Allergic skin reactions
Although rare, Delsym Nighttime Cough can cause serious skin reactions, such as rash, blisters, skin reddening, or skin peeling. Stop using Delsym Nighttime Cough and call for medical help right away if you notice these unusual changes in your skin.
Delsym Nighttime Cough dosage forms
| Dosage | Quantity | Price as low as | Price per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 180ml of 650mg/20mg/2.5mg/20ml | 1 bottle | $14.37 | $14.37 |
Typical dosing for Delsym Nighttime Cough
Each 20 mL (or 4 teaspoonfuls) of Delsym Nighttime Cough contains 650 mg of acetaminophen, 20 mg of dextromethorphan, and 2.5 mg of triprolidine.
Age 12 years or older: The typical dose is 20 mL (4 teaspoonfuls) by mouth every 4 hours.
Age under 12 years old: Ask your child's pediatrician.
Delsym Nighttime Cough contraindications
Take any other medication containing acetaminophen
Currently take or have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) in the last 2 weeks
What are alternatives to Delsym Nighttime Cough?
Short-term relief of symptoms from the common cold and flu:
Minor aches and pains
Headache
Cough
Sore throat
Runny nose
Sneezing
Itchy nose or throat
Itchy, watery eyes due to hay fever or allergies
Fever
Cough
Sore throat
Headache
Minor aches and pains
Fever
Runny nose
Sneezing
Cough
Runny nose
Sneezing
Sore throat
Headache
Minor aches and pains
Fever
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References
Best studies we foundFrancescangeli, J., et al. (2019). The serotonin syndrome: From molecular mechanisms to clinical practice. International Journal of Molecular Sciences.
Hoeft, D. (2014). An overview of clinically significant drug interactions between medications used to treat psychiatric and medical conditions. Mental Health Clinician.
Oh, S., et al. (2023). Dextromethorphan. StatPearls.
RB Health (US) LLC. (2023). Delsym Nighttime Cough- acetaminophen, dextromethorphan hydrobromide, and triprolidine hydrochloride solution [package insert]. DailyMed.
Twycross, R., et al. (2013). Acetaminophen (paracetamol). Journal of Pain and Symptom Management.
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2016). FDA drug safety communication: FDA warns of rare but serious skin reactions with the pain reliever/fever reducer acetaminophen.
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