brompheniramine / dextromethorphan / phenylephrine
Endacof DM is an over-the-counter medication for adults and children with certain allergy and common cold symptoms. Endacof DM is a combination medication that contains three active ingredients: brompheniramine (an antihistamine), dextromethorphan (a cough suppressant), and phenylephrine (a decongestant). It helps relieve allergy and cold symptoms like dry cough, runny or stuffy nose, and sneezing. This medication is a flavored liquid that's taken by mouth every 4 hours as needed for symptom relief. Side effects can include making you sleepy, restless, or dizzy and have dry mouth.
Note: This combination medication is available as liquids under other brand names, such as Rynex DM and Children's Dimetapp Cold and Cough.
What is Endacof DM?
What is Endacof DM used for?
Short-term relief of symptoms from allergies and the common cold:
Cough from throat and lung irritation
Runny nose
Sneezing
Itchy or watery eyes
Itching of the nose or throat
Stuffy nose (nasal congestion)
How Endacof DM works
Endacof DM is a combination of three medications that work together to relieve symptoms caused by allergies and the common cold.
Brompheniramine is an antihistamine. It blocks a natural substance in your body called histamine that normally causes allergy or common cold symptoms. By blocking histamine, brompheniramine lowers inflammation (swelling) and relieves runny or itchy nose, sneezing, and watery eyes.
Dextromethorphan is a cough suppressant. It works in the brain to lessen your urge to cough.
Phenylephrine is a decongestant. It works by narrowing the blood vessels in your nose and sinuses to relieve pressure.
Drug Facts
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What are the side effects of Endacof DM?
Common Side Effects
- Sleepiness
- Restlessness
- Dizziness
- Dry mouth
Other Side Effects
- Trouble sleeping
- Trouble urinating
Serious Side Effects
- Serotonin syndrome: fast heart rate, sweating, muscle stiffness or spasms, high fever, confusion
Source:Â DailyMed
The following side effects have also been reported
Side effects that you should report to your care team as soon as possible:
- Allergic reactions—skin rash, itching, hives, swelling of the face, lips, tongue, or throat
- Heart palpitations—rapid, pounding, or irregular heartbeat
- Increase in blood pressure
- Sudden eye pain or change in vision such as blurry vision, seeing halos around lights, vision loss
- Trouble passing urine
Side effects that usually do not require medical attention (report these to your care team if they continue or are bothersome):
- Anxiety, nervousness
- Confusion
- Constipation
- Dizziness
- Drowsiness
- Dry mouth
- Fatigue
Pros and cons of Endacof DM
Pros
Can treat a wide range of allergy and common cold symptoms
Combines three medications with one liquid product for convenience
Can start relieving symptoms within 30 minutes to an hour
Available without a prescription
Cons
Might need to take every 4 hours for symptom relief
More difficult to customize the dose since it's a combination of three medications
Only available as a liquid
Not the best choice for people over 65 years old or people with glaucoma, breathing problems, stomach problems, or urinary problems
Pharmacist tips for Endacof DM
Take Endacof DM with or without food.
Use a medication dose cup or an oral syringe that's either included in the box or provided by the pharmacy to measure your dose of Endacof DM. Don't use household spoons because they might not be accurate and using them might cause you to take the wrong dose.
Endacof DM can make you feel sleepy or dizzy during the day. Don't drive or do anything that you need a lot of focus or attention for until you know how the medication affects you.
Avoid drinking alcohol while you're taking Endacof DM. Alcohol can make side effects like sleepiness and dizziness worse.
Endacof DM can sometimes cause children to become overly excited or energetic. Stop using Endacof DM for your child and speak to a pediatrician if this happens to your child.
Stop taking Endacof DM and contact a healthcare professional (HCP) if you start feeling dizzy or nervous or if you're having trouble sleeping. These might be side effects from some ingredients in Endacof DM, such as phenylephrine. The HCP might recommend that you take Endacof DM less often or consider a different medication to help relieve your allergy or cold symptoms.
Use Endacof DM to relieve your cold or allergy symptoms for a short period of time only. Let an HCP know if your cough, stuffy nose, or other symptoms worsen or last longer than a week. Also contact an HCP if you or you start to have a fever, rash, or headache. These might be signs that you need more medical attention or different treatment.
Don't take Endacof DM with other antihistamines, cough suppressants, or decongestants without talking to an HCP first. Otherwise, this can raise your risk for serious side effects, such as extreme sleepiness, high blood pressure, fast heart rate, seizures, and hallucinations (seeing things that aren't real).
Don't use Endacof DM if you're taking or have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI), such as selegiline or phenelzine (Nardil), in the past 2 weeks. Taking Endacof DM with an MAOI can raise your risk for severe side effects (e.g., serotonin syndrome, high blood pressure). Ask a pharmacist to help recommend other options for your cough, congestion, and allergy symptoms.
Frequently asked questions about Endacof DM
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What are the risks and warnings for Endacof DM?
Endacof DM 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.
Serotonin syndrome
Risk factors: Taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOIs) 14 days before starting Endacof DM | Taking other medications that raise serotonin levels in your brain
The dextromethorphan in Endacof DM can raise your risk for serotonin syndrome. This is a rare, but potentially life-threatening side effect that happens when there's too much serotonin in the brain. Get medical attention if you have any symptoms of serotonin syndrome, such as fast heart rate, sweating, muscle stiffness or spasms, high fever, and confusion.
Your risk for serotonin syndrome is higher if you're taking Endacof DM with other medications that affect serotonin levels, such as certain antidepressants, MAOIs, and migraine medications. Make sure your healthcare team has a list of all the medications you take (including over-the-counter medications and supplements). Don't start any new medications without letting your pharmacist or prescriber know. They can check that Endacof DM is safe to take with your other medications.
Accidentally taking too much medication
Endacof DM contains an antihistamine (brompheniramine), cough suppressant (dextromethorphan), and a decongestant (phenylephrine). Your risk of accidentally taking too much medication is higher if you use more than one product that has the same or similar ingredients. Antihistamines, dextromethorphan, and decongestants are in many other over-the-counter products. Tell your primary care provider or pharmacist about the medications you take or plan to take to make sure it's safe to take with Endacof DM.
Early signs of taking too much medication can include confusion, not being aware of your surroundings, flushed or very warm skin, and vision changes. More serious side effects include anxiety or other behavior changes, high blood pressure, and trouble breathing. Get medical help right away or contact a Poison Control Center at 1-800-222-1222 if you or your loved one might've accidentally taken too much medication.
To lower your risk of accidentally taking too much medication, carefully read the package labels of your medications, review their active ingredient list and age cut-offs, and follow the directions. Don't take more than one medication that contains an antihistamine, dextromethorphan, or a decongestant. Ask a pharmacist if you're not sure whether another medication has similar ingredients as Endacof DM.
Worsening of certain medical conditions
Risk factors: Cough from smoking, asthma, or emphysema | Mucus-producing cough | Breathing problems | Heart disease | High blood pressure | Thyroid problems | High blood sugar (diabetes) | Glaucoma | Urinary problems
Let your primary care provider and pharmacist know about all the medical conditions you have before you start taking Endacof DM. Ask them whether this medication is safe for you to take.
People who are 65 years of age or older might feel side effects from Endacof DM more intensely. In addition, Endacof DM might worsen certain medical conditions, such as high blood pressure and glaucoma. This medication might also not be the best option for your condition. For example, you might need other treatment if you have a long-lasting cough; a cough that occurs with smoking, asthma, or emphysema; or a cough with a lot of mucus.
Endacof DM dosage forms
| Dosage | Quantity | Price as low as | Price per unit |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2mg/10mg/5mg/10ml | 118 ml | $4.04 | $0.03 |
Typical dosing for Endacof DM
Note: There are many manufacturers that make this combination medication. They can have different amounts of medication per mL of liquid and slightly different dosages. Check the medication box for the specific instructions for your product.
Endacof DM: Each 5 mL contains 1 mg of brompheniramine, 5 mg of dextromethorphan, and 2.5 mg of phenylephrine.
Adults and children age 12 years and older: The typical dose is 4 teaspoonfuls (20 mL) by mouth every 4 hours. Don't use more than 6 doses (120 mL) in a 24-hour period.
Children age 6 years to under 12 years: The typical dose is 2 teaspoonfuls (10 mL) by mouth every 4 hours. Don't use more than 6 doses (60 mL) in a 24-hour period.
Children under 6 years old: Ask your child's pediatrician.
How much does Endacof DM cost?
Endacof DM contraindications
Currently take or have taken a monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI) in the last 2 weeks
What are alternatives to Endacof DM?
Short-term relief of symptoms from allergies and the common cold:
Cough from throat and lung irritation
Runny nose
Sneezing
Itchy or watery eyes
Itching of the nose or throat
Stuffy nose (nasal congestion)
Runny nose
Sneezing
Itchy nose or throat
Itchy, watery eyes
Cough
Stuffy nose (nasal congestion)
Runny nose
Sneezing
Itchy or watery eyes
Itching of the nose or throat
Cough from throat and lung irritation
Stuffy nose (nasal congestion)
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References
Best studies we foundBorowy, C. S., et al. (2023). Antihistamine toxicity. StatPearls.
CVS Pharmacy. (2024). Childrens Dimetapp Cold and Cough- brompheniramine maleate, dextromethorphan hbr, phenylephrine hcl liquid [package insert]. DailyMed.
Department of Justice/Drug Enforcement Administration. (2020). Narcotics.
Gelotte, C. K., et al. (2015). Pharmacokinetics, safety, and cardiovascular tolerability of phenylephrine HCl 10, 20, and 30 mg after a single oral administration in healthy volunteers. Clinical Drug Investigation.
Hoeft, D., et al. (2014). An overview of clinically significant drug interactions between medications used to treat psychiatric and medical conditions. Mental Health Clinician.
Larken Laboratories, Inc. (2023). Endacof DM- brompheniramine maleate, dextromethorphan hydrobromide and phenylephrine hydrochloride liquid [package insert]. DailyMed.
Oh, S., et al. (2023). Dextromethorphan. StatPearls.
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