Help.....Need Dextromethorphan Guidance
 

My husband just went out and bought some cough medicine in which DM is the active ingredient 7.5 mg. On the back panel there is a "WARNING" which reads:
"Do not use in a child who is taking a prescription momoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAO) (certain drugs for depression, psychiatric, or emotional conditions, or Parkinson's Disease)".

Did we get the wrong thing? Are you folks taking DM regardless of this type if warning? Please let me have some input from someone as I am really confused. Thanks for any info you might be able to give me. Like everyone else, I am game to try new things but I don't want to poison myself either.

Caya

Hi Caya:
 

At the doses recommended for cough suppression in an adult or a child over 12, 2 tsp. every 6 to 8 hours, it is clearly not advisable to use these dextromethorphan preparations while taking an MAO inhibitor. Eldepryl (selegeline) and Azilect (rasagiline) are examples of MAO inhibitors. There are others, and other preparations which may contain MAO inhibitors. If you are concerned, consult your pharmacist.

For the possible neuroprotection it may provide, I take 1/2 tsp or slightly less of the syrup containing 15 mg. of dextromethorphan HBr/ tsp (aiming for 5 to 7.5mg) once right before turning in for the night. If you can find it, there is a product prepared for children called Simply Cough which contains 5 mg./tsp. It is easier to measure the 5 mg. per dose that way. The 5 to 7.5 mg. dose is very low, less than 1/4th of the dose recommended for cough, and it is taken only once per 24 hrs.

Please understand that I am NOT recommending that you take this drug. It is a personal experiment done at my own risk. Because it has been used for more than 50 years with no problems at much higher doses, I think the risk of adverse effects are minimal.

Robert

Thanks Robert. I understand a little better now. Am going to check with pharmacist tomorrow just to be on the safe side. The kind my husband got is 7.5 mg so if I understand you right, I would take one teaspoon of the 7.5 mg preparation just before going to bed. Right? As for PD med, the only thing I take right now is 4mg Requip 3 X day. I also take 1200 mg CoQ10 daily and 1500 mg Curcumin. Looks like the DM would be ok with what I am taking don't you? Again, thank you so much for your input...I do appreciate it.

Caya

I usually go here
 

http://www.subscriberx.com/iqhealth/searchdrug.html

to find out if there are any contraindications with any otc or prescription drugs. Be sure to get all of your husband's drugs together before you begin.

michael b.

Caya
 

That is correct, 1 tsp or a tad less of the 7.5 mg/tsp syrup will provide the correct dose of DM. Another thing I was told by a scientist studying the suppression of inflammation caused by bacterial lipopolysaccharide in mouse brains was to avoid DM preparation that contain polystyril, a substance that slows down the release of the DM.

Michael's advice on checking the link he gave is good, too.

It is you rather than your husband who may be taking the preparation; correct?

Robert

Robert:


Yep, I'm the Parkie in the family............the rest half goofey. Just checked the bottle and NO polystyril...so that's good. Am going to take my first "teaspoon minus a drop" tonight. If I don't turn into a punkin, I'll let you know in a few days how things are going. Again, thank you soooooooo much for all your wise counsel. I surely do appreciate it.

Caya

Robert, are the long-term effects on the liver of concern? When I asked one of my doctors why I shouldn't take cough medicine all the time, this was the reason given--unless my memory has confused it with Benedryl.

Jaye

Got this from Wikipedia, and probably explains my symptomatic improvenents

Dopamine Reuptake Inhibitors (DARI), Dopamine Uptake Inhibitors, Dopamine Transporter Inhibitors are compounds that inhibit the reuptake of extracellular dopamine back into the presynaptic cell by blocking the cell membrane-spanning dopamine transporter.[citation needed] This usually results in an elevated extracellular dopamine level.