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U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA requests removal of all ranitidine products (Zantac) from the market. Other cough drop brands don’t contain any medication. They use pectin and honey to coat and calm your throat. Kohata Y, Fujiwara Y, Watanabe T, et al. Long-term benefits of smoking cessation on gastroesophageal reflux disease and health-related quality of life. PLOS ONE. 2016;11(2):e0147860. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0147860 If you manage to eat a very large amount of cough drops, you might experience the following symptoms:It’s possible to overdose on cough drops containing menthol, but it’s incredibly difficult. Most people with menthol poisoning get it from ingesting pure menthol. Over-the-counter cough drops don’t contain pure menthol. The menthol is usually diluted.

Menthol helps cool your airway passages and soothe your throat. It may be paired with benzocaine, a local anesthetic. While most throat infections normally get better by themselves, there are some home remedies and medicines for sore throats in children and babies to help comfort, soothe and relieve your little one. If you’re worried about overdosing, look for cough drops that don’t contain menthol. Talk with a pharmacist or healthcare professional about what cough drops are best for you. While it’s possible to develop negative symptoms from consuming too many cough drops, you aren’t likely to ingest enough to cause any serious harm. Still, you should always read the label and try not to exceed the recommended dose. There has been one report of an 86-year-old man who experienced serious symptoms after eating two entire bags of menthol cough drops every day for 20 years. He experienced:

CALPOL ® Infant Original Suspension, CALPOL ® Infant Suspension Sachets, CALPOL ® Sugar Free Infant Suspension, CALPOL ® Sugar Free Infant Suspension Sachets and CALPOL ® Infant Sugar Free Colour Free 120mg/5ml Oral Suspension contain paracetamol, can be used in infants from 2 months old (weighing over 4kg and not premature). For pain and fever. CALPOL ® SIXPLUS™ Suspension, CALPOL ® SIXPLUS™ Sugar Free Suspension and CALPOL ® SIXPLUS™ Fastmelts contain paracetamol,can be used in children from 6 years old. For pain and fever. CALPROFEN ® Ibuprofen Suspension contains ibuprofen, can be used in infants from 3 months old (weighing over 5Kg). For pain and fever. CALCOUGH ® Infant Syrup contains glycerol, can be used in infants from 3 months old. For dry cough. CALCOUGH ® Children's Syrup, can be used in children over one year old. For cough.CALGEL ® Teething Gel contains an anaesthetic and antiseptic, can be used in infants from 5 months. For short- term use of no more than 7 days, where non-medicinal methods have not provided relief. Always read the label.

Temperature – if they have a fever and display other symptoms of a sore throat, it could be a sign of a throat infectionSpechler SJ. Barrett esophagus and risk of esophageal cancer: a clinical review. JAMA. 2013;310(6):627. doi:10.1001/jama.2013.226450 If you’re worried about overdosing, follow the dosage on the label or avoid menthol lozenges completely. Medicated lozenges or antiseptic spray as recommended by your pharmacist to assist with sore throat relief

The safety of menthol cough drops during pregnancy isn’t known. You should talk with a healthcare professional before taking menthol cough drops while you’re pregnant. Sugar-related symptoms

Ren LH. Addition of prokinetics to PPI therapy in gastroesophageal reflux disease: A meta-analysis. WJG. 2014;20(9):2412. doi:10.3748/wjg.v20.i9.2412 Commisso A, Lim F. Lifestyle modifications in adults and older adults with chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease(Gerd). Critical Care Nursing Quarterly. 2019;42(1):64-74. doi:10.1097/CNQ.0000000000000239 It can be hard to know how your baby is feeling when they’re unable to explain clearly what’s wrong. Dawn says: “Start with cool drinks – though not ice cold – and plain, soft foods. If they’re breast or bottle feeding, you might need to do smaller feeds more often. But in general, keep fluids up, give them plenty of rest and try paracetamol if they’re uncomfortable.” This content was written by healthcare professional Dawn Kelly in 2020. She was paid for her time but does not endorse CALPOL ® Products.