Benzonatate

Benzonatate, sold under the brand names Tessalon among others, is a medication used to try to help with the symptom of cough. It is taken by mouth. Use is not recommended in those under the age of 10. Effects generally begin within 20 minutes and last up to eight hours. Benzonatate, sold under the brand names Tessalon among others, is a medication used to try to help with the symptom of cough. It is taken by mouth. Use is not recommended in those under the age of 10. Effects generally begin within 20 minutes and last up to eight hours. Side effects include sleepiness, headache, hallucinations, bronchospasm, and dizziness. Excessive doses may cause seizures or an irregular heartbeat. It is unclear if use in pregnancy and breastfeeding is safe. It works by numbing stretch receptors in the lungs. Benzonatate was approved for medical use in the United States in 1958. It is available as a generic medication. In the United States the wholesale cost of is about 0.12 USD per dose. It is not available in many countries. In 2016 it was the 193rd most prescribed medication in the United States with more than 3 million prescriptions. Benzonatate is used to try to reduce coughing in various respiratory conditions such as bronchitis, emphysema, influenza, and pneumonia. Evidence to support its use is poor as of 2015. It has been used in small doses as a topical anesthetic for mouth or pharyngeal pain. This practice is not recommended, because the oropharyngeal anesthesia may result in pulmonary aspiration. Benzonatate can cause nausea, headache, sedation, a feeling of numbness in the chest, mental confusion, and visual hallucinations. The liquid-filled capsules resemble candy, which may attract children. Excessive absorption of benzonatate will occur if the gelcaps are chewed or allowed to dissolve in the mouth. This may lead to an overdose of the drug. Ingestion of an excessive dose can cause laryngospasm, bronchospasm, seizures, cardiac arrhythmia, and circulatory collapse. Ingestion of a small handful of capsules has caused seizures, cardiac arrhythmias, and death in adults. Chewing or sucking of a single capsule can cause death of a small child. Para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) is a metabolite of drugs in the ester class of local anesthetics, which includes benzonatate, procaine and tetracaine. Severe allergic reactions have been reported in patients who are allergic to PABA. Severe sensitivity reactions to benzonatate have resulted in respiratory side effects such as bronchospasm, laryngospasm, and cardiac arrest. Excessive absorption of benzonatate (a local anesthetic) in the oral mucosa will result in the rapid development of numbness of the mouth and throat. In extreme cases, the mouth and pharynx may become so numb that pulmonary aspiration may occur. Benzonatate acts as a local anesthetic, decreasing the sensitivity of stretch receptors in the lower airway and lung, thereby reducing the drive to cough after taking a deep breath.