A reader left a message for us. Her son had a serious cold and cough some time ago, so her grandma bought several cough medicines such as Federal Children’s Cough Lotion and Mrs. Pei’s Cough Lotion from the pharmacy.

She looked at such a large amount of medicine and didn't know how to give it to Xiao Ming, so she took the medicine to the community health service station in front of her door and asked the doctor. Who knows, the doctor actually said that these medicines should not be given to children casually, because they contain poppy shells, which can become addictive.

But it is obviously a cough medicine for children, but it is said that children cannot take it casually. What is going on?

What are the addictive poppy shells?

When it comes to poppy shells, everyone first thinks of "big smoke". Indeed, "big smoke" is extracted from poppy shells, also called opium.

Poppy husk, also known as "Royal Rice Shell", is the dried and mature husk of the poppy plant. It is a traditional Chinese medicine and mainly contains alkaloids such as papaverine, morphine, codeine, and nocotine. It has the effects of astringing the lungs, astringing the intestines and relieving pain, and can be used for chronic cough, chronic diarrhea, anal prolapse, epigastric pain and other symptoms.

At the same time, the instruction manual of poppy shell also clearly states, "This product is easily addictive and should not be taken regularly; it is prohibited for children." In other words, it must not be used by children.

How scary are cough drops containing poppy husks?

The alkaloids in poppy shells have a strong affinity with cranial nerves. Children who often take cough medicine containing poppy shells can become addicted, which is very similar to the addiction of regular smoking of "big cigarettes".

Although the alkaloid content in poppy shells is low, if children often take cough medicine containing poppy shells, its toxicity will accumulate in the body, causing chronic poisoning and seriously endangering the child's health.

● First of all, it is easy to cause damage to the central nervous system, causing children to be easily excited or irritable, emotionally unstable, prone to losing temper and other adverse symptoms. In more severe cases, it may cause adverse consequences such as slow reaction and mental retardation in the child.

● On the other hand, long-term use of cough medicine containing poppy shells may cause endocrine disorders, affecting the child's normal physiological metabolism, causing the child to gain weight easily or suffer from slower growth and development, malnutrition and other symptoms.

Why do children’s cough medicines contain poppy husks?

Since poppy shells are not allowed to be used by children, why do poppy shells appear in children’s cough medicines?

There are many reasons.

First of all, my country's drug regulatory authorities still have many loopholes in the supervision of traditional Chinese medicines. Many of them are problems left over from history and cannot be solved in a short time.

Secondly, some drug manufacturers only blindly pursue the efficacy of the drug, thereby ignoring the side effects of the drug. For some drugs containing poppy shells, there is no special indication in the instructions. Instruct children to use with caution or to disable it.

Thirdly, the description of poppy shells points out that children cannot use poppy shells, but some businesses only use certain ingredients extracted from poppy shells, which means that the policy is "skidded".

Of course, with the improvement of our country's legal system and the strengthening of supervision, these unfavorable factors will gradually be improved in the future.

What common children’s medicines contain poppy husks?

There are many medicines containing poppy shells or extracts. To compare with the list below, I suggest you take a screenshot:

Compound Manshan Red Syrup, Huangying Cough and Asthma Syrup, Kechuanning Oral Liquid, Keke Capsules, Kechuan Oral Liquid, Loquat Zhike Granules, Asthma Capsules, Lanhua Kechuanning Tablets, Ermuan Cough Syrup, Kesu Stop Syrup, Great Wall Cough and Chuan Syrup, Keke Tablets, Zhike Kechuanning Syrup;

Ma Qin Cough Syrup, Expectorant Mixture, Lingbei Cough Syrup, Anti-inflammatory Cough Capsules, Kechuanning Oral Liquid, Federal Pediatric Cough Lotion, Tramadol Hydrochloride Tablets, Xinteloch, Pei Madam's Cough Lotion, Children's Antidiarrheal Tablets, etc.

There are many, many more, so we won’t list them all.

How to tell whether a medicine contains poppy husks?

First of all, parents should learn to read the instructions on the medicine.

When buying cough medicines for children, especially traditional Chinese medicines, you should look at the formula of the medicine. If there are words such as "poppy shell" in it, it means that the medicine definitely contains poppy shells.

Secondly, there are alkaloids in poppy shells. If the ingredient list of the medicine purchased by parents contains ingredients such as "papaverine, morphine, and codeine", it means that the medicine contains extracts from poppy shells.

Third, consult professional medical personnel. If parents do not know the specific ingredients of the medicine, they can consult a doctor or pharmacist. Generally, the doctor or pharmacist will tell parents in detail the ingredients of the medicine, how to take it, and precautions.

What should I do if my child coughs?

Since many cough medicines contain poppy shells, children are not allowed to use them indiscriminately. So what should I do if my child has a cold and cough?

First of all, we must break the misunderstanding. Cough is only a clinical symptom, not a disease.

Children's coughing is a protective reflex that can expel respiratory secretions from the body. Children do not need to use cough medicine for ordinary colds and coughs.

Children who have colds and coughs should pay attention to rest, drink more boiled water, and eat more fresh vegetables and fruits. This can improve the child's resistance, promote the excretion of toxins, and is conducive to the child's recovery from the disease.

Also, try not to go to crowded places, and frequently open windows at home to maintain air circulation. You can use an air humidifier to maintain a certain indoor humidity and reduce adverse irritation to the child's respiratory tract.

You can cook some rock sugar and pear water, radish and ginger soup, fresh milk and almond jelly, etc., and let your children drink a little in portions every day, which can moisten the lungs and relieve coughs.

It is worth noting that just because a child coughs does not mean that cough medicine cannot be used.

If your child has a severe cough, fever, asthma and other symptoms, or signs of bronchitis or pneumonia, he should see a doctor in time. Using cough medicine under the guidance of a doctor can reduce the occurrence of drug side effects. .

Parents should treat their children’s coughs rationally and do not use medicines indiscriminately after their children have a cold and cough.

If the symptoms are severe, you should go to a regular public hospital for examination in time. You must trust the doctor and work with the doctor to protect your child's health.