Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHow They WorkEffectivenessHow to UseRisksWhich to Buy
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
How They Work
Effectiveness
How to Use
Risks
Which to Buy
Cough drops might not be as effective at stopping coughs as once thought. While they can help soothe throat irritation, they’re not much better than hard candy when it comes tocough relief.Although cough drop ingredients like menthol are meant to ease discomfort, some research suggests ingesting too much menthol in cough drops might actually make coughing worse.
If you find cough drops helpful, there’s no need to stop using them altogether. Just keep in mind that they’re designed to be sucked on, not chewed or swallowed, which allows the ingredients to dissolve slowly for extended relief. Chewing or swallowing cough drops reduces their effectiveness and poses achokinghazard.
Verywell / Danie Dranwalter
How Do Cough Drops Stop Coughing?
Cough drops are meant to:
Do Cough Drops Really Help?
Research shows that most cough drops have no effect on the cough reflex, and are likely no better than hard candy for relieving cough.Furthermore, there is increasing evidence that cough drops—particularly menthol cough drops—might do more harm than good.
A 2018 review of 548 surveys found that cough drop use was significantly associated with longer cough duration. Interestingly, nearly 90% of the people who used cough drops were taking ones that contained menthol.
Menthol may provide a cooling and mild numbing sensation that eases pain.But these effects are temporary, and won’t help your cough in the long term.
Keep in mind that coughing is your body’s way of expelling irritants. So, if the cough appears to be getting better on its own and isn’t causing you pain, it may be more beneficial to let your body carry out this natural process.
Are Cough Drops Really Just Candy?Sucking on cough drops and hard candy both boost saliva production, which helps coat and soothe a sore throat. While cough drops contain ingredients like menthol, they’re often no more effective than candy at relieving a cough. Unlike candy, cough drops also have active ingredients that can be harmful in excess, so it’s even more important to consume them in moderation.
Are Cough Drops Really Just Candy?
Sucking on cough drops and hard candy both boost saliva production, which helps coat and soothe a sore throat. While cough drops contain ingredients like menthol, they’re often no more effective than candy at relieving a cough. Unlike candy, cough drops also have active ingredients that can be harmful in excess, so it’s even more important to consume them in moderation.
Do Cough Drops Work If You Chew Them?
Cough drops are specially designed to be sucked on. This allows the cough drop to gradually dissolve in the mouth, allowing its ingredients to coat the throat over an extended period of time.
Swallowing a cough drop whole is not recommended, either. Cough drops and hard candies are among the top causes of choking emergencies.Swallowing a cough drop gives it no time to coat and soothe your throat.
If you accidentally swallowed a cough, don’t fret. The quick release of active ingredients from one cough drop in your stomach won’t put you at risk foroverdose. You would need to consume much more than that for this to happen.
What Happens if You Fall Asleep With a Cough Drop in Your Mouth?Falling asleep with a cough drop in your mouth presents a serious choking hazard. Plus, cough drops often contain sugar orhigh-fructose corn syrup, which can contribute to tooth decay if left to sit on your teeth all night. If you must use cough drops, make sure to brush your teeth after using them and before crawling into bed.
What Happens if You Fall Asleep With a Cough Drop in Your Mouth?
Falling asleep with a cough drop in your mouth presents a serious choking hazard. Plus, cough drops often contain sugar orhigh-fructose corn syrup, which can contribute to tooth decay if left to sit on your teeth all night. If you must use cough drops, make sure to brush your teeth after using them and before crawling into bed.
Can Too Many Cough Drops Be Harmful?
Too many cough drops can be harmful. Although it’s exceptionally rare, certain active ingredients in cough drops, including menthol and the anesthetic drug benzocaine, can cause overdose when eaten in excessive or highly concentrated amounts.
The lethal dose of menthol is said to be about 50 to 150 milligrams (mg) of menthol per kilogram (kg) of body weight.A single cough drop contains between five to 10 mg of menthol. That means a person who weighs 175 pounds (79.5 kg) would need to ingest 397 to 7,950 cough drops containing 10 mg each to overdose.
Ingesting excessive amounts of benzocaine can also lead to serious health issues, including a life-threatening blood disorder calledmethemoglobinemia, in which the blood can’t carry oxygen effectively. According to the FDA, oral products containing benzocaine “carry serious risks and provide little to no benefits for treating oral pain.”
Most cases of benzocaine-induced methemoglobinemia occur in children younger than 18. However, benzocaine-induced methemoglobinemia has been reported in adults as well.
Symptoms of methemoglobinemia can occur with doses as low as five grams of benzocaine, but most cough drops contain less than 15 mg per drop. You’d likely need to consume several hundred drops to experience symptoms, though individual sensitivity can vary.
What Happens If You Eat a Cough Drop Without a Cough?Eating a cough drop without a cough won’t harm you, as long as you are not eating them in excess. Cough drops contain active ingredients that can be harmful in excessive amounts, so they shouldn’t be eaten casually or for enjoyment like you might with candy.
What Happens If You Eat a Cough Drop Without a Cough?
Eating a cough drop without a cough won’t harm you, as long as you are not eating them in excess. Cough drops contain active ingredients that can be harmful in excessive amounts, so they shouldn’t be eaten casually or for enjoyment like you might with candy.
Which Cough Drops Are Most Effective?
Some of the most popular cough drops include:
The most effective cough drop for you depends on your individual taste and preferences. When shopping for cough drops, look for products that contain ingredients like honey, which haveproven benefitsfor reducing cough duration and severity.
Summary
Unlike candy, cough drops are formulated with active ingredients like menthol and benzocaine. These ingredients are meant to numb throat pain and ease the cough reflex. However, research shows that cough drops are no more effective at reducing cough than hard candy, and eating them in excess might do more harm than good.
If cough drops make you feel better, it’s okay to use them in moderation. Just take care to let them dissolve in your mouth rather than chewing or swallowing, and only eat the amount recommended on the product’s packaging.
10 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Columbia University Irving Medical Center.Relieving a cough.American Lung Association.Cough symptoms, causes and risk factors.UTMB Health.The spooky side (risks) of candy.Johnson D, Mead R, Kennelty K, Hahn D.Menthol cough drops: Cause for concern?.J Am Board Fam Med. 2018 Apr;31(2):183-191. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2018.02.170363Li Z, Zhang H, Wang Y, Li Y, Li Q, Zhang L.The distinctive role of menthol in pain and analgesia: Mechanisms, practices, and advances.Front Mol Neurosci. 2022 Oct;15(1):1006908. doi:10.3389/fnmol.2022.1006908Kumar A, Baitha U, Aggarwal P, Jamshed N.A fatal case of menthol poisoning.Int J Appl Basic Med Res. 2016 Jun;6(2):137–139. doi:10.4103/2229-516X.179015U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Risk of serious and potentially fatal blood disorder prompts FDA action on oral over-the-counter benzocaine products used for teething and mouth pain and prescription local anesthetics.Sewell C, Rivey M.A case report of benzocaine-induced methemoglobinemia.J Pharm Pract. 2018 Oct;31(5):507-509. doi:10.1177/0897190017723211York G, Prateek J.Benzocaine blues: An iatrogenic methemoglobinemia case report.Crit Care Med. 2024 Jan;52(1):438. doi:10.1097/01.ccm.0001001896.39817.deAbuelgasim H, Albury C, Lee J.Effectiveness of honey for symptomatic relief in upper respiratory tract infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Evidence-Based Med. 2021 Mar;26(1):57-64.
10 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Columbia University Irving Medical Center.Relieving a cough.American Lung Association.Cough symptoms, causes and risk factors.UTMB Health.The spooky side (risks) of candy.Johnson D, Mead R, Kennelty K, Hahn D.Menthol cough drops: Cause for concern?.J Am Board Fam Med. 2018 Apr;31(2):183-191. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2018.02.170363Li Z, Zhang H, Wang Y, Li Y, Li Q, Zhang L.The distinctive role of menthol in pain and analgesia: Mechanisms, practices, and advances.Front Mol Neurosci. 2022 Oct;15(1):1006908. doi:10.3389/fnmol.2022.1006908Kumar A, Baitha U, Aggarwal P, Jamshed N.A fatal case of menthol poisoning.Int J Appl Basic Med Res. 2016 Jun;6(2):137–139. doi:10.4103/2229-516X.179015U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Risk of serious and potentially fatal blood disorder prompts FDA action on oral over-the-counter benzocaine products used for teething and mouth pain and prescription local anesthetics.Sewell C, Rivey M.A case report of benzocaine-induced methemoglobinemia.J Pharm Pract. 2018 Oct;31(5):507-509. doi:10.1177/0897190017723211York G, Prateek J.Benzocaine blues: An iatrogenic methemoglobinemia case report.Crit Care Med. 2024 Jan;52(1):438. doi:10.1097/01.ccm.0001001896.39817.deAbuelgasim H, Albury C, Lee J.Effectiveness of honey for symptomatic relief in upper respiratory tract infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Evidence-Based Med. 2021 Mar;26(1):57-64.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center.Relieving a cough.American Lung Association.Cough symptoms, causes and risk factors.UTMB Health.The spooky side (risks) of candy.Johnson D, Mead R, Kennelty K, Hahn D.Menthol cough drops: Cause for concern?.J Am Board Fam Med. 2018 Apr;31(2):183-191. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2018.02.170363Li Z, Zhang H, Wang Y, Li Y, Li Q, Zhang L.The distinctive role of menthol in pain and analgesia: Mechanisms, practices, and advances.Front Mol Neurosci. 2022 Oct;15(1):1006908. doi:10.3389/fnmol.2022.1006908Kumar A, Baitha U, Aggarwal P, Jamshed N.A fatal case of menthol poisoning.Int J Appl Basic Med Res. 2016 Jun;6(2):137–139. doi:10.4103/2229-516X.179015U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Risk of serious and potentially fatal blood disorder prompts FDA action on oral over-the-counter benzocaine products used for teething and mouth pain and prescription local anesthetics.Sewell C, Rivey M.A case report of benzocaine-induced methemoglobinemia.J Pharm Pract. 2018 Oct;31(5):507-509. doi:10.1177/0897190017723211York G, Prateek J.Benzocaine blues: An iatrogenic methemoglobinemia case report.Crit Care Med. 2024 Jan;52(1):438. doi:10.1097/01.ccm.0001001896.39817.deAbuelgasim H, Albury C, Lee J.Effectiveness of honey for symptomatic relief in upper respiratory tract infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Evidence-Based Med. 2021 Mar;26(1):57-64.
Columbia University Irving Medical Center.Relieving a cough.
American Lung Association.Cough symptoms, causes and risk factors.
UTMB Health.The spooky side (risks) of candy.
Johnson D, Mead R, Kennelty K, Hahn D.Menthol cough drops: Cause for concern?.J Am Board Fam Med. 2018 Apr;31(2):183-191. doi:10.3122/jabfm.2018.02.170363
Li Z, Zhang H, Wang Y, Li Y, Li Q, Zhang L.The distinctive role of menthol in pain and analgesia: Mechanisms, practices, and advances.Front Mol Neurosci. 2022 Oct;15(1):1006908. doi:10.3389/fnmol.2022.1006908
Kumar A, Baitha U, Aggarwal P, Jamshed N.A fatal case of menthol poisoning.Int J Appl Basic Med Res. 2016 Jun;6(2):137–139. doi:10.4103/2229-516X.179015
U.S. Food and Drug Administration.Risk of serious and potentially fatal blood disorder prompts FDA action on oral over-the-counter benzocaine products used for teething and mouth pain and prescription local anesthetics.
Sewell C, Rivey M.A case report of benzocaine-induced methemoglobinemia.J Pharm Pract. 2018 Oct;31(5):507-509. doi:10.1177/0897190017723211
York G, Prateek J.Benzocaine blues: An iatrogenic methemoglobinemia case report.Crit Care Med. 2024 Jan;52(1):438. doi:10.1097/01.ccm.0001001896.39817.de
Abuelgasim H, Albury C, Lee J.Effectiveness of honey for symptomatic relief in upper respiratory tract infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis.BMJ Evidence-Based Med. 2021 Mar;26(1):57-64.
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