November 22

by Rachel Bartels November 22, 2016

November 22

History Tuesday:
Do you know someone who has a cough this fall? Ever wonder about the history of cough medicine? Read on!

In the 1800s, cough medicine was made from addictive opiates

In 1898, heroin was introduced as a non-addictive alternative cough medicine. This was soon found to be false.

In the late 1800s, the Smith Brothers created the first cough drops

In the early 1900s, codeine became the drug of choice for cough medicines

Since it's introduction and because codeine is highly addictive, it has been commonly abused

Codeine was moved to prescription only and DXM was introduced in OTC cough syrups. However, this solution wasn't effective as DXM has led to abuse as well.
Crazy, right?!? Makes us want to stay far away from all chemical cough medication! Luckily, we have our all natural Cough & Cold to rely on!!