Mucinex - A Great Expectorant

I have allergies and deal with sinus pressure and congestion. I also have a condition called SVT (Supra Ventricular Tachacardia) - in english this translates to a fast heartbeat. Some medicines, such as those found in certain antihistamines and decongestants, can cause heart palpitations. For this reason, I have to be very careful about what medicines I take.

Because of my allergies, I also suffer with post nasal drip. If you have had PND, you know how miserable it can be. I drive my husband crazy if I cough stuff up - he says it's gross. But my Dr. said I need to cough this mucus up, my body is trying to get rid of it! There are times when I can feel some mucus in my throat, and I cannot get it "up", nor can I swallow it completely. Enter Mucinex. Mucinex claim is to loosen the phlegm by thinning it out, thus making it easier to expel. It also makes coughs more productive.

My local supermarket was all out of Mucinex, so I called our WalMart a few miles away and they said they had it in stock. When I arrived at the store I could not find it on the shelf, so I asked for assistance. The WalMart employee said "we probably don't have any left, we can hardly keep this stuff on the shelves!" Low and behold, they did have two boxes, but only the 40 count in 600 mg. extended release formula. They were all out of the 20 count. I felt that $18.00 was a bit pricey, but if it saved me a trip to the Dr. it was money well spent. The Walmart employee took the remaining box and gave it to the Pharmacist. Not sure why she did that, but I got the impression that I was lucky to walk away with one box!

My Experience

As soon as I got home from WalMart, I took one Mucinex pill, which is blue on one side and white on the other. The white layer is smaller, and this part releases the medicine right away. The larger blue area of the pill is the "extended release" part, and it slowly releases the remainder of the medicine over a long period (the box says that it will last up to 12 hours.) The directions say that it can be taken without regard to the timing of meals. Because these pills were the extended release formula, they are to be taken whole - and with a full glass of water. Drinking lots of water can also help relieve congestion.

Mucinex tasted awful on my tongue and I had to eat something to get that taste out of my mouth. Still, I figured "if it works, it's worth it". The pill was taken at 3:00 pm in the afternoon, and I didn't take any more pills that day. The next morning when I got up, I was able to immediately expel the mucus!! It totally got rid of my post nasal drip, and I feel so much better! I have never used a product that worked this fast and was this effective!

There were no noticeable side effects from the Mucinex, and that was another pleasant surprise. It does not interact with most other medicines. In fact, Mucinex is the only long lasting expectorant that has been approved by the FDA.

I regularly take Benadryl for my allergies, and while it works great, it also makes me very sleepy. I did not experience any sleepiness with Mucinex.

Side Effects

As I said, I had no side effects while taking Mucinex. However, I only took one pill, because this did the job. I looked up the active ingredient in Mucinex on MedlinePlus and they do state: although side effects from guaifenesin are not common, they can occur. Tell your doctor if any of these symptoms are severe or do not go away: headache, upset stomach, vomiting.

More About Mucinex

Mucinex is distributed by Adams Respiratory Therapeutics, in Chester New Jersey. I have never heard of this company before, but I sure will look for more of their products!

This product is not for children under the age of 12. There are other warnings that consumers should heed before using Mucinex. The bottle says to ask your Dr. before using this product if you have a chronic cough (from smoking, emphysema, asthma or chronic bronchitis.) Or if you have a cough with too much mucus. A Dr. should also be consulted if you are pregnant or breast-feeding.

Drug Interactions

The drugs.com website tells us that there are no known interactions between guaifenesin and other medicines. Therefore Mucinex can safely be used with other medicines.

Active Ingredient:

Guaifenesin.

Inactive Ingredients:

Carbomer 934P, NF; FD&C blue #1 aluminum lake; hypromellose,USP; magnesium stearate, NF; microcrystalline cellulose, NF; sodium starch glycolate, NF.

Final Thoughts

Mucinex is GREAT! I wish I would have known about this years ago, it would have saved me lots of money in visits to the Doctor's office, and it would have helped me recover from symptoms of post nasal drip much sooner! My Dr. had recommended other products for post nasal drip, but none of them have worked as well or as fast as Mucinex! It is well worth the money!