Atuss DS

Name: Atuss DS

How should I take this medicine?

Use exactly as directed on the label, or as prescribed by your doctor. Do not use in larger or smaller amounts or for longer than recommended. Cough or cold medicine is usually taken only for a short time until your symptoms clear up.

Do not give this medication to a child younger than 4 years old. Always ask a doctor before giving a cough or cold medicine to a child. Death can occur from the misuse of cough and cold medicines in very young children.

Measure liquid medicine with a special dose-measuring spoon or medicine cup. If you do not have a dose-measuring device, ask your pharmacist for one.

The chewable tablet must be chewed before you swallow it.

Do not take for longer than 7 days in a row. Talk with your doctor if your symptoms do not improve after 7 days of treatment, or if you have a fever with a headache or skin rash.

If you need surgery or medical tests, tell the surgeon or doctor ahead of time if you have taken this medicine within the past few days.

Store at room temperature away from moisture and heat.

What should I avoid while taking this medicine?

Drinking alcohol can increase certain side effects of chlorpheniramine, dextromethorphan, and pseudoephedrine.

Ask a doctor or pharmacist before using any other cold, cough, allergy, or sleep medicine. Antihistamines and cough suppressants are contained in many combination medicines. Taking certain products together can cause you to get too much of a certain drug. Check the label to see if a medicine contains an antihistamine or cough suppressant.

This medication may cause blurred vision and may impair your thinking or reactions. Be careful if you drive or do anything that requires you to be alert and able to see clearly.

Avoid becoming overheated or dehydrated during exercise and in hot weather. Chlorpheniramine and pseudoephedrine can decrease sweating and you may be more prone to heat stroke.

This medicine side effects

Get emergency medical help if you have any of these signs of an allergic reaction: hives; difficult breathing; swelling of your face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Stop using this medicine and call your doctor at once if you have:

  • confusion, severe anxiety, hallucinations, tremors;

  • weak or shallow breathing;

  • a light-headed feeling, like you might pass out;

  • fast or pounding heartbeats;

  • painful or difficult urination, little or no urinating;

  • pale skin, weakness, easy bruising or bleeding, fever, chills, body aches; or

  • increased blood pressure--severe headache, buzzing in your ears, chest pain, shortness of breath, uneven heartbeats.

Common side effects may include:

  • dizziness, drowsiness, headache;

  • constipation, upset stomach, loss of appetite;

  • blurred vision, double vision, dry eyes;

  • sleep problems (insomnia); or

  • dry mouth, nose, or throat.

This is not a complete list of side effects and others may occur. Call your doctor for medical advice about side effects. You may report side effects to FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088.

For the Consumer

Applies to chlorpheniramine / dextromethorphan / pseudoephedrine: oral liquid, oral syrup

What are some side effects that I need to call my doctor about right away?

WARNING/CAUTION: Even though it may be rare, some people may have very bad and sometimes deadly side effects when taking a drug. Tell your doctor or get medical help right away if you have any of the following signs or symptoms that may be related to a very bad side effect:

  • Signs of an allergic reaction, like rash; hives; itching; red, swollen, blistered, or peeling skin with or without fever; wheezing; tightness in the chest or throat; trouble breathing or talking; unusual hoarseness; or swelling of the mouth, face, lips, tongue, or throat.

Chlorpheniramine / dextromethorphan / pseudoephedrine Pregnancy Warnings

Chlorpheniramine has been assigned to pregnancy category B by the FDA. Animal studies have not been reported. There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. Dextromethorphan has been assigned to pregnancy category C by the FDA. Animal studies have revealed evidence of teratogenicity. There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. Pseudoephedrine has not been formally assigned to a pregnancy category by the FDA. Animal studies have not been reported. There are no controlled data in human pregnancy. Based on available data, pseudoephedrine is not thought to be teratogenic. Chlorpheniramine/dextromethorphan/pseudoephedrine is only recommended for use during pregnancy when benefit outweighs risk.

The Collaborative Perinatal Project monitored 1,070 first trimester exposures and 3,931 exposures which occurred anytime during pregnancy. No evidence was found to suggest a relationship to large categories of malformations. Antihistamine exposure in the first trimester in general was not associated with an increased risk of malformations. A case-controlled surveillance study reported an elevated relative risk (3.2) of gastroschisis with first-trimester pseudoephedrine use in 76 cases. Relative risks for other drugs were 1.6 for salicylates, 1.7 for acetaminophen, 1.3 for ibuprofen, and 1.5 for phenylpropanolamine (not significant). The authors hypothesized vascular disruption was the etiology of gastroschisis. A second group of 416 infants with heterogeneous defects suspected to have a vascular etiology were reviewed. There was no increased risk associated with salicylates, ibuprofen, pseudoephedrine, phenylpropanolamine or other decongestants. These data require independent confirmation. In a review of 229,101 deliveries to Michigan Medicaid patients, 940 first-trimester exposures to pseudoephedrine were recorded and 1919 exposures anytime during pregnancy. A total of 37 birth defects were reported with first trimester exposure (40 expected) and included (observed/expected) 3/9 cardiovascular defects, 2 oral clefts, and 3/2 polydactyly. These researchers reviewed nine cases of abdominal wall defects in the 1980-1983 Medicaid data. Seven of the nine cases occurred in 3752 woman who had taken pseudoephedrine for a relative risk of 1.8. Only one of these cases was a surgically treated abdominal wall defect. (written communication, Franz Rosa, MD, Food and Drug Administration, 1994). The Collaborative Perinatal Project monitored 50,282 mother-child pairs. Only 39 first-trimester exposures to pseudoephedrine were recorded, with one birth defect observed. For use anytime during pregnancy, 194 exposures were recorded with 3 birth defects observed (3.22 expected). The effect of pseudoephedrine on uterine and fetal blood was studied in 12 healthy pregnant women between 26 and 40 weeks gestation. Following a single 60 mg dose of pseudoephedrine, no significant effect was seen on fetal heart rate, uterine blood flow, or fetal aortic blood flow.

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