dry+cough+and+asthma

=Dry cough in an asthmatic=

//A 72 year old man presents to your pharmacy asking for a cough suppressant. You discover that he is an asthmatic. Do you give him the cough suppressant?//

Problem
Giving a cough suppressant to an asthmatic can mask early symptoms of an asthma attack and level of asthma control.

What to do
- Confirm he is an asthmatic (what medications are you on? etc.) - Ask about compliance and technique. Coughing may indicate poor control of asthma, but before referring to the GP for an increase in dose, determine whether he understands how to take his asthma medication and if he administers it regularly ("I take it everyday" may mean he only takes it in the morning, as opposed to twice a day) - You should refuse to supply him the cough suppressant due to the reasons stated above, and supplying it may lead to a fail grade in the exercise. - If they demand to buy a product, you could try recommending a demulcent (coats the throat and relieves the irritation causing the cough) such as a simple linctus or honey (no active ingredient, so no interactions: but is based on sugar, so careful with diabetics)

Resources
[|NPS Case Study: Dry Cough]