Benzonatate and Vomiting: What Users Say

• Dea...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• February 13, 2020

Tessalon Perles (benzonatate) for Cough "Tessalon Perles are useless for cough, might as well swallow a tic tac, it would have the same effect for a cough. Three times now, I have been given these, and they do absolutely nothing for helping stop my cough. I even tried taking them more frequently, and still no relief. The biggest joke ever for cough relief, and tired of wasting my hard-earned money on such a useless medication. I would rate these zero if it would allow, however, I must choose a rating of one instead. My quality of life is still suffering, I am still coughing so hard I urinate and have bowel movements unexpectedly. I am still crying each time I have a coughing fit, gagging until I puke. My throat is raw, and I have developed a tension migraine from coughing. I have been up for days now with very little sleep and am exhausted from coughing so hard."

• Lon...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• June 21, 2016

Tessalon Perles (benzonatate) for Cough "An upper respiratory infection sent me to an urgent care center, where 100 mg of Tessalon Perles was prescribed. This lowest dosage relaxed the lung muscles, so I didn't suffer from the coughing spasms, and while I still had to sleep sitting up, I was more comfortable. The prescription was for 3 times a day, but I only took it twice daily. A follow-up visit to my primary care doctor resulted in a prescription for 200 mg twice daily, and that dosage was too much for me. I had a scary episode resembling a heart attack and stopped the medication immediately. Heart pounding, chest muscles tightened front and back, profuse sweating, dizziness, one episode of vomiting. I consumed large quantities of water to flush the drug out of my system and will never take it again."

• Laa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 27, 2019

Tessalon Perles (benzonatate) for Cough "I was given this prescription due to a 3-week-long virus, excessive coughing-day and night. It does stop the cough, but I was allergic to it. I thought my lip blew up from the spicy chicken wings the night before. I kept taking it. It poisoned my system. I had no idea why my virus was now nauseating my stomach and twice I would vomit because of it. The side effects are obviously different on everyone! PLEASE read the labels and medical staff-PLEASE tell your patients that things can happen and they need to react to EVERY reaction that is NOT normal or feels good. My lip blew up. It looked like Botox. I drank all kinds of cold beverages to get the swelling down. I had NO idea the path it would take was to make me sicker."

• ACU...
• October 27, 2016

For Cough "4 days I've been taking this medication, and it hasn't done anything whatsoever! I can't get any rest because I'm coughing my brains out. I'm coughing so hard that I'm throwing up. My head is pounding. I will stop this so-called 'cough suppressant' today and go to the store and buy me some over-the-counter Robitussin because that works better than this prescription I had to pay out of pocket for because my insurance didn't cover it. I wouldn't recommend it to my worst enemy to take this medication!"

• AdG...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 10, 2016

For Cough "I have occasional asthma and always get stubborn bronchitis every time I get a cold. My lungs get easily irritated and spasm, and I can have intense coughing fits that result in gagging and vomiting. It's a vicious circle since the irritation and spasms cause coughing, resulting in more irritation, etc. My physician prescribed Benzonatate for this, and it has been wonderfully effective. It works better for me than Codeine cough syrup. The Codeine seems to calm things down, but the benzonatate puts a big stop on the irritated dry cough. My lungs can calm down and heal now. So glad this drug exists!"

• AdG...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 10, 2016

For Cough "I have occasional asthma and always get stubborn bronchitis every time I get a cold. My lungs get easily irritated and spasm, and I can have intense coughing fits that result in gagging and vomiting. It's a vicious circle since the irritation and spasms cause coughing, resulting in more irritation, etc. My physician prescribed Benzonatate for this, and it has been wonderfully effective. It works better for me than Codeine cough syrup. The Codeine seems to calm things down, but the benzonatate puts a big stop on the irritated dry cough. My lungs can calm down and heal now. So glad this drug exists!"

• hbb...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 19, 2019

For Cough "Benzonatate did not work for my cough. As many others have reported, it seemed to make it worse. I actually started gagging and feeling like I was going to get sick a few times after I took it. Robitussin over-the-counter works better."

• Sar...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 9, 2019

For Cough "It is currently 3:45 in the morning, and I cannot stop coughing. I’ve been taking benzonatate for 3 days, and I have never coughed this bad before. I’ve almost thrown up twice from coughing, and every time I think the worst is gone, I start to hack up a lung again."

• Csx...
• November 13, 2016

For Cough "This stuff does nothing, wasted $6. Years ago, doctors gave you cough syrup with codeine. That stuff knocked the cough right out! I got 3 different scripts, and I'm still gagging and coughing. Antibiotics next."

• ksa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• April 2, 2019

For Cough "As many others have mentioned, this medication seems to do more harm than good. After taking it, within 20 minutes or so, I am coughing constantly to the point of gagging and throwing up. My son-in-law was also prescribed this and had a terrible rash all over his body, and it also made him cough more. Since it is prescribed so frequently, there needs to be more emphasis from practitioners about swallowing with a glass of water and not letting it dissolve in your mouth at all. Otherwise, it can numb your tongue and swallowing mechanism. Hope it works for some people, but not for anyone I've known so far."

• Anonymous
• April 9, 2019

For Cough "The first time I took benzonatate for my cough, I woke with a severe headache, cold sweats, and vomiting. I didn’t realize it was from the medication, so I took it again 5 days later and had chest pain, epigastric pain, nausea, dizziness, and insomnia. I will never take this med again!!!"

• Mtg...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 9, 2018

For Cough "I have had asthma my whole life. Over the years, numerous experiences of being hospitalized for pneumonia, severe asthma complications. Recently had to be hospitalized for MRSA pneumonia. A doctor recommended these for my coughing, but I was hesitant about using another medication. After my most recent hospitalization, the doctor strongly recommended and agreed that trying this medicine with a cough medicine would help. Well, it did!! Not everyone will have success with medications as others do, but for me, it’s finally a huge relief! I don’t enjoy coughing so hard when my asthma flares up that I feel like vomiting, passing out, and having my face turn red. So I’m grateful for this, and time will tell how it works for the long term!"

• Ann...
• Taken for 1 to 2 years
• August 17, 2021

For Cough "I feel so validated reading these reviews. These pills are making my cough worse. I was having productive coughs, and now they are so dry, I can't stop. I'm getting a pounding headache from coughing so much and have started to gag. It's awful."

• pat...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 23, 2023

For Cough "01/29/23 diagnosed with COVID after symptoms. I was prescribed Paxlovid for a 5-day TX. A week later, I started having intermittent heavy coughing. 02/21/23 I went to urgent care. The doctor prescribed this as 1 out of 3 treatments. 02/22/23 19:00 I took the first capsule. 02/23 05:00 diarrhea, which continued. 02/23 06:00 I started feeling sick. 02/23 06:15 nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. 02/23 07:00 I started back fierce coughing. I took only 1 out of 20 capsules and got sick, as indicated above. I am not taking any more. I will confer with the doctor's office to alert them. 07:30 I still feel sick with no desire to take a second dose."

• Loo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 16, 2019

For Cough "I’ve been taking benzonatate for 2 days, prescribed to me by my doctors. Overall, I have been coughing less and less harshly. But it has made me drowsy and dizzy and vomit after eating. Of course, everyone is different."

• k9w...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 5, 2018

For Cough "Wish they had a zero rating. Influenza A with strep - when I was at the peak of being ill, I was praying for some help, but in the state of AZ, absolutely NO help in the opioid realm (all I would have needed was codeine cough syrup so I could sleep - not allowed). They instead give you these tiny pearls, which are absolutely worthless. Took one at dinner, 5:00 PM, it's now 9:32 PM, and I'm still coughing and retching, and I'm 8 days into the flu. So my guess, they never do work. What a joke."

• Ano...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 25, 2018

For Cough "Horrible experience with this medication. I was diagnosed with an upper respiratory infection and was prescribed amoxicillin. Within an hour of taking the medicine, it made me extremely nauseous, and I've thrown up at least two times from it."

• kev...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 6, 2019

For Cough "Coughing from flu virus for over 4 weeks. Coughed so hard I vomited. The first week I got Cheracol * with codeine from my doc. I was able to sleep and control coughing episodes for the week I used the Cheracol *. 4 weeks later and still coughing until vomiting. Taking benzonatate, Delsym, Sudafed, Tylenol, and numbing throat spray. My family wants me to move out due to keeping them up all night coughing."

• Anonymous
• February 23, 2020

For Cough "I tried this benzonatate for my coughing, and all it does is make my coughing worse and make me want to throw up. This is the worst kind of medication."

• Anonymous
• February 25, 2015

For Cough "I have taken this medicine, and so far, nothing. Still coughing my head off. I have coughed so much my chest hurts, and I've been vomiting, and even after I took it, still coughing my head off."

• Bar...
• January 30, 2020

For Cough "The benzonatate does, in fact, seem to make the coughing worse. Three nights in a row now I’ve coughed so hard that I vomited up my entire dinner. Awesome."

• CRB...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 1, 2022

For Cough "Made me cough all night. A very dry cough. Coughed so much I kept gagging. Cough got better after the medicine wore off. Whoever invented cough suppressants is a liar."