Delsym and Dizziness: What Users Say

• Sha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 11, 2021

For Cough "I had a sinus infection and took the antibiotics along with Mucinex D, and it cleared right up. However, I had a lingering dry cough (probably unrelated, but who knows?). I picked up some Delsym for the dry cough, along with Benadryl before bed, and slept like a baby. I took another dose of Delsym before work and didn't cough nearly as much as I had been. It didn't make me drowsy, dizzy, nauseous, 'high', nor did it give me diarrhea or stomach cramps. Everyone reacts to medication differently, and I am not by any means downplaying anyone who had such horrible side effects! I just wanted to share that some good can come for some with this medication."

• Sma...
• January 20, 2016

For Cough "I wish I had read the reviews before taking this product! Forty-five minutes after taking Delsym, I had lots of belly gurgling, then painful cramps, and then immediate violent diarrhea! I got so dizzy and lightheaded while sitting on the toilet I almost passed out. I will never take this product again and will advise all friends and family to avoid it as well. As far as suppressing my cough, I was too afraid to cough for some time after the diarrhea started!"

• Cha...
• October 25, 2016

For Cough "Woke up in the middle of the night with a horrendous cough. I decided to take some cough medicine and went back to sleep. It stopped the cough. Then I woke up in my own excrement (seriously), severe diarrhea. Heart palpitations, extreme dizziness, sweating, and confusion. I almost went to the emergency room. I will never take this again."

• Tex...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 20, 2019

For Cough "The medicine works really, really well. I took it at 7:30 am before work and have not coughed, and it's almost noon. HOWEVER, the medicine has made me super dizzy and loopy. I almost feel like I am borderline drunk. My fingers are also numb and cold, but that's going away as time goes on. I love this medicine, and this is the first time I have ever experienced these symptoms."

• Nev...
• December 9, 2017

For Cough "The first time I took Delsym (a couple of years ago), I landed in the ER because I thought I was dying: severe nausea, chills, sweats, shakes, dizziness, shortness of breath, and the dreaded diarrhea. I didn't make the connection that it was the Delsym until it happened to me again a couple of days ago. Almost identical symptoms as the first time, but this time instead of just nausea, I was also vomiting profusely. I'm glad it works for others, but please don't 'poo-poo' (pun intended) those whose experience was less-than-pleasant. We're all different, and what works for one won't work for another."

• BBS...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 27, 2018

For Cough "Took a dose of Delsym at 10:30 pm. Awoke at 3 am with diarrhea and dizziness. At 7:30 am: headache, dizziness, nausea, and pupils were dilated. Now, 18 hours later, still dizzy, headache with dilated pupils."

• Mad...
• January 19, 2019

For Cough "I took Delsym for my allergies. It worked really well the first two days. But on the third day, it made me feel like I was drunk or high, not really dizzy. I was disoriented and couldn’t focus, and my mind was all over the place. I thought that maybe I had just not eaten enough that day or something, but after seeing the reviews, I guess other people experienced this too."

• eni...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 10, 2016

For Cough "I read all these reviews and decided to try it, thinking it might work, but I was wrong. Do. Not. Take it. First of all, it barely helped my cough at all, some tea and honey could've done better than this. In fact, I think my cough got even worse. That part that was most upsetting was when I woke up feeling nauseous. I ignored it, and the next day took it again, and I got EXTREMELY lightheaded, just crazy dizzy. And then I got the diarrhea afterward... I just felt confused and out of it. This medicine is absolute trash, and I don't recommend taking it at all. I usually don't even write reviews either, so that should tell you something."

• kyr...
• February 25, 2017

For Cough "First off, it tasted awful. Secondly, I thought I was dying on my bathroom floor an hour after taking it. It gave me chills, extreme nausea, diarrhea, and dizziness. Double-checked the expiration date to see if that had something to do with it, nope. My cough is calm, but it's not worth fighting nausea and dizziness four hours later. I will never take this medicine again."

• KKa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 19, 2018

For Cough "I had a dry cough and asked a pharmacist what would be the best to take. He suggested this Delsym, so I bought it. Less than an hour later, a wave of dizziness hit me. I was not sure what was going on. Then, I began to feel like I was going to vomit. I threw up from 7 pm until 8 am. I had extreme anxiety, shook, my stomach cramped, and gurgled. At one point, I thought I was having a toxic reaction. This is hour 16, and I am still shaking, my pupils are still dilated, and I'm utterly exhausted. I'm not sure how it's even legal to sell this OTC."

• aaa...
• April 9, 2015

For Cough "It definitely helps my cough. But it makes me so dizzy, I feel like my surroundings are going by at 100 mph when I walk. I would NOT drive after taking it. I also feel a little 'out of it,' but that could just be having a sinus infection. I didn't have a problem with diarrhea like some people have mentioned."

• Jbw...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 4, 2018

For Cough "I have to admit that this is one of the most effective cough suppressants I've ever taken. Unfortunately, I seem to experience side effects from it, thankfully not rampant diarrhea like many people seem to be experiencing, but I still can't take it anymore. Delsym has a commonly reported side effect of dizziness, but what I experience feels more like dizziness meets an acid trip. It's extremely unsettling and didn't happen the first time I took it; more like the 10th. But it happens every time I take it now. Bummer."

• Nev...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 15, 2022

For Cough "I am currently taking Delsym for a nasty cough and upper respiratory infection. I took the recommended dosage of 10 ml every twelve hours. After the first dose, I became worse. My cough had gotten 10x worse, I had severe chills, bad body aches, and severe dizziness to the point of not being able to sit upright. I would have gone to the hospital but didn't have a ride. I can't sleep because of the cough. I took a half dose compared to the recommended dosage (5 ml) and am having the same symptoms: freezing, worse cough, and dizziness. I do not recommend whatsoever and will likely be going to the hospital this evening due to not being able to breathe."

• mea...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• July 17, 2018

For Cough "Took recommended dose at night. Woke up completely disoriented and dizzy, and had extreme waves of anxiety and feeling like I was going to pass out all day. Finally seemed to wear off around 24 hours later, but was the worst experience. This was actually my second time, I tried it again just to make sure that it was the medicine causing it and not some strange panic attack. It's definitely the medicine."

• Bra...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2018

For Cough "DO NOT take Delsym with alcohol. Nowhere on the box does it say that! I had wine with dinner and later took the prescribed dosage of Delsym because I had a cough that was preventing me from sleeping. The next thing I knew was waking up on the kitchen floor with ambulance personnel in my house! I hit my head on the floor, which caused a brain bleed. I had to be airlifted to a regional hospital and put in the ICU. Luckily, the bleed stopped and they didn't have to crack my head open to do brain surgery! Recovery was a nightmare with months of headache, dizziness, and zero energy. I still have residual effects a year later. They did a lot of tests in the hospital to figure out what caused me to faint, but all of them showed no problems, so it had to have been the Delsym. I don't know for sure, of course, that the combination of wine with Delsym caused me to pass out. It could have been just the Delsym, but I want to warn people. This stuff is dangerous!!!"

• Dha...
• April 2, 2019

For Cough "I took this syrup after my dinner and woke up with a heavy head and dizziness, and it only got worse by the afternoon. To an extent that if I close my eyes, everything will start spinning. It's more than 24 hours now, and I am still facing this issue. Will never recommend this to anyone."

• TAa...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 12, 2018

For Cough "I was taking this medication for about 3 days, and I experienced stomach aches every day. Only stopped my coughing for a few hours. When I took the medication yesterday morning, I felt very dizzy and couldn’t stand up straight."

• Lor...
• October 10, 2018

For Cough "My 9-year-old son had a severe cough. The doctor has always recommended this cough medicine. My son was very dizzy and felt horrible after one dose. 24 hours later, his pupils are still enlarged. I will never use this medicine again."

• Sho...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 22, 2020

For Cough "I took this because my family flew into town and I couldn’t stop coughing. I got a terrible headache and got very dizzy and nauseous. After the nauseousness passed, I was straight tripping. I can’t believe this stuff is legal. Don’t take it unless you have absolutely no other choice whatsoever."

• dgg...
• September 24, 2020

"I’m getting over the last symptoms of COVID, and I had a persistent cough, so my parents recommended I take Delsym. Well, it did its job, I didn’t have a cough, but I had way more side effects than I would’ve liked. I felt extremely off balance and like I was floating. I had bad diarrhea, a rapid heart rate, and even after working 5 hours, I had anxiety and couldn’t sleep that night, and that was hours after taking it! Crazy experience, felt like I was on actual drugs. Probably won’t be taking it again."

• Sic...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• December 10, 2019

For Cough "I took this medicine for a cough so I could sleep well before a final exam. I'm now up at 3 a.m. with diarrhea, intense stomach cramps, and I'm so dizzy I can't walk. It's also impossible to sleep because of how panicked it's making me feel. I made myself worse by taking this. Beware."

• FMG...
• Taken for 1 to 6 months
• December 10, 2016

For Cough "I had a very bad cold to the point of settling in my chest. I took Delsym 12 hour to help. I couldn't believe it really worked to keep my cough at bay, but I started to have severe side effects from it. I had dizziness like I was going to blackout, heart palpitations, SOB (shortness of breath), diarrhea, and vomiting at the same time (sitting on the toilet and holding a bucket at the same time wanting to pass out from the dehydration). Never again, I'll stick with Creomulsion."

• Cla...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 12, 2017

For Cough "I took it for a constant, deep barking cough. I worked quickly and well, calming my cough and allowing me to get sleep. However, it makes me incredibly drowsy - way worse than Unisom. There was also a bit of dizziness. I did not have any gastrointestinal side effects. I will use it again but only at night since it knocks me out."

• Jam...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 14, 2018

For Cough "I gave this to my 14-year-old son. When he went to bed, he was seeing colorful lights, dizziness, his whole body was shaking, he couldn't walk straight, his whole body was stiff, he couldn't open his jaw, he was tossing and turning all night and didn't sleep, and felt really lethargic."

• Jlo...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 15, 2020

For Cough "Both times that I have taken this medicine, it cured my cough completely, both times I woke up in the middle of the night around 3:30 am, and I felt like I was speeding on drugs. In the morning, I felt dizzy and horrible. This medicine is not worth it. The side effects last at least 24 hours."