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When you’re sick with a respiratory illness, the constant hacking and coughing can drive you up a wall. It haunts your waking hours and even keeps you up at night. That’s where benzonatate, also known by its brand name Tessalon Perles, comes in. This antitussive prescription helps to suppress your cough, giving you a much-needed break to get some rest.
“Benzonatate is a cough medicine that works to reduce the reflex in one’s lungs that creates the urge to cough,” says Po-Chang Hsu, MD, medical content expert for Sleeping Ocean. “By alleviating the reflex, benzonatate relieves coughing.”
However, benzonatate does not cure the illness that’s causing your cough—it simply provides temporary relief. Meaning, it should only be a temporary aid while you’re in the process of getting better. If you’ve ever wondered, “How many days can you take benzonatate,” read on.
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How many days can you take benzonatate?
Benzonatate is a non-narcotic (non-opioid) prescription that is similar to anesthetics procaine and tetracaine. It’s a type of anesthetic that numbs the receptors in your breathing pathways to stop your cough reflex for about three to eight hours at a time. It is not addictive so there isn’t a limit on the number of days you can take it. However, if you are still coughing after seven days of taking this medication you should let your healthcare provider know.
“Benzonatate is typically prescribed for around a week or so,” says Dr. Hsu. “This timeframe is usually enough to relieve coughing in most patients. However, the treatment duration may vary depending on the severity of one’s condition.”
How to take benzonatate
Benzonatate is recommended for use to suppress a dry cough caused by an illness such as the common cold, flu, or pneumonia. “This medication is wonderful at ‘numbing’ the cough mechanism allowing you to have temporary relief of coughing,” says Melody Rodarte, DO, a double-board certified internal and obesity medicine specialist at Activated Health & Wellness in Gilbert, AZ. “But benzonatate is not ‘curing’ the cough, rather it’s helping to relieve symptoms so that you can rest and recover.”
Benzonatate will only stop the cough temporarily while the medication lasts. This medication is not recommended for use in people with chronic cough conditions unrelated to an illness—such as smoking, asthma, or emphysema.
“If you’ve been taking benzonatate for up to a week and symptoms persist or if symptoms worsen like you are coughing blood or you have blood-tinged phlegm, then you should notify your healthcare provider,” Dr. Rodarte says. “Also, if other symptoms start, like shortness of breath, you should contact your provider.” These may be signs of more serious medical conditions.
Benzonatate dosage to relieve coughing
“It’s safe to take benzonatate every day, but it’s crucial to stick to the dosage recommended by your healthcare provider,” Dr. Hsu says. The typical dose of benzonatate capsules is 100 mg or 200 mg taken by mouth three times a day as needed. Bezonatate usually starts to relieve cough within 20 minutes. If you forget to take it, just skip the missed dose and follow your regular schedule for your next dose. You should not take more than 600 mg per day or more than 200 mg capsule of benzonatate at one time—even if your cough has not stopped.
You should swallow the benzonatate capsule whole, and you can take benzonatate with or without food. If sucked or chewed, or if the capsule breaks in your mouth, you may experience a severe allergic reaction and/or numbness in your mouth, throat, and face. If you have trouble swallowing pills, then you should not take benzonatate.
Benzonatate is only approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for adults and children older than 10 years of age. In 2010, the FDA issued a warning that accidental ingestion of benzonatate by a child under 10 years old can cause death from overdose. Be sure to store the medication at room temperature in a child-resistant container and out of reach of children. If accidental ingestion occurs, call Poison Control at 1-800-222-1222 and seek emergency medical attention immediately.
Common side effects of benzonatate
If you take benzonatate, you might experience adverse effects. Some common side effects include:
- Constipation
- Upset stomach
- Nausea
- Drowsiness
- Dizziness
- Headaches
- Nasal congestion
- Allergic reactions like itching or rash
- Hypersensitivity reactions
- Mental confusion
If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, seek medical advice from a healthcare provider before using benzonatate. The medication can pass through breast milk and may cause side effects in the breastfed child. There are some prescription drug interactions with benzonatate. Tell your healthcare provider about all the medications you take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and supplements. Be sure to tell your provider if you’re taking other cough suppressants or cold medications, over-the-counter antihistamines, anti-seizure prescriptions, sleep or anxiety drugs, muscle relaxants, narcotics, or psychiatric medications.
Symptoms of a benzonatate overdose
If you take too much benzonatate or take it too often, the following serious adverse reactions could occur:
- Tremor
- Choking
- Restlessness
- Fainting
- Slowed or stopped breathing
- Slow heart rate
- Weak pulse
- Seizures (convulsions)
- Loss of consciousness
- Visual hallucinations
- Coma
- Heart attack
- Death
Symptoms can appear very quickly, within 15 to 20 minutes. If you experience any of these symptoms of overdose from taking an improper amount of benzonatate, you should get emergency medical help immediately.
Benzonatate alternatives
“Benzonatate works great for dry, persistent coughing that might disrupt the patient’s daily life or sleep,” Dr. Hsu says. “That being said, benzonatate is not ideal for helping people cough up excess mucus.” If benzonatate hasn’t worked, or if you are unable to take benzonatate, or if you have a productive cough (a cough with mucus and phlegm), there are alternatives that can help. For example, Mucinex (guaifenesin) can help a productive cough, while Delsym (dextromethorphan) can help a dry cough. Honey can be used in adults and children (older than 1 year old). Sometimes, for a more severe cough, a healthcare provider may order a prescription-strength cough syrup.
There are many different options to relieve a cough, and different types of coughs respond to different types of medications. Don’t give up hope if the first medication doesn’t work for you. Keep talking to your provider or pharmacist until you find a treatment that has you on the road to recovery.
