Skip to main content

Dextromethorphan User Reviews & Ratings (Page 2)

Brand names: Delsym, Delsym 12 Hour Cough Relief, Vicks Dayquil Cough, Dry Cough, Cough Syrup DM, Bisolvon Dry, DexAlone, Dextromethorphan HBr Adult Formula, Robitussin CoughGels Long-Acting, Buckleys Mixture, Calmylin, Buckley's Mixture Cough Suppressant, Benylin DM, Delsym Children's 12-Hour Cough Relief, Vicks Formula 44, Covonia Bronchial Balsam, Robafen Cough Liquidgels, Dexi-Tuss, Sucrets Cough, Creomulsion, 12 Hour Cough Relief, Robitussin 12-Hour Cough Relief, Babee Cof, Silphen DM, Vicks Formula 44 Custom Care Dry Cough Suppressant, Balminil DM, Delsym 12 Hour Cough Relief for Children & Adults, Robitussin Cough Long-Acting, Benadryl for the Family Dry Forte, Contac Cough, Bisolvon Dry Junior, Dristan DM, Triaminic Long Acting Cough, Creomulsion Children, Buckley's DM Robitussin Direct Cough Tussin Cough Gels (Long Acting) Vicks Nature Fusion Cough Duract Max Strength Cough Scot-Tussin Diabetes Hold Triaminic Thin Strips Cough Giltuss Honey DM 8hr Cough Giltuss Children's Honey DM 8hr Cough ElixSure Cough Hold DM Robitussin Children's Cough Long-Acting …show all brand names

Dextromethorphan has an average rating of 3.7 out of 10 from a total of 386 reviews on Drugs.com. 20% of reviewers reported a positive experience, while 63% reported a negative experience.

Reviews for Dextromethorphan

Commonly mentioned side effects
  • BBS...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • December 27, 2018

Dextromethorphan 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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
15 Report
  • 1Pe...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 6, 2019

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I’ve been giving this to my grandson for a few years now. When he got sick, he always seemed to get diarrhea and terrible gastrointestinal issues, and I just equated it to a symptom of whatever bug he had caught. A few days ago, we were on vacation, and he got sick. The coughing started and sinus issues. Then I got it yesterday. I’ve found that as an adult, I have to take the highest dose to quit coughing, so it doesn’t work for more than a couple of hours. On top of constantly coughing, and I can’t take anything else, now we both have gas and constant diarrhea. I am throwing all of it in the garbage in the AM and going to take him to the Dr and get something that will actually work. Bottom line is - the med has big-time side effects, and you only get about 4 hours of relief. I don’t understand why the pharmaceutical companies keep making and selling this. They positively know that it’s causing more issues than relieving."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
12 Report
  • Mad...
  • January 19, 2019

Dextromethorphan 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."

3 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
12 Report

Frequently asked questions

  • sic...
  • September 6, 2014

Dextromethorphan for Cough "It did stop the cough, got up all the junk in my lungs, and allowed me to continue my work day. However, it gave me such terrible stomach pain I was very near calling it quits and going home. Taking a smaller dose with food made this problem much more tolerable, yet that burning feeling lingered for hours after."

6 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
19 Report
  • Chr...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 4, 2019

Dextromethorphan for Cough "The first dose I took early this afternoon worked OK (I only took 1/2 dose), but I took the full dose about 30 minutes ago and cannot stop coughing. It’s actually worse than it was before I took the second dose. Praying this works so I can get a good night’s sleep!"

3 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
10 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

Your review helps others make informed decisions.
Write a review
  • Don...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • April 22, 2018

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Uhh, I took this medicine for a severe cough because of seasonal allergies. I was taking Mucinex, but it wasn't as effective immediately. So, I asked my mom, who also deals with allergy issues, and she gave me this Delsym. It did, in fact, suppress my urge to cough but with major repercussions. It is now 10 pm, 12 hours after my first dose, and I can't stand myself right now. I feel so disoriented that it is hard to focus on this message, but it is important that I share my experience so I can save some of the trouble this way. I have an anxiety disorder, this is important for others like me so they know that this medicine has made me feel so incredibly bad that I have serious, serious dark thoughts about myself. I just want to stop this unexplainable, very terrible feeling throughout my entire body and brain. I hope this horrible experience will end soon. I'll be sure to update on how long the effects last. So far, 12 hours and counting..."

4 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
13 Report
  • Abs...
  • December 25, 2017

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Absolute nightmare. Do not take, for the love of God! I took it for an upper respiratory cough at around 4 pm, and the nightmare began shortly after when I got the chills so bad I couldn’t stand up. I was sweating bullets but freezing cold. After that stopped, this poison passed me out, at which point I had the most extreme nonsense nightmares I’ve ever had in my life. Atop all this, I coughed and coughed and coughed to the point of gagging. This medicine is poison. Wouldn’t recommend it to my worst enemy. Such an astronomical waste of money, time, health, and sleep. I poured the remainder down the toilet and felt bad that the water treatment facility now had to deal with this absolute toxic waste."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
17 Report

More FAQ

  • Ray...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • June 7, 2016

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I made the mistake of taking this medicine before going to bed. I woke up in my own excrement. Seriously, this is no laughing matter. It was like something out of a Dumb & Dumber movie. I had a raging case of explosive diarrhea. I feel sorry for the poor souls who don't use at least 3-ply toilet paper. Food went right through me like fat people go through Twinkies. I would only recommend it if you take a lower dosage than the recommended one."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
18 Report
  • Ups...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • November 7, 2016

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Took this as a cold medicine because I can't stop coughing. Was all fine and dandy and went out to dinner. Halfway there, I had to stop because I felt gurgling in my stomach. Sure enough-diarrhea. I should have listened to the reviews-do NOT take this medicine."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
11 Report
  • AKE...
  • December 4, 2015

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I had a very dry cough and onset of dry, wheezing chest congestion. I took a capful, and the cough stopped within minutes, the congestion loosened in the nose and lungs over the next 2-3 hours. I was able to sleep and am no longer constipated. 9/10 stars."

9 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
12 Report
  • RN0...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • October 4, 2014

For Cough "This medication didn't have an awful taste (I bought the liquid) and took care of my cough. Unfortunately, I had severe diarrhea and ended up having to take an anti-diarrheal. I probably won't use this medication again - the diarrhea was horrible! I would rather have a cough!"

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
13 Report
  • Unh...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • May 28, 2016

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I took the appropriate dose of Delsym, and 30 minutes later began hallucinating. The following day, I lost all vision and motor control. I took Delsym 3 days ago and am still experiencing side effects."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
15 Report
  • Anonymous
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • April 12, 2015

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I was traveling and started having a dry, allergy-related cough. Trying to suppress it long enough to give a presentation, and Delsym worked perfectly. But as others noted, I started to have diarrhea. I didn't connect it right away to Delsym, because when traveling everything is disrupted. Now home, everything had mostly cleared up, and I took the last dose last night, and sure enough, diarrhea is back today. I take no other meds."

5 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
14 Report
  • GGa...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • April 29, 2018

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I get bronchitis at least once or twice a year, and this is the only medicine to help my cough. My coughing keeps me up at night, my ribs hurt, and this medicine gives me some relief. I get no gas, nausea, or poops from it! Most medicines do cause those above symptoms listed, and with this, I have none."

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
9 Report
  • Emm...
  • Taken for 1 to 6 months
  • May 25, 2019

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I have taken Delsym ever since I was young (for colds). I have asthma, so a cold isn’t just a cold for me, but every time I have taken it has resulted in nausea, vomiting, extreme dizziness, fast heartbeat, and shakiness for about 2 days. I later learned that the ingredient called dextromethorphan was causing this. Anytime I take anything with this, it happens. Idk if I’m sensitive to it or allergic."

2 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
9 Report
  • Fur...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • December 7, 2016

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I'm sick and have a constant barking cough that's mostly unproductive. I read reviews on Amazon to find a good OTC cough suppressant. Delsym had rave reviews. I had hubby pick up the orange. I can say that my coughing has stopped. Delsym absolutely stops the coughing. It's quite wonderful. What's not wonderful are the three bouts of explosive diarrhea I have had since taking it three hours ago. There's more to come as my stomach is still gurgling. This is the really bad stuff. Thank goodness it stops the coughing because if I coughed right now, I'd have diarrhea all over the bed. The medicine does stop the coughing, but it's not worth this kind of diarrhea."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
10 Report
  • Tom...
  • February 14, 2017

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Well, it stopped my cough, but it also gave me extremely watery diarrhea that had me running to the bathroom every 10-30 minutes for hours and hours. It must have been at least 8 hours before my stomach calmed down. It left me feeling dehydrated and sick, but hey, at least my cough was gone, right?"

3 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
10 Report
  • S c...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • January 10, 2018

Dextromethorphan for Cough "This is the most useless medicine I've ever taken! I have the flu, so I have all the symptoms... fever, chills, aches, and congestion. I took Delsym to ease the coughing, and instead of doing anything, all it did was give me diarrhea, and I was still coughing to the point of gagging. Thanks for adding to my problems, Delsym!"

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
9 Report
  • eni...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • December 10, 2016

Dextromethorphan 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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
14 Report
  • kyr...
  • February 25, 2017

Dextromethorphan 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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
11 Report
  • KKa...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • March 19, 2018

Dextromethorphan 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."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
10 Report
  • Bar...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • December 8, 2017

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Looked up ingredients in Delsym. Active ingredients: Dextromethorphan Polistirex. Inactive ingredients: Citric acid, Edetate disodium, Ethyl cellulose, FD&C Yellow 6 aluminum lake, Flavor, High fructose corn syrup, Methylparaben, Polyethylene glycol 3350, Polysorbate 80, Propylene glycol, Propylparaben, Purified water, Sucrose (sugar), Tragacanth, Vegetable oil, Xanthan gum. Polyethylene glycol 3350 is, get this, MIRALAX! No wonder we get explosive diarrhea!"

2 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
10 Report
  • Arm...
  • Taken for less than 1 month
  • September 21, 2016

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I gave this 5 stars because I no longer feel sick with the flu after taking this medicine, but I do have another problem now. It's like my behind won't stop talking. I have a bubbly stomach at 4 a.m. in the morning and massive farts. I'm scared to even let them out because during the day I thought I had to fart, and so I let it out, and it wasn't a fart that came out, it was more like the squirts."

5 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
12 Report
  • col...
  • September 17, 2022

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I have a cold. At 2 a.m., I had a persistent, non-productive cough. I found Buckley's Mixture in the medicine cabinet. I swallowed a teaspoonful of the mixture and went back to bed. Next thing I knew, I was waking up at 7 a.m. This mixture stopped my coughing."

10 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
4 Report
  • sky...
  • July 2, 2017

Dextromethorphan for Cough "DO NOT TRY IT. I know some of you have had good experiences, and some have had bad ones. There have been more bad ones than there are good, I know that much. I took this medicine for my dry cough that I was having. I felt fine for a little while, went to sleep. And then about an hour after going to sleep, I woke up in a full-blown panic attack. I felt like I was going to black out, I kept having hot flashes and severe stomach pain. The feeling of throwing up was pretty bad too, but it never happened. I was shaking and almost went to the hospital."

1 / 10
Was this helpful?YesNo
10 Report

Are you taking this medicine?

Your review helps others make informed decisions.
Write a review
Reviews may be edited to correct grammar/spelling or remove inappropriate content. Reviews appearing to come from parties with a vested interest are not published. This information is not intended to endorse any medication and should not replace the expertise and judgment of healthcare professionals.