Dextromethorphan and Upset Stomach: What Users Say

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

Dextromethorphan 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."

• Nev...
• December 29, 2016

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Do NOT use this product! I have given this to my children when they were younger but have never taken it myself. Had a cough, decided to try it. (Only had a yogurt early in the morning) took Delsym at noonish. Made a sandwich around 1:30 or so. Mid-sandwich.....I literally pooped my pants!!! I had to run to the bathroom where I suffered with raging diarrhea!! I hadn't had a stomach ache or any symptoms prior. For the rest of the day, I haven't eaten or really drank. It's now 6:10, and I'm sipping on water and at times feel like I could vomit. Stomach still gurgling. Something made me look up if Delsym could cause this, and I see so many other similar reviews. I will never take it again."

• Nev...
• December 29, 2016

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Do NOT use this product! I have given this to my children when they were younger but have never taken it myself. Had a cough, decided to try it. (Only had a yogurt early in the morning) took Delsym at noonish. Made a sandwich around 1:30 or so. Mid-sandwich.....I literally pooped my pants!!! I had to run to the bathroom where I suffered with raging diarrhea!! I hadn't had a stomach ache or any symptoms prior. For the rest of the day, I haven't eaten or really drank. It's now 6:10, and I'm sipping on water and at times feel like I could vomit. Stomach still gurgling. Something made me look up if Delsym could cause this, and I see so many other similar reviews. I will never take it again."

• Cel...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• November 6, 2018

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I’ve taken Delsym and Delsym Max Strength, and after a day or two, it does start to loosen up the tight congestion in my lungs. The only problem with it is it causes me extreme stomach distress. It doesn’t matter if I take it on an empty stomach or not, but about 15 minutes after taking a dose, I experience extreme nausea. About 30-60 minutes later, I will have to run to the bathroom; I’m not going to go into detail, but to say the least, I don’t go in there and puke. I’m not sure if I have a sensitivity to something in it or if it’s normal to experience this. I don’t take cough medicine often, but I don’t remember having this severe of side effects from other brands, but I digress. If you chose Delsym, especially Max Strength, be prepared to possibly trade your cough for bathroom troubles."

• 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."

• Mom...
• December 30, 2019

Dextromethorphan for Cough "My 8 yr old was having a dry, hacking cough after the flu. Used Robitussin, it helped a little. Bought Delsym children's and gave her 5 ml. She was complaining of a headache and stomach ache within an hr! She couldn't eat dinner, says she feels like throwing up. I'm rubbing her belly now and reading reviews now. Don't use this medication!"

• Rac...
• March 3, 2017

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Took 5 hours ago. Still coughing. Now I am pooping as well. Came to read reviews because I don't think I could have eaten anything else to cause diarrhea. I'm hoping I don't have 8 hours of stomach issues, but it's not looking good. Maybe it doesn't happen to everyone, but user beware!"

• OIC...
• December 5, 2013

For Cough "Works very quickly after taking it. However, supposed to last 12 hours, and after about 5 hours, I was coughing again and couldn't take anything due to the medicine still being in my system (12 hours wasn't over). I also had to go to the bathroom (upset stomach) after taking, but I am not sure if there is a correlation. I do think it works much better than any other over-the-counter cough suppressant that I have tried with this cough, and this was a very terrible cough!"

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

Dextromethorphan 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."

• ver...
• October 6, 2016

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Took this for cough last night and made my stomach hurt almost instantly, then woke up to horrible loose stools and stomach cramps. It has been 24 hours, and I am still in pain. It may have helped the cough slightly, but this is way worse!"

• Jim...
• April 1, 2016

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Paid $10.00 for a 3 oz bottle. Took as directed and did not stop coughing. Only upset my stomach. Called the company and they would not stand behind their product. No return policy for the unused portion."

• Rob...
• February 2, 2016

For Cough "Took my first dose last night before bed since I have been having a nagging cough from allergies. Helped suppress the cough a little (not completely), but I was up on and off all night with anxiety, nausea, night sweats, and of course, coughing. It is now 2 pm the following day, and I have been extremely dizzy all day and have been having very gassy diarrhea and stomach cramps. I have been stuck at home all day feeling bad. Will never use this medication again. I prefer coughing over vertigo and diarrhea."

• Wil...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• May 2, 2016

For Cough "This worked great for my husband until he gave me his cold. I used this medicine and was somewhat relieved but had extremely uncomfortable gas and diarrhea. I thought I had a worse strain of virus and took the medicine again the next day. Within 45 minutes, my stomach problems that had quit the night before returned with a vengeance. Dextromethorphan was the only ingredient I haven't used before without this reaction. Unless it's a new red dye allergy, I'm never taking anything with this ingredient again."

• cou...
• June 30, 2016

For Cough "I am currently trying to get over a very nasty cold. I couldn't handle the coughing anymore, so I bought Delsym. I took it before, years ago, with no problems. It made the cough worse before it started to help. It made me drowsy. I napped and was cough-free during that time. Maybe 3 hours. Then I woke up not feeling 'right.' I started to feel hot and had some stomach cramping. I got up to go pee, and all of a sudden, it's like I lost all control of my body. I started sweating uncontrollably and started falling and passing out repeatedly. My muscles tensed up, and I couldn't move. I finally came to long enough to stand up and immediately got horrible diarrhea. I still feel totally out of it. Make sure you have someone to monitor you if you take it."

• Cal...
• January 27, 2016

For Cough "This cough syrup gave me the worst diarrhea ever. Maybe I'm allergic to one of the ingredients, or maybe it is a common side effect. I had bad stomach gurgling too. Go with Robitussin day or night, and also Robitussin night formula. It worked great!!"

• Mam...
• December 8, 2015

For Cough "I went to my doctor yesterday and was diagnosed with severe bronchitis and was told this was a good medication to take to alleviate my 'tight' breathing and coughing. My doctor suggested it for nighttime use. I took the recommended dose and it did great with the cough. However, I woke up a few hours later and felt my insides shaking like mad, having horrible stomach cramps like I was going to have diarrhea, it never really 'came about', but when I got up in the middle of the night, I hit a wall I was so dizzy. Never again. I get better results from other much cheaper products. So wanted to love this. I am a pharmacy technician, and I have seen many people buy it. I thought I was just sensitive to the medication because I am sensitive to medications sometimes."

• ash...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• September 7, 2017

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Have a little bit of a lingering cough from a cold. Not giving me much trouble except keeps me up at night. I heard this was good, so I took it so I could get some sleep. Helped tremendously with the cough, but then I was having bad stomach cramps and diarrhea. I hadn't eaten anything that should have upset my stomach, and it didn't really feel like a 'bug,' so I looked up side effects for Delsym. Now I wish I had done that first because I probably wouldn't have taken it. So, while it worked for my cough, I still didn't get any sleep due to the stomach issues."

• dec...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 29, 2022

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I do not recommend the use of Delsym 12 Hour Cough Relief. It was recommended to me by a pharmacist to help with a COVID cough. I have high blood pressure, and according to the pharmacist, this would raise BP. At 11:00 pm (bedtime), I took the prescribed dosage. At 1:30 am, I awoke with severe nausea, stomach cramps, dizziness. A few minutes later, diarrhea with numerous trips throughout the night. I sipped on water and tried soda crackers to help with nausea. My blood pressure was 200/100. For 12 hours, I was extremely ill. The next day, I went to urgent care. The diagnosis was side effects from Delsym 12 Hour. I believe this drug should come with warnings of these side effects and be removed as an over-the-counter drug."

• Bec...
• January 21, 2017

For Cough "I took the cough medicine last night. It helped with the cough, but within 20 minutes, I was doubled over in stomach pain to the point I almost woke my husband up to take me to the ER! My stomach cramped, burned, and gurgled for hours! It has been 6 hours since taking the dose, and I still am having cramping and pain! I will never take this medicine again!"

• Anonymous
• Taken for less than 1 month
• January 6, 2017

For Cough "This is my second day taking this medicine. My stomach hurt a little. I have a horrible cough, so bad I want to jump out of my body. My cough is nonstop. I used this medicine, and it slowed my cough a great amount, I was shocked. I still cough some, though. I give it an 8."

• Cha...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• February 21, 2022

Dextromethorphan for Cough "I'm sick right now. I got tested and came back positive for COVID and the flu. All is good since I'm young and healthy. I feel better by day 3, day 4 (today) I have a cough and take 10 mL (dose for anyone above 12) of Delsym in the morning when I wake up. Within 2 hours, the feeling nobody wants to have of a churning stomach of pure liquid. My rear lower orifice is raw from wiping liquid. I thought I had gotten better after 8 or so trips to the toilet and went on a cruise with a buddy (separate cars), and within 9 minutes I had to stop and come back home. I sat on the toilet and proceeded to micturate from the wrong hole. It is pure liquid, there were chunks of fecal matter the first three times, but now there is nothing but a burning liquid to wipe religiously for minutes after every ordeal. I'm starting to believe that this is a side effect to stop abuse for the DXM that is in this product. On the plus side, no cough."

• Pip...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• August 18, 2018

Dextromethorphan for Cough "So I had a fever mixed with allergies that only lasted about 24 hours, but then I got an intense cough that resembles bronchitis. This cough has been present for almost a week now, so I tried Benylin cough syrup. I felt it go directly to my stomach, and about 15 minutes later, I had intense diarrhea. After that, I stopped coughing, so the medicine worked, but my stomach was still off. About an hour later, I literally peed from my rear, it was just brown water and felt like liquid magma... So if you take this: it works for a cough, but it turns your stomach upside down."

• Pre...
• Taken for less than 1 month
• March 14, 2019

Dextromethorphan for Cough "HORRIFYING. I am 18 wks pregnant, took the recommended dose of child’s Tussin at 10 pm for the beginnings of a cough. Woke up at midnight with severe stomach cramps and the most insane and painful explosive diarrhea I have ever heard of!!! I thought I was miscarrying, but nope! Just reacting to the cough syrup... PS, used this one month ago and it worked fine, no reaction at all. :("

• Anonymous
• February 20, 2012

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Kept me up all night, felt nervous, anxious... upset my stomach, and I was still coughing."

• soo...
• February 18, 2016

Dextromethorphan for Cough "Like several other reviewers, I also got the stomach gurgles, then watery diarrhea after taking Delsym."