The patient should be informed that codeine will suppress the cough, that it works within 2-3 hours, that it may cause constipation, and that it will make him sleepy if he takes too much of it or drinks any alcohol. He should be advised to come back if the cough does not go within one week, or if unacceptable side effects occur. Finally he should be advised to follow the dosage schedule and warned not to take alcohol. It's a good idea to ask him to summarize in his own words the key information, to be sure that it is clearly understood. If the patient does not return, he is probably better.
Combinations are also possible.
If the patient's symptoms continue, you will need to consider whether the diagnosis, treatment, adherence to treatment and the monitoring procedure were all correct. In fact the whole process starts again. Sometimes there may be no end solution to the problem. For example, in chronic diseases such as hypertension, careful monitoring and improving patient adherence to the treatment may be all that you can do. So, what at first seems just a simple consultation of only a few minutes, in fact requires a quite complex process of professional analysis.