Neither of the two drugs are on the WHO Model List of Essential Drugs . The stronger opiates are mainly indicated in terminal care. For most patients with a dry cough after a cold, advice will be effective if it is practical and acceptable for the patient's circumstances. Advice is certainly safer and cheaper than drugs, but if the patient is not better within a week, codeine can be prescribed. If the drug treatment is not effective after one week, the diagnosis should be reconsidered and patient adherence to treatment verified.
Codeine is our P-drug for dry cough.
Noscapine and pholcodine could be an alternative.