Mucolytic
Erdosteine
Brand names: Erdotin
Adult dose
Dose: 300mg BD
Route: Oral
Frequency: BD
Clinical pearls
- NICE NG115 COPD: consider mucolytic for chronic productive cough; NACMS guidance
- Carbocisteine more widely used in UK; erdosteine an alternative with antioxidant activity
- Trial 4 weeks; continue only if symptomatic improvement
Contraindications
- Severe hepatic/renal impairment
- Active peptic ulcer
- Hypersensitivity
- Phenylketonuria (some preparations)
Side effects
- GI upset
- Headache
- Taste disturbance
- Allergic skin reactions
- Bronchospasm (rare)
Interactions
- Antitussives (counterproductive)
Monitoring
- Symptom response
- Sputum production
Reference: BNF; NICE NG115; SmPC; https://bnf.nice.org.uk/drugs/erdosteine/. Verify against your local formulary and the latest BNF before prescribing.
Related
Curated clinical cross-links plus same-class fallbacks.
Pathways
- Acute Asthma in Adults · BTS/SIGN British Guideline on Asthma 2019; NICE NG80
- Pulmonary Embolism Assessment · NICE NG158; ESC 2019 PE Guidelines
- COPD Exacerbation Management · NICE NG115 / GOLD 2024
- Community-Acquired Pneumonia (CURB-65) · BTS 2009 / NICE NG138
- Acute Pulmonary Embolism · BTS 2003 / ESC 2019
- Pleural Effusion Assessment · BTS 2010