Benefits of medicated lozenges

Sore throats are literally a pain in the neck, and that pain or discomfort is caused by inflammation in one or more areas of your throat. Whether it’s that first sign of a dry, tickly sore throat or that throbbing or sharp stabbing throat pain, you want something that will provide relief at the site of pain – and fast.

Medicated lozenges are a great option for managing your sore throat because they get to work where you need it most – in your mouth and throat. Lozenges are designed to be sucked and dissolved in your mouth, slowly releasing the active ingredients directly into your mouth and throat to quickly relieve pain and reduce inflammation.

And just by slowly dissolving in your mouth, lozenges also create what’s called ‘demulcent effects’ – providing lubrication and moisture to the irritated and inflamed areas all throughout your mouth and throat, and increasing saliva production to help soothe and protect the delicate tissues. Lozenges are also conveniently portable and easy to take, especially when your sore throat makes swallowing tablets difficult, and can deliver faster pain relief than other pain-relieving tablets.

 

How to use medicated lozenges

Medicated lozenges are intended to be sucked slowly rather than chewed. By dissolving in the mouth, the lozenge releases its active ingredients directly to the areas of inflammation in your mouth and throat. Always follow the directions on the label to make sure you are taking the right dose of lozenge.

Types of medicated lozenges

Another bonus found with lozenges is that they can contain one or more active ingredients in different combinations to help you find relief from whatever type of sore throat or mouth condition you are dealing with. Common ingredients for sore throat lozenges are analgesic (pain reliever), anti-inflammatory, antiseptic or antibacterial, and local anaesthetic (numbing) agents. DIFFLAM® offers a range of medicated lozenges that target the diffuse, local inflammation and redness around the throat and mouth to deliver local soothing and lasting relief of sore throats and painful mouth conditions. Talk to your pharmacist to help you discover the right sore throat lozenge for you.

 

Lozenges for pain, swelling and redness

When you need fast relief from the pain, swelling, and redness of sore throats and painful mouth conditions, consider Benzydamine HCl (DIFFLAM) Anti-Inflammatory Lozenges. They contain benzydamine – a unique nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that delivers triple-action anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and anaesthetic effects that targets inflammation, reduces swelling, and rapidly numb pain. Available in mint flavour.

Happy Family Lozenges

Dosage – Adults and children 6 years and over: 1 lozenge every 1 to 2 hours as required; maximum of 12 lozenges per day.

There’s also Benzydamine HCl & Cetylpyridinium (DIFFLAM) Anti-Inflammatory and Anti-Bacterial Lozenges, which combines benzydamine to target the inflammation that causes pain, swelling, and redness with the anti-bacterial agent cetylpyridinium chloride to help fight mouth and throat infections. Available in orange and eucalyptus menthol flavours. 

Dosage –Adults and children 6 years and over: 1 lozenge every 1 to 2 hours as required; maximum of 12 lozenges per day.

When you need fast relief from the pain, swelling, and redness of sore throats and painful mouth conditions, talk to your doctor or pharmacist for advice on the best type of lozenge for you. 

References
  • A. Kenealy T. Sore throat. BMJ Clin Evid. 2014;2014:1509. Eccles R. Mechanisms of symptoms of common cold and flu. In: Common Cold. Eccles R, Weber O (Eds); Birkhauser Verlag 2009; Basel, Switzerland.
  • Addey D, Shephard A. Incidence, causes, severity and treatment of throat discomfort: a four-region online questionnaire survey. BMC Ear Nose Throat Disord. 2012;12:9.
  • Oxford JS, Leuwer M. Acute sore throat revisited: clinical and experimental evidence for the efficacy of over-the-counter AMC/DCBA throat lozenges. Int J Clin Pract. 2011;65(5):524-530.
  • Wasedango L, Nxumalo N, Schellack N. An overview of throat lozenges and sprays in the management of pharyngitis at primary care level. S Afr Pharm J. Mar 2019;86(2):17–20.