Ascoril LS Syrup: Uses, Side effects & Dosage Guide

Manufactured by - Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Ltd

Ascoril LS Composition - Ambroxol 30 Mg + Guaifenesin 50 Mg + Levosalbutamol 1 Mg This syrup is available in a standard bottle of 100 ml volume.

Ascoril LS is a cough syrup used to treat a cough with mucus. Ascoril LS is a combination of three drugs, namely Levosalbutamol (bronchodilator), Ambroxol hydrochloride (mucolytic agent), and Guaiphenesin (expectorant). It is a combination of medicines used to treat cough with mucus, also known as wet cough. It thins mucus in the nose, windpipe, and lungs, making it easy to cough out. It also provides relief from runny nose, sneezing, itching, and watery eyes. Ascoril LS Syrup belongs to the group of drugs called mucolytic expectorants and bronchodilators.

• Levosalbutamol works by relaxing muscles and widening the airway of lungs.
• Ambroxol works by thinning and loosening the phlegm (mucus) in lungs, windpipe, and nose, thereby helping to cough out phlegm easily.
• Guaiphenesin increases fluid volume in the airways, reduces mucus stickiness, and helps remove it from the airways

Ascoril LS expectorant is used to provide relief from cough associated with bronchitis, bronchial asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema (damage of air sacs in the lung) and bronchopulmonary disorders where bronchospasm, mucous plugging and problems of expectoration co-exist. Human body clears irritants like allergens, mucus or smoke from airways by coughing (dry or productive) and prevent infections.

• Ascoril LS syrup is combinational drug used to treat wet cough (cough with mucus).
• Ascoril LS syrup relieves mucus-producing cough by loosening thick mucus and facilitate coughing. This supports breathing ability and lessens coughing frequency. Moreover, Ascoril LS Syrup will reduce allergy symptoms like sneezing, watery eyes, runny nose, and throat irritation.

• Patient can take maximum of 2.5 ml Ascoril LS syrup with or without food. It is intended for oral use. 
• Avoid drinking the syrup straight from the bottle. To ensure you take the precise amount as per your doctor recommendation, the dosage can be given using a spoon or a cup provided along with the syrup bottle. 
• Do not forget or skip a dose. If the dose is missed, it can be taken whenever they remember or as per the next scheduled dose. 
• The doses should be taken simultaneously every day, preferably at the same time of the day to avoid consuming abnormal dose of the drug, which could harm the patient's health. Make sure to read the instructions before using the syrup.

• Ambroxol promotes the release of certain surfactants with anti-glue properties, which lessen mucus adhesion to the bronchial wall and prevent infection.
• It has been demonstrated that ambroxol prevents soluble guanylate cyclase from being activated in a NO-dependent manner. The suppression of NO-dependent activation of soluble guanylate cyclase may also restrict excessive mucus secretion, improving mucociliary transport of bronchial secretions and reducing phlegm viscosity.
• Guaifenesin works by loosening the mucus or decreasing the viscosity of respiratory tract secretions. 
• Guaifenesin, a xanthine derivative, relaxes the tone of the smooth muscles in the bronchi, acting as an expectorant. Additionally, guaifenesin irritates the respiratory system, which causes the respiratory tract's fluid content to increase. Guaifenesin reduces mucus viscosity through both processes.
• Levosalbutamol increases airflow from the lungs in both directions and relaxes the muscles in the airway. 
• Levosalbutamol activates Gs-coupled β2 adrenergic receptors on airway smooth muscle, which in turn activates adenylate cyclase and raises the intracellular concentration of 3' and 5'-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cyclic AMP). Muscle relaxation is brought on by increased cyclic AMP activating protein kinase, preventing myosin from phosphorylating and lowering intracellular ionic calcium concentrations. It may also help prevent asthma attacks since elevated cyclic AMP concentrations are linked to the suppression of mast cell mediator release in the airways.

Most side effects go away as the body becomes used to the medication and doesn't need to be treated. When the drug is used in the recommended amount, it is usually well tolerated and shows no side effects. However, if a patient shows up any kind of side effects, they could be more common and are treatable such as: 

• Nausea
• Vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Dyspepsia (stomach upset)
• Stomach pain
• Allergic reactions
• Dizziness
• Headache
• Rash
• Hives
• Tremors
• Palpitations (abnormal heart rhythm)
• Muscle cramps
• Tachycardia (increased heart rate)
• Severe skin lesions such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis

NOTE: if any of the above symptoms are noticed, it is recommended to contact the concerned doctor immediately 

Ascoril LS is available in syrup form intended to use peroral, in a dosage prescribed by general physicians based on the patient's age, weight, and disease symptoms.

Ascoril LS Syrup dosage for adults

• Ascoril LS Syrup is prescribed usually with the standard dose strength of 10 ml, thrice a day.

Ascoril LS Syrup pediatric dose

• Pediatric dose is dependent upon the age of the child. In general, physicians recommend 2.5 ml, thrice a day in case of children aged 2 to 6 years. Whereas the dose of up to 5ml, thrice a day can be given for children between 6-12 years of age and this drug dose can be given up to 10ml, thrice a day for those above 12 years of age. 

Ascoril LS Syrup for Geriatrics 

• Geriatric patients with normal renal and hepatic function may be given the adult dose.
• As levosalbutamol is majorly excreted renally, so are the chances of adverse reactions seen in elder people. As most of the geriatrics are compromised with renal function, the dose should be adjusted accordingly.

Ascoril LS during pregnancy 

• It is not recommended to use Ascoril LS liquid in the first trimester of pregnancy, and It should be taken with caution in the second and third trimesters.
• Following therapy with maternal beta2-agonists, transient hypoglycemia has been observed in newborn preterm neonates. The placenta is crossed by ambroxol. 
• It has no negative impacts on the foetus from pregnant women past the 28th week. Ambroxol should not be used during the first trimester of pregnancy.

Ascoril LS during breastfeeding

• There is no proven evidence of the drug reaching the infant through breast feeding. However, the lactating mother should decide between discontinuing the drug during breast feeding period or abstaining from breast feeding when the drug is taken, considering the importance of the drug in mother’s treatment plan provided by the physician.

When two or more drugs interact, it's called a drug interaction, whereas the interaction between the drug and food is called a food interaction. An interaction between a medication and a disease is called a disease-drug interaction. 

Ascoril LS Syrup - Drug interactions

Ascoril may interact with some drugs and causes severe side effects. Drugs such as antibiotics, carvedilol, nadolol, sotalol, timolol or bendroflumethiazide, levosalbutamol, beta-blockers (metoprolol), diuretics (furosemide), cardiac glycosides (Digoxin) must be avoided by the patient.

Ascoril LS Syrup Disease interactions

Ascoril may interact with other diseases to cause disease interactions in patients. The patient should not use it if they have uncontrolled juvenile diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, high blood pressure, heart problems, liver or kidney-related diseases, stomach ulcers etc.

Store in a cool and dry place away from sunlight, below 25o Celsius. Do not freeze. Keep it out of the reach of children. Shake well before use. The appropriate dose will be determined by the physician based on patient’s age, weight, and disease.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on Ascoril LS Syrup