dextromethorphan
- 1An opioid used to suppress coughing, found in many over-the-counter cold and cough remedies, and used as an NMDA blocker to treat pseudobulbar affect.
Many cold remedies list dextromethorphan as the active ingredient that quiets a persistent cough.
Her doctor prescribed dextromethorphan together with quinidine to manage her pseudobulbar affect.
Note
A name that carries its own chemistry: dextro- marks the right-handed form of methorphan, a morphinan compound. At ordinary doses it dampens the brainstem's cough reflex. At higher exposure it blocks NMDA receptors, the action behind its pairing with quinidine. It is shortened to DXM or DM, while dex, drank and orphan tears belong to slang, not the pharmacy. As a substance name it is uncountable: a dose of dextromethorphan.
Use it in a sentence
Write your own sentence with dextromethorphan, and AI will tell you whether it fits and which meaning you used.
Origin
Formed from the prefix "dextro-" combined with "methorphan".