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Coughs always seem to materialize at the worst possible times—in the middle of an interview, while you’re taking a test, or right after boarding a plane. And it doesn’t really matter whether the cough is due to a simple tickle in your throat, airborne allergens, or an actual cold or flu (or dare we say COVID?), when it lasts longer than a couple seconds, you’re bound to feel desperate to make it stop.
Luckily, are a lot of options out there when it comes to dealing with a cough. You can always try cough suppressants, decongestants, or even just drinking a glass of water. But a quick and easy way to help get your cough under control—at least in the moment—is to pop a cough drop.
Meet the expert: Omid Mehdizadeh, M.D., an otolaryngologist and laryngologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, California; Richard Watkins, M.D., an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University; and Jamie Alan, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University.
These small lozenges are specially designed to soothe your throat and help suppress the reflex that makes you want to cough, explains Omid Mehdizadeh, M.D., an otolaryngologist and laryngologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif. The end result? Less coughing and more relief.
Our top picks
Keep scrolling to check out some of the best cough drops you and quickly order online.
Please note: If your cough continues for two weeks, you are having shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty breathing, a fever, or are coughing up blood, Dr. Mehdizadeh says it’s time to see your doctor.
Pros
Cooling flavor- Work quickly
- Strong menthol
Cons
- Contain sugar and corn syrup
For quick relief and a minty fresh taste, grab Vicks’s VapoCool throat lozenges. They have a cooling winterfrost flavor and contain 20 mg of menthol for serious relief from painful coughs and sore throats.
| Active Ingredients | Menthol 20 mg |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 45 per bag |
Pros
- Two active ingredients to fight coughing and pain
- Berry flavored
- Good for persistent coughs
Cons
- Pricey for product count
These lozenges relieve pain caused from a sore throat and help quiet coughs quickly. They contain benzocaine for pain relief and dextromethorphan HBr to suppress coughing. With a mixed berry flavor, these offer adults a numbing effect to ease the pain.
| Active Ingredients | Benzocaine 7.5 mg, Dextromethorphan HBr 5 mg |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 16 |
3
Best Sugar-free Cough Drops
Ricola Sugar-Free Lemon Mint Natural Cough Drops
Pros
- Sugar-free
- Contains menthol
- Lemon-mint flavor
Cons
- Some reviewers say the Lemon-mint flavor is overpowering
These Ricola cough drops have a soothing lemon mint flavor that’s easy on your tastebuds. They also contain menthol to help temporarily numb your throat, just in case it’s sore from all that coughing. The lozenges are sugar-free too, a good element in a cough drop, says Richard Watkins, M.D., an infectious disease physician and professor of internal medicine at the Northeast Ohio Medical University.
| Active Ingredients | Menthol 1.1 mg |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 45 |
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Pros
- Honey flavor
- Contains Zinc and Vitamin D
- Just 1 g of sugar
Cons
- Some reviewers complain the texture of the drops are rough
Research has found that honey can help tamp down on coughing, even better than the common cough suppressant dextromethorphan. These cough drops are made from honey, vitamin D, and zinc. Worth noting, per Dr. Watkins: Some data has even suggested that taking zinc at the start of a cold can help shorten your symptoms by a day.
| Active Ingredients | Bee propolis extract |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 14 |
Pros
- Contains Menthol
- Multiple flavor options
- Affordable
Cons
- Contains soy
Halls is a trusted name in cough drops, and this three-pack has a little of everything to get yours under control. These drops contain menthol to help soothe your sore throat and cool your nasal passages. “If you have an upper respiratory tract infection, menthol can help break up chest congestion and bring out mucus more easily,” Dr. Mehdizadeh says. Rotate between cherry, honey lemon, and assorted citrus flavors.
| Active Ingredients | Menthol 5.8 mg |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 30 per bag |
Pros
- Honey flavor
- Low sugar
- Recyclable pouch
Cons
- Some reviewers find menthol taste overwhelming
Another honey-centric lozenge, these Manuka Honey drops are specially crafted from honey harvested in New Zealand. They also contain a natural lemon flavor for an overall citrusy taste.
| Active Ingredients | UMF 15+ Mānuka Honey [10%], Propolis (0.6%) |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 25 |
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Pros
- Powered by honey
- Good value
- Refreshing mint, sage, and thyme flavor
Cons
- Taste isn’t for everyone
Ricola’s Honey-Herb lozenges help harness the cough suppressant power of honey to keep your cough at bay. Honey “has long been touted as a cough suppressant,” says Jamie Alan, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University. It also features flavors of mint, sage, and thyme for an overall refreshing taste.
| Active Ingredients | Menthol, 2.0 mg |
|---|---|
| Product count | 24 per bag |
Pros
- Good value
- Honey-lemon flavor
- Pre-wrapped lozenges
Cons
- Not ideal for taking on-the-go
When your whole family is dealing with a serious cough, a bag or two of cough drops isn’t going to cut it. This tub of 250 honey lemon cough drops from Halls will help keep everyone’s coughs at bay.
| Active Ingredients | Menthol 7.5 mg |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 250 |
Pros
- Kids love lolly-pop shape
- Fruit flavoring
- Free of the top eight food allergens, dairy, and gluten
Cons
- Pricey for amount of product
When your little ones are battling a sore throat and cough, you may not want them sucking on loose lozenges. These lollipop-like soothing throat pops from Burt’s Bees are easy to hold, thanks to the attached stick. Plus, the all-natural ingredients of honey and citrus pectin do the trick for soothing those coughs and putting a smile back on their little faces.
| Active Ingredients | Pectin 10.5 mg |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 10-15 |
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Pros
- Unique flavor varieties
- Certified organic
- Handmade in small batches
Cons
- Flavors may not be for everyone
If you’re a stickler for only consuming organic foods, then the Wedderspoon Organic Manuka Honey Drops are for you. In addition to the certified-organic ingredients, the drops come in an array of interesting flavors, like fennel & cinnamon or ginger with echinacea, which may be a nice break from the standard lemon, honey, or cherry cough drop.
| Active Ingredient | Organic Manuka honey |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 20 |
Pros
- More than 1,000 five-star ratings
- No artificial colors or flavors
- Available in bulk
Cons
- Strong flavor may be a turn-off for some
Fisherman’s Friend Original Extra Strong menthol cough drops have been around since 1865 and remain a popular option to this day. So, if you’re dealing with an especially nasty cough that other drops just can’t seem to kick, this extra-strong medicated option just might do the trick.
| Active Ingredients | Menthol 10 mg |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 40 per bag |
Pros
- Fast-acting
- Available in multiple flavors
- Soothe and protect throat and mouth
Cons
- Some reviewers say this product tastes too sweet
Sometimes you just get tired of the standard cough drop flavors. Lemon, citrus, honey, and cherry aren’t bad options, mind you, but if you’ve been chasing a cough for a while, the flavors may start to feel stale. If you’re looking for a change, Luden’s makes tasty throat drops in flavors like green apple and honey & berry that are suitable for a mild cough.
| Active Ingredient | Pectin 2.8 mg |
|---|---|
| Product Count | 25 |
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How to choose the best cough drops
There are a lot of cough drop products out there and it can be hard to know what to look for. Dr. Mehdizadeh says there are plenty of options that are great, but he prefers more natural cough drops for patients, including ones that feature honey.
If you’re okay with something medicated, he suggests checking out products with menthol in them. “Menthol tends to soothe the throat and makes it less reactive,” he says. You may also want to take inactive ingredients, like sugar, into consideration when shopping for cough drops. Some come in yummy flavors but may contain unwanted ingredients to achieve that taste.
Here’s a closer look at common cough drop ingredients and what they do to help you choose the best cough lozenges to sooth your throat and tame a pesky cough.
- Menthol is an organic compound made synthetically or from peppermint or mint oils. When found in pharmaceuticals like cough drops, it soothes skin and mucous membranes, creating a local anesthetic effect. If you like that cooling, numbing feeling, you might try menthol cough drops to stop a tickle in your throat. However, excessive use may have an adverse effect on cough symptoms, according to a small 2018 study.
- Honey has long been touted as a cough suppressant, and recent studies have found a single dose of honey alone can help calm down coughs in children. Manuka honey is found on the ingredient lists of many cough drops. While all honey has antimicrobial properties, Manuka honey may have more, making it more effective at fighting bacteria. For a natural cough aid, look for drops containing honey.
- Bee propolis is a natural resin-like mixture produced from, you guessed it, bees. It has antimicrobial properties that make it a treatment option for upper respiratory tract infections, the common cold, and flu-like infections. People have been using bee propolis for its health benefits since ancient times. It’s another common ingredient in cough drops for those looking for natural alternatives.
- Pectin oropharyngeal is an over-the-counter product used to treat a sore mouth or throat by creating a protective film over the mucous membrane. Pectin, a gelatinous soluble fiber found in many fruits, is the main ingredient. It’s often used as a thickener in baking and and cooking, but you’ll also find it on the label of cough drops, specifically those from the brand Luden’s.
- Benzocaine is a local anesthetic used for pain control, often in dental settings. Lozenges containing Benzocaine are FDA approved to provide relief from sore throats. It’s not always necessary in cough drops, but it your cough is paired with a painful sore throat, consider a lozenge with this ingredient on the label.
- Dextromethorphan is a medication that temporarily relieves coughs, but it won’t treat the cause or speed up your recovery from illness. It works by decreasing activity in the brain that causes coughing. If sticking with natural ingredients isn’t your priority, this might be a good option for you.
Note: It’s important to be careful when taking multiple medicines or treatments at the same time because of how some ingredients may interact with each other. When in doubt, check with your doctor for individualized advice.
What’s the fastest way to soothe a sore throat?
Doctors suggest a variety of solutions for a sore throat:
- Gargling salt water
- Using a humidifier
- Sipping herbal tea
- Avoiding acidic food
Read our guide to sore throat remedies for even more helpful tips.
How we chose the best cough drops
We consulted medical experts, read hundreds of user reviews, and researched the most common active ingredients found in cough drops. We even tested specific products on this list for ourselves to come up with the best picks on the market.
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Why trust us?
For more than 70 years, Prevention has been a leading provider of trustworthy health information, empowering readers with practical strategies to improve their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Our editors interview medical experts to help guide our health-focused product selections. Additionally, Prevention also examines hundreds of reviews—and often conducts personal testing done by our staff—to help you make informed decisions.
Korin Miller
Korin Miller is a freelance writer specializing in general wellness, sexual health and relationships, and lifestyle trends, with work appearing in Men’s Health, Women’s Health, Self, Glamour, and more. She has a master’s degree from American University, lives by the beach, and hopes to own a teacup pig and taco truck one day.
