Can You Take Children's Robitussin With Zarbee's?

In our latest question and answer, the pharmacist discusses whether or not Zarbee's Cough + Mucus can be used with Children's Robitussin products.

Question

Hi! I've seen you answer some questions about Zarbee's and I want to know if it is safe to give my child (she's 6) Zarbee's Children's Cough Syrup + Mucus with some Robitussin cough syrup. Thanks in advance!

Asked by Elaine On Dec 23, 2021

Answered by
Medical Content Reviewed By HelloPharmacist Staff

Published Dec 23, 2021
Last updated Mar 29, 2024

Key points

  • There is no known interaction between Zarbee's Cough + Mucus and Children's Robitussin products. They can safely be used together.
  • Robitussin 'Naturals' product line contains many of the same ingredients as several Zarbee's products, such as honey and English Ivy. Due to their similarity and duplicate ingredients, they should not be used together.

Hi there!

Yes, we have answered a number of questions regarding Zarbee's products and are more than happy to answer this for you.

As with our previous posts regarding drug interactions with Zarbee's products, the answer to your question is essentially the same...Zarbee's products contain ingredients, that in all likelihood, do not interact in any significant manner with other drugs.

Now, there are some exceptions, since some Zarbee's products contain ingredients like melatonin, which may mildly interact with a few things.

However, regarding your question specifically, Zarbee's Children's Cough Syrup + Mucus has no known drug interaction with Robitussin.

Zarbee's Children's Cough Syrup + Mucus

Zarbees Supplement Facts

Let's take a quick look at the ingredients in Zarbee's Children's Cough Syrup + Mucus. The product contains:

  • Dark honey
  • English Ivy leaf extract
  • Grapefruit seed extract
  • Various vitamins and minerals (e.g. zinc and vitamin C)

None of these ingredients are known to interact with any of the ingredients in Children's Robitussin products (which I'll get into in the next section).

Although grapefruit is somewhat notorious for its potential in causing drug interactions, the amount contained in this Zarbee's product is not thought to be enough to be clinically significant (at least as it concerns Children's Robitussin products).

As a quick side note here, you may have noticed the fact that honey is listed as 'dark honey' and you may be wondering how it is any different than 'regular' honey.

Honey, in general, has been shown to contain several beneficial compounds, including a number of antioxidants. 'Dark honey' specifically, has been shown to contain more antioxidants than 'regular' honey.

One study on honey put it very simply:

The ability of honey for antioxidant properties is related to the brightness of honey; therefore, the darker honey has higher value of antioxidant.
Honey and Health: A Review of Recent Clinical Research

Children's Robitussin

All Robitussin Childrens Products (front)It's important to point out that Robitussin (like Zarbee's) is a brand name, and several products carry the Robitussin name, all of which have distinct ingredients.

According to the Robitussin website, the following are available for children four years old and older:

  • Robitussin Children's Elderberry Cough + Chest Congestion DM
  • Robitussin Children's Cough & Chest Congestion DM
  • Robitussin Children's Cough & Cold CF
  • Robitussin Children's EXTENDED-RELEASE 12 Hour Cough Relief
  • Robitussin Children's Honey Cough & Chest Congestion

Now, unlike Zarbee's products, the Robitussin products I have listed above contain actual drug ingredients (i.e FDA approved drug ingredients). This is why the label on these products has the words 'Drug Facts', as opposed to 'Supplement Facts' that Zarbee's have.

Now, these products contain some, or all, of the following drugs (depending on the product):

Robitussin Children's Cough & Cold CF contains all three, while the cough and chest congestion products only contain two (guaifenesin and dextromethorphan).

Safe To Use Together?

As I mentioned in an earlier section, it is safe to use Zarbee's Children's Cough Syrup + Mucus with Children's Robitussin products. There are no known interactions between any of the ingredients.

They can be used together, or given at separate times.

You do want to be sure not to use more than one Robitussin product at the same time though, as many of them contain the same drugs (e.g. Robitussin Children's Cough & Chest Congestion DM and Robitussin Children's Cough & Cold CF both contain guaifenesin and dextromethorphan)

Robitussin Naturals With Zarbee's

Robitussin naturals with Supplement FactsYour question had to do with using Zarbee's products with the traditional Robitussin products, which contain drug ingredients.

I do want to point out that Robitussin has a new 'Naturals' product line out, and the ingredients in those are essentially the same as many Zarbee's products.

In fact, the picture I have at the beginning of this section shows their 'Naturals Cough Relief' product, and you can see it contains many of the same ingredients as Zarbee's Children's Cough Syrup + Mucus does (English Ivy and honey).

Since the Robitussin Naturals products and Zarbee's Children's Cough Syrup + Mucus contain essentially the same things, I wouldn't recommend using those together, and we just don't have enough information to go on to determine whether or not that is safe.

Final Words

Thank you again for reaching out to us.

I hope this answer helped and please be sure to contact us again with any other questions!

References

About the Pharmacist

Dr. Brian Staiger, PharmD

Dr. Brian has been practicing pharmacy for over 13 years and has wide-ranging experiences in many different areas of the profession. From retail, clinical, program development, and administrative responsibilities, he's your knowledgeable and go-to source for all your pharmacy and medication-related questions! Dr. Brian Staiger also has herbalist training and educational certificates in the field of medical ethnobotany. Feel free to send him an email at [email protected]! You can also connect with Dr. Brian Staiger on LinkedIn.

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