This review discusses the Care + Simple Linctus Paediatric which is aimed at children.

Simple Linctus claims to soothe and give relief of dry throats and coughs. This Care + one is no exception. Its ingredients include citric acid monohydrate and also sucrose, ethanol and glycerol. Strangely enough there is also 1.5% alcohol within each 5ml spoonful.

~~~Dosage~~~

Simple Linctus Paediatric can be taken by children over the age of 1 and if problems persist for more than 5days, a doctor should be consulted. The linctus has to be taken orally either with a spoon or syringe and in the following doses :

Aged 1 - 5 : 1 x 5ml spoonful
Aged 6 - 12 : 2 x 5ml spoonfuls

The dose can be taken up to 4 times per day as and when required.

~~~Packaging~~~

The linctus comes tradionally housed within a brown, glass bottle with a safety cap lid. A label runs around the bottle giving all the relevant information. The bottle comes unboxed and no spoon is provided.

~~~Availability and Price~~~

This can be bought in 200ml size online through various chemist websites including www.chemistonline.co.uk for around £1.70. Alternatively nip into stores such as Boots and ask as it doesn't appear to be on their website.

~~~Our Experience~~~

My son seems to be taking bad coughs every 2weeks or so and it really gets to him..it makes his throat ache and interupts his sleep making him a very grumpy boy and me a very tired Mummy! After a rough Tuesday night where he was spluttering and crying all night and not even Calpol would relieve his discomfort, I trotted down to Boots (we have a small one in the same street) and asked the pharamicist for a recommendation. We are registered there for minor ailments so she prescribed me a bottle of Care + Simple Linctus Paediatric.

Usually when I buy Linctus it is the Boots own but this was recommended specifically for Ryan so I believed it was worth a shot. The pharmacist recommended giving Ryan some Calpol too if the coughing was causing him to burn up as he does get in some state! The bottle is safe and although I struggle to open it, I can be assured that Ryan can't! Luckily I have amassed a collection of medicine spoons over the last few months from various medicines and this is what we used for giving Ryan the medicine.

~~~Mummy My Throat Hurts~~~

Trying to get Ryan to take this was difficult. He doesn't mind the pink Calpol but anything that looks different has to be scrutinised! I did need to use bribary on many occasions. As Ryan is just under 3, the dose is 1 x 5ml spoonful which was carefully measured out onto the spoon. The medicine itself is quite runny and clear but has an almost gloopiness about it. The smell is sweet and warming almost.

Ryan cringes as he swallows this down reluctantly. Once it hits his throat though, he seems a bit calmer and less frustrated. Fair enough, his cough doesn't disappear but you can hear that it is relieved somewhat and less painful than before. The dryness doesn't seem so apparent and Ryan seems more content. He needed this 3 times throughout each day but every child will be different. To give comfort, he had some when he woke up, before his afternoon nap and before bed again as when he is lying down, the coughing seems to annoy him more. A few days later, his cough is still there but it isn't annoying him as much. If he is still grumpy with it on Monday, I will nip up to the doctors and check if there is anything underlying.

~~~What About Mummy?~~~

So this is aimed at children but recently I had ran out of my usual Linctus and my throat was achy. Both myself and my fiance have had it this week and it seems to be doing its rounds. Searching the cupboards, I had various cold and flu remedies but wanted something to soothe my throat down a bit. I took 2 x 5ml spoonfuls of this Linctus and unlike Ryan, I loved the taste. It was ultra sweet and rather than be cooling like Gaviscon for example, it was comforting and gave my throat a soothing warmth which I appreciated. The effects were short lived with me but enough to see me through til whatever tablet product I was taking kicked in.

~~~Conclusion~~~

This linctus doesn't seem to be readily available but you can ask your pharmacist who will offer advice. It isn't pleasant for a wee one to take but once it coats their throat, the Mummy being bad scenario seems to be put to the side as they appreciate the relief they experience. Certainly one to try if needed and comes with a recommendation from me and Ryan.

Thanks for reading x