Assessment of antitussive effects by citric acid threshold.

The cough threshold to citric acid inhalation was measured in eight subjects by single inhalations of increasing concentrations of citric acid until a cough was consistently produced. The cough threshold was measured before and after 60 mg glaucine, 60 mg codeine and matched placebo on three separate days a week apart. Base-line cough threshold in each subject was consistent from week to week. Codeine increased the threshold by more than one citric acid concentration in three subjects. Placebo and glaucine did not produce a threshold change of more than one citric acid concentration. We conclude that the citric acid threshold is a simple measure of antitussive activity. No such activity was found with glaucine.