Benzonatate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands
Benzonatate is a non-narcotic antitussive sold in the U.S. under 2 brand and generic names, for cough and hiccup. Below: what the FDA label says, every product that contains it, what the pills look like, and its recall record.
Key facts
- Drug class
- Non-Narcotic Antitussive
- Treats
- Cough and Hiccup
- Available as
- Capsule
- Sold as
- 2 products — Benzonatate and Tessalon
- Prescription?
- Prescription only
- Generic available?
- Yes
- What the pharmacy pays
- about $2 for a 30-count supply — not your price
How benzonatate is dosed
From the FDA label for Benzonatate (application ANDA081297). Other benzonatate products — different forms, different strengths — are dosed differently. Follow the label for the one you were prescribed.
Adults and Children over 10 years of age: Usual dose is one 100 mg or 200 mg capsule three times a day as needed for cough. If necessary to control cough, up to 600 mg daily in three divided doses may be given. BENZONATATE should be swallowed whole. BENZONATATE Capsules are not to be broken, chewed, dissolved, cut or crushed.
Benzonatate side effects
Potential Adverse Reactions to BENZONATATE may include: Hypersensitivity reactions including bronchospasm, laryngospasm, cardiovascular collapse possibly related to local anesthesia from chewing or sucking the capsule. CNS: sedation; headache; dizziness; mental confusion; visual hallucinations. GI: constipation; nausea; GI upset. Dermatologic: pruritus; skin eruptions. Other: nasal congestion; sensation of burning in the eyes; vague "chilly" sensation; numbness of the chest; hypersensitivity. Deliberate or accidental overdose has resulted in death, particularly in children. To report SUSPECTED ADVERSE REACTIONS, contact Bionpharma at 1-888-235-2466 or FDA at 1-800-FDA-1088 or www.fda.gov/medwatch
Who shouldn’t take benzonatate
Hypersensitivity to benzonatate or related compounds.
Every benzonatate product we track (2)
Same active ingredient — different manufacturer, form, price and FDA recall record. That last one is what our independent score measures.
| # | Drug | Rating | Type | Form | Generic? | Pharmacy pays | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 70/100 | Prescription | Capsule | Generic | $2 | View → | |
| 2 | 64/100 | Prescription | Capsule | Generic | $2 | View → |
What benzonatate pills look like
Imprint codes, colour and shape from the FDA’s labelling data. Match the imprint on your pill — or search any imprint.
Can you crush or split benzonatate?
At least one benzonatateproduct is labelled to be swallowed whole — crushing an extended-release tablet releases the whole day’s dose at once. Which applies depends on the form you were given.
What each benzonatate label says about crushing, splitting and chewingHow long benzonatate keeps
No benzonatate label we read sets a separate limit for after opening, but they do specify how it must be stored — and the stability behind any date assumes those conditions.
Does benzonatate expire? The in-use limits and storage rules from its labelsWhat people report to the FDA about benzonatate
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) collects reports from patients and clinicians. It holds 16,850 reports naming benzonatate, and the FDA flagged 65% of those reports as serious. The effects reported most often — leaving out reports about overdose, misuse or the condition being treated, which dominate the raw list for common medicines:
- fatigue1,294 reports
- cough1,270 reports
- chronic kidney disease1,234 reports
- dyspnoea1,221 reports
- pneumonia1,158 reports
- diarrhoea1,149 reports
- nausea1,124 reports
- renal failure874 reports
Read these as a signal, not a rate. A report does not mean benzonatate caused the effect — anyone can file one, and many describe people taking several medicines for several conditions. Crucially there is no denominator: FAERS does not record how many people took the drug, so these counts cannot be turned into “X% of patients” — a bigger number often just means a more widely used or more talked-about drug. Duplicates exist, and publicity drives reporting. For what is actually established, read the FDA label section above.
Source: openFDA drug/event (FAERS), retrieved August 25, 2026.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
What is benzonatate?
Benzonatate is a non-narcotic antitussive used to treat Cough, Hiccup.
What kind of drug is benzonatate?
The FDA classifies benzonatate as a non-narcotic antitussive. If you are checking whether it is safe to combine with something else, the class is what matters — two drugs from the same class usually should not be stacked.
Can you take benzonatate with other medicines?
It depends on the medicine. We check it against the FDA labels rather than guessing: our interaction checker searches each drug's own label for the other and quotes what it says, naming the section it came from. Run benzonatate against whatever else you take — and remember that a label not naming a drug is not the same as that combination being safe.
What brand names is benzonatate sold under?
We track 2 benzonatate-containing products in the U.S.: Benzonatate and Tessalon. They are the same active ingredient; they differ in form, manufacturer, price and FDA recall record.
What forms does benzonatate come in?
Across the brands we track, benzonatate is currently marketed as capsule, per the FDA's National Drug Code Directory. Each form is dosed differently — follow the label for the exact product you were prescribed.
Is there a generic benzonatate?
Yes. Our catalog lists 1 generic benzonatate product alongside the brand versions. A generic has the same active ingredient and must meet the FDA's bioequivalence standard; it usually costs less. Ask your pharmacist which one your plan covers.
Cite this page
- APA
- pharmaranks. (2026, July 24). Benzonatate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands. https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/benzonatate
- MLA
- “Benzonatate: uses, dosing, side effects & brands.” pharmaranks, 24 July 2026, https://pharmaranks.com/drugs/benzonatate.
We summarise public FDA and NIH sources — for a clinical claim, cite the primary source we link to as well.
Sources: FDA openFDA drug label, National Drug Code Directory, and Enforcement (recall) database. This page reproduces public FDA data and is not medical advice. Dosing is set by your prescriber.
Read the full FDA label for benzonatate on DailyMed (NIH) ↗.