Over-the-counter medicine
Dextromethorphan Brand names: Delsym
Dextromethorphan (Delsym) is an over-the-counter medicine. FDA's NDC Directory lists it from 28 generic labelers, and pharmacies paid $0.122 per unit (Dextromethorphan 15 mg softgel) in the October 7, 2026 NADAC survey.
- Generic listed
- Over the counter
Check it at the source: the dextromethorphan FDA label on DailyMed (effective August 27, 2026); every dextromethorphan label on DailyMed.
Highlights of the record
FDA label of August 27, 2026; NDC Directory, Drugs@FDA and Orange Book, October 8, 2026; NADAC October 7, 2026
Used for
From the label: indications and usagetemporarily relieves
cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation as may occur with the common cold or inhaled irritants
the impulse to cough to help you get to sleep
Forms and strengths
- 30 mg/5ml
Suspension; extended-release suspension.
On the market
- Generic approvals
- No generic approved
- Labelers listed (NDC)
- 30 of which 28 under generic applications, 2 under brand applications, repackagers included; 36 more under the over-the-counter monograph, without an application
Supply and safety
- Pharmacy cost (NADAC)
- $0.122 per unit Dextromethorphan 15 mg softgel
- Shortage (FDA)
- No current entry
- Recalls by its makers (FDA)
- No recall recorded
- FAERS reports
- 8,389 through July 30, 2026
What is dextromethorphan used for?
From the label: indications and usagetemporarily relieves
cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation as may occur with the common cold or inhaled irritants
the impulse to cough to help you get to sleep
Conditions named in the indications of dextromethorphan's FDA labels, with every medicine labeled for each:
From other dextromethorphan labelsCough and cold: Use temporarily relieves cough due to minor throat and bronchial irritation as may occur with a cold
FDA pharmacologic class: Sigma-1 Agonist and Uncompetitive N-methyl-D-aspartate Receptor Antagonist.
Source: FDA drug label (Good Sense Cough DM), L. Perrigo Company, effective August 27, 2026 (SPL set 5a2e9bef-42cb-4b72-9a26-c3ae71dcb4ea), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
Is there a generic for dextromethorphan (Delsym)?
No generic dextromethorphan is approved (Drugs@FDA, October 8, 2026).
FDA's NDC Directory lists dextromethorphan from 28 labelers under a generic (ANDA) application and from 2 brand labelers. A listing means the company has registered the product for sale; it does not show that every pharmacy stocks it.
Source: Drugs@FDA, FDA NDC Directory and the Orange Book (openFDA bulk files, October 8, 2026)
What do pharmacies pay for dextromethorphan (Delsym)?
In CMS's NADAC survey of October 7, 2026, pharmacies paid $0.122 per unit (Dextromethorphan 15 mg softgel), up 13% from $0.108 on October 8, 2025. The chart's scale runs from the lowest to the highest price shown, not from zero. NADAC is what retail pharmacies paid their wholesalers, per unit, in CMS's monthly survey; what a patient pays depends on insurance and the pharmacy.
- Cough dm ER 30 mg/5 mL suspension (generic)
| Strength and form | Brand or generic | Pharmacy cost | 30 tablets, or one pen or vial | 12-month change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Child cough dm ER 30 mg/5 mL | Generic | $0.0664 per mL | n/a | +2% |
| Cough dm ER 30 mg/5 mL suspension | Generic | $0.0664 per mL | n/a | +2% |
| Dextromethorphan 15 mg softgel | Generic | $0.122 per unit | n/a | +13% |
| Dextromethorphan ER 30 mg/5 mL | Generic | $0.0664 per mL | n/a | +2% |
| Ft 12-hr cough rlf 30 mg/5 mL | Generic | $0.0664 per mL | n/a | +2% |
| Gnp tussin long-acting liquid | Generic | $0.0226 per mL | n/a | +4% |
| Gs chld cough dm ER 30 mg/5 mL | Generic | $0.0595 per mL | n/a | +3% |
| Gs cough dm ER 30 mg/5 mL suspension | Generic | $0.0525 per mL | n/a | +4% |
| Qc cough relief 15 mg/5 mL liquid | Generic | $0.0226 per mL | n/a | +4% |
| Qc long act cough 15 mg softgl | Generic | $0.122 per unit | n/a | +13% |
Source: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC) survey, October 7, 2026: what retail pharmacies paid per unit; not a counter price
What does the dextromethorphan label say about other medicines?
The dextromethorphan label names no other medicine on this site. The labels of 27 other medicines name dextromethorphan. The sentences are the labels' own; a label lists what its studies and reports found, not every interaction.
Other labels that name dextromethorphan
Source: FDA drug label (Good Sense Cough DM), L. Perrigo Company, effective August 27, 2026 (SPL set 5a2e9bef-42cb-4b72-9a26-c3ae71dcb4ea), via openFDA; the full label on DailyMed
What do FAERS reports show for dextromethorphan?
The FDA Adverse Event Reporting System holds 8,389 reports that list dextromethorphan among the medicines taken, through July 30, 2026, each a report of something that happened, not proof the medicine caused it; 1,821 are coded as a death and 1,512 as a hospital stay. Counts follow how widely a medicine is used and watched, and they are not a measure of how risky it is.
Reports received each year
The most reported reactions
Source: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) via openFDA, reports through July 30, 2026
What else is labeled for the same conditions as dextromethorphan?
16 other medicines are given the same way (oral) and in the same FDA class as dextromethorphan or labeled mainly for the same use (cough and cold), the same class first. Cough and cold lists all 31 medicines labeled for it, by any route. The first 8 are below. They are listed as records, not as substitutes: whether one can replace another is a prescriber's decision.
| Medicine | Shared indication | Generic labelers (oral) | Pharmacy cost | Shortage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diphenhydramine | Cough and cold | 4 labelers | $0.0185 per mL 12.5 mg/5 mL | No current entry |
| Guaifenesin | Cough and cold | 102 labelers | $0.284 per tablet 600 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Benzonatate | Cough and cold | 45 labelers | $0.0656 per capsule 100 mg capsule | No current entry |
| Pseudoephedrine | Cough and cold | 34 labelers | $0.281 per tablet 120 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Guaifenesin and pseudoephedrine | Cough and cold | 30 labelers | $0.384 per unit 600-60 mg | No current entry |
| Phenylephrine | Cough and cold | none listed | $0.0496 per tablet 10 mg tablet | No current entry |
| Loratadine and pseudoephedrine | Cough and cold | 31 labelers | $0.553 per tablet Allergy relief-nasal decong tablet | No current entry |
| Fexofenadine and pseudoephedrine | Cough and cold | 27 labelers | $0.483 per tablet 60-120 tablet | No current entry |
Source: FDA drug labels (indications), NDC Directory, NADAC of October 7, 2026, FDA shortages (October 8, 2026)
How does dextromethorphan compare with medicines for the same use?
5 side-by-side pages set dextromethorphan beside a medicine whose label shares a use: approvals, generics, pharmacy cost, warnings and supply.
What next?
- Other sigma-1 agonists
- the pharmacologic class, with prices and generics
- Dextromethorphan side effects
- the label's list beside FAERS reports
- Check an interaction
- what two or more labels say about each other