Prescription medication · Antitussive (Non-Narcotic)
benzonatate
Also sold as Tessalon Perles. Benzonatate capsules are used to help with coughs.
Data updated 2026-05-15
- 15,513
- FDA reportsModerately reported
- $0.06
- Generic price (NADAC)
benzonatate (Tessalon Perles) is a prescription Antitussive (Non-Narcotic). Benzonatate capsules are used to help with coughs.
Benzonatate is a medicine that can help relieve your cough. It is not a narcotic.
Verify with FDA → · CMS NADAC pricing →
Drug Pricing (NADAC)
Generic Price
$0.06/unit
Generic Available
Yes (8 manufacturers)
Pricing data from NADAC (CMS), effective December 18, 2024. Compare all drug costs →
What it does
Benzonatate capsules are used to help with coughs.
Common side effects
Sedation, Headache, Dizziness
Key warnings
Accidental overdose, especially in children, can cause death.
The sections below are summarized in plain English from benzonatate's FDA-approved prescribing information. They describe what the official label says, and are not personal medical advice.
How It Works
Benzonatate works by numbing the nerves in your lungs and throat. This reduces the urge to cough. It helps to calm your cough reflex.
How to Take It
Take one 100 mg or 200 mg capsule three times a day as needed for your cough. You can take up to 600 mg per day, divided into three doses. Swallow the capsules whole. Do not break, chew, dissolve, cut, or crush them.
This is a plain-language summary of benzonatate's FDA labeling, not individualized dosing advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber before changing how you take this medication.
Pregnancy & Breastfeeding
Talk to your doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding before taking this medicine. It is not known if benzonatate will harm your unborn baby or pass into breast milk.
This is a plain-language summary of benzonatate's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber about pregnancy or breastfeeding on this medication.
Missed Dose
If you miss a dose, take it as soon as you remember. If it is close to your next dose, skip the missed dose and continue with your regular schedule.
This is a plain-language summary of benzonatate's FDA labeling, not individualized advice. Ask a pharmacist or prescriber what to do about your specific missed dose.
Storage
Store at room temperature, away from light.
Side Effects (from patient reports)
Based on 15,513 FDA adverse event reports.
Most-reported reactions
Adverse reactions in FAERS for benzonatate, by number of reports
- Long-term kidney disease
Long-term kidney disease
1,229 reports
- Tiredness
Tiredness
1,183 reports
- Cough
Cough
1,124 reports
- Shortness of breath
Shortness of breath
1,096 reports
- Lung infection
Lung infection
1,071 reports
- Diarrhea
Diarrhea
1,033 reports
- Feeling sick to your stomach
Feeling sick to your stomach
1,013 reports
- Pain
Pain
890 reports
- Kidney failure
Kidney failure
871 reports
- Death
Death
811 reports
What this shows Bars show how often each reaction was reported, not how likely it is to happen, a report records a temporal association, never proof that the drug caused it.
Reports over time
Adverse-event reports filed for benzonatate each year to the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS).
Year-to-year volume tracks usage, prescribing, and scrutiny, not a change in per-patient risk. Source: FDA FAERS.
Where benzonatate sits
benzonatate has more FDA adverse-event reports than 49% of the drugs FAERS tracks. A high position reflects how widely a drug is used and watched, not how dangerous it is.
Percentile across all drugs PlainMeds tracks by FAERS report volume. The dot is benzonatate; the line is the median (50th percentile).
FDA Adverse Event Report Analysis
Detailed analysis of 15,513 reports from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Reports span 2004–2025.
Total Reports
15,513
Reports Mentioning Death
1,897
12.2% of reports — not proof of cause
Hospitalization Reports
5,329
Top Indication
Product Used For Unknown Indication
Gender Distribution
Age Distribution
Most Reported Adverse Reactions (FAERS)
| # | Reaction | Reports |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE | 1,229 |
| 2 | FATIGUE | 1,182 |
| 3 | COUGH | 1,123 |
| 4 | DYSPNOEA | 1,096 |
| 5 | PNEUMONIA | 1,071 |
| 6 | DIARRHOEA | 1,034 |
| 7 | NAUSEA | 1,012 |
| 8 | PAIN | 890 |
| 9 | RENAL FAILURE | 871 |
| 10 | DEATH | 811 |
| 11 | ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY | 792 |
| 12 | HEADACHE | 773 |
| 14 | DIZZINESS | 605 |
| 15 | ANXIETY | 566 |
| 17 | VOMITING | 540 |
Reactions in Death Reports
Reactions in Hospitalization Reports
Source: FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) FDA FAERS (Adverse Event Reporting System) Reports are voluntary and do not establish causation
Serious Warnings
Accidental overdose, especially in children, can cause death. Do not let children take this medicine without supervision.
Common Questions
What should I avoid while taking benzonatate?
Can I drink alcohol while taking benzonatate?
How long does it take for benzonatate to work?
Can I give benzonatate to my child?
What if I accidentally chew a capsule?
Can I take benzonatate with other medicines?
What if my cough doesn't get better?
Is benzonatate addictive?
Can I open the capsule and sprinkle it on food?
What are the ingredients in benzonatate capsules?
What are the common side effects of benzonatate?
What drug class is benzonatate?
Is benzonatate safe during pregnancy?
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What the FDA Data Shows for benzonatate
The FDA label for benzonatate (sold under brand names such as Tessalon Perles) classifies it as a prescription-only medication in the Antitussive (Non-Narcotic) class. Benzonatate capsules are used to help with coughs. Official labeling lists 7 commonly reported side effects, including Sedation, Headache, Dizziness.
Post-market surveillance from the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) captures real-world experience. For this drug, FAERS contains 15,513 voluntary reports. Interaction data is drawn directly from FDA-approved prescribing information. NADAC pricing from CMS shows a generic unit cost of $0.06.
Report counts do not establish causation, a FAERS entry documents a temporal association, not proof that the drug produced the outcome. Widely prescribed medications naturally accumulate more reports than niche therapies, so raw totals must be interpreted alongside total exposure. Shortage status, recall history, and patent information further shape supply and switching decisions. This page summarizes public FDA data for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, always consult a licensed healthcare provider before starting, stopping, or changing any medication.
Data Sources
Drug labeling: FDA Drug Labels (SPL/DailyMed). Adverse events: FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS). Pricing: CMS National Average Drug Acquisition Cost (NADAC).
FAERS reports are voluntary and do not establish causation. Drug interactions are derived from FDA labeling and clinical references. Always consult a healthcare professional before making medication decisions.
Last updated: February 2, 2026
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Data currency: FDA FAERS adverse-event reports through 2025, CMS NADAC acquisition-cost pricing effective December 2024, compiled and last refreshed May 2026. See our methodology for per-source dates and refresh cadence. Spot a figure that looks wrong? Report a correction.
All federal data sources used on this page
- FDA Orange Book - approved drug products with therapeutic equivalence. accessdata.fda.gov/cder/ob
- FDA DailyMed - NIH-hosted drug labeling for FDA-approved meds. dailymed.nlm.nih.gov
- FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) - post-marketing safety surveillance. fda.gov/drugs/faers
- NLM RxNorm - standardized clinical drug nomenclature. nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm
- CMS Medicare Part B Drug Average Sales Price Files - federal drug pricing data. cms.gov/medicare/part-b-drugs/asp
- FDA Drug Shortages Database - current and resolved drug shortage tracking. accessdata.fda.gov/drugshortages