Product Review: Halls Sugar Free Mentho-Lyptus Cough Drops

I first picked up a package of Halls Sugar Free Mentho-Lyptus cough drops several years ago because I try to avoid excess sugar especially when I am sick since sugar reduces the effectiveness of your white blood cells to fight sickness in your body. You can check out this article for more information if you are interested in the effects of sugar on your white blood cells. I also have Type 2 Diabetes so if I haven't had enough of the right foods in the right combination (i.e. a protein, a vegetable, a carb), then a sugary cough drop or cough syrup can cause me to feel quite ill as my blood sugar levels skyrocket. And when I'm sick I don't always like to eat because I just don't feel well.

So when I have a sore throat or a cough, I will use Halls Sugar Free Mentho-Lyptus cough drops. I choose that brand specifically because they do NOT taste overwhelmingly terrible as some of the other brands that I've tasted do. I generally pick up a bag of the Black Cherry flavor and while I don't taste a strong Black Cherry flavor, I do taste a slight sweetness and the warmth of the menthol. Plus, even better than the mild taste, Halls Sugar Free Mentho-Lyptus cough drops really do seem to help my throat to feel less sore and for my cough to ease up and not hurt quite so much. I can't claim that they miraculously make me feel wonderful but they do seem to help ease the symptoms of my illness.

The back of the package of Halls Sugar Free Mentho-Lyptus cough drops has exchange information based on the American Diabetes Association exchange lists for meal planning. One cough drop equals a FREE exchange and TEN cough drops equal one Fruit Exchange. Each cough drop has five calories. To use Halls Sugar Free Mentho-Lyptus cough drops, you let them dissolve in your mouth and you can use them every couple of hours. But beware, if you use too many of them in too short a period of time; they will have a laxative effect on your body.

Halls Sugar Free Mentho-Lyptus cough drops come in other flavors besides the Black Cherry that I always get. You can get them in mint, kiwi-apple, and mountain menthol at either your local pharmacy or online at the Walgreen's website.

The active ingredient in Halls Sugar Free Mentho-Lyptus cough drops is 5 mg. of menthol (compared to the sugar version which has 7.6 mg. of menthol). The inactive Ingredients in the sugar free version are acesulfame potassium, aspartame, beta carotene, carboxymethylcellulose sodium, flavor, isomalt, and water. Inactive ingredients in the SUGAR version are blue 2, eucalyptus oil, flavoring, glucose syrup, red 40, sucrose.

Halls Sugar Free Mentho-Lyptus cough drops cost a little more than the sugared version since they are sold in a smaller bag but I feel that they are worth it. I haven't had any problems with them and they do taste rather mild, not great of course since they are a medicinal cough and cold product but I will continue to buy them just because they do help to ease the symptoms of my illness. I highly recommend Halls Sugar Free Mentho-Lyptus cough drops to anyone who wants a mild tasting sugar free cough drop and who wants to avoid using too much sugar when they are sick.