Complain about a product or service

Experts: Skip The Cough Medicine

April 8, 2005

• Children Still Taking Dangerous OTC Medicine, Study Finds • Study: Children Should Not Take Antihistamines for Chronic Cough • More Bad News about Cough Medicine • Saline Nasal Wash Improves Children's Cold Symptoms • Cough Medicine Might Not Help Adults, Either • Parents Warned Camphor Can Be Toxic to Children • FDA Warns of Cough, Cold Medicine Risk to Children • Feds Find Kids Getting High On Cough Meds • Honey May Relieve Children’s Cough • Kids’ Cough Medicine Recalled Over Dosing Issue • Kids' Cough & Cold Remedies Under Fire • Drug Companies Withdraw Infant Cold Remedies • Coughs and Colds in Kids: A Doctor's Advice • FDA Cracks Down On Cough Medicine For Kids • FDA Targets Cough Medicine For Kids Under Two • Experts: Skip The Cough Medicine • Despite the Ads, Cough Syrup Does Little Good • FDA Warns Against DXM Abuse --- • More Health News ...

Americans spend $3.5 billion annually on over-the-counter cough remedies, but experts say much of this money is wasted.

Guidelines released by the American College of Chest Physicians earlier this year indicate that many of the "active" ingredients in cough remedies may be ineffective, reports the May issue of the Harvard Health Letter.

There are many nonprescription cough medicines, but most contain the same types of active ingredients in a limited number of strengths and combinations. Here are the four main ones:

• Expectorants work by thinning mucus. Studies of their effectiveness vary, and the ACCP "cough committee" didn’t endorse them.

• Suppressants work by dampening the cough reflex. They provide short-term relief for chronic bronchitis symptoms, but aren’t as effective on coughs caused by colds.

• Decongestants work by constricting blood vessels, which shrinks swollen membranes and allows more air to pass through nasal passages. Decongestants can be effective in the short run, but they can cause side effects, and you can become dependent on decongestants in the form of nose drops.

So what should you take?

The new guidelines advise forgetting the cough and cold medicine and buying an allergy medicine instead.

Choose one that combines an older antihistamine (like brompheniramine, diphenhydramine, or chlorpheniramine) with a decongestant.

On the other hand, if you think a cold or cough medicine works, it probably won’t hurt you to stick with it, even if what you’re paying for is a placebo effect rather than a proven remedy, according to the Harvard Health Letter.

Report Your Experience
If you've had a bad experience -- or a good one -- with a consumer product or service, we'd like to hear about it. All complaints are reviewed by class action attorneys and are considered for publication on our site. Knowledge is power! Help spread the word. File your consumer report now.