Return
Over-the-Counter Cough Medicines: Do They Work?
When your child has a nighttime cough, sleep - your kid's and
your own - is often in short supply. Over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines
claim to reduce the frequency and severity of nighttime coughing so you can get
some rest, but do they work? Researchers compared several OTC cough syrups to a
sugar syrup to determine their effectiveness in relieving nighttime cough
associated with upper respiratory infections.
The parents of 100 2- to 18-year-old children (the average age of the
children was 4.5 years) who had been diagnosed with an upper respiratory
infection completed short questionnaires about their child's cough at the
doctor's office. Parents noted how often their child coughed, the cough's
severity, how it affected their ability to sleep, and how bothersome the cough
was. One-third of the parents randomly received cough medicine with
diphenhydramine (an antihistamine, which is available over the counter);
one-third received cough medicine with dextromethorphan (DM, the most common
type of OTC cough medicine); and one-third received a placebo syrup. The day
after giving their children the medicine, parents completed another cough
survey.
The OTC cough medicines worked no better than the placebo made of sugar
syrup, say researchers. For all of the kids in the study - regardless of
treatment group - coughing improved on the second night of the study when either
medicine or the placebo was given. In addition, kids who were given
dextromethorphan were more likely to have trouble sleeping, and drowsiness was
more commonly reported in kids given diphenhydramine.
What This Means to You: Consumers spend billions of dollars
each year on cough medicines available over the counter. OTC cough medicines are
no more effective than a placebo sugar syrup, according to the results of this
study, and come with the risk of unwanted side effects. Although cough is one of
the most common reasons for a visit to the doctor, it usually is not a symptom
of anything serious - although you and your child may lose some sleep. In some
cases, though, a cough could be a symptom that warrants a call to your child's
doctor. If your child is having trouble breathing, is wheezing, or has a high
fever, call your child's doctor or visit the hospital emergency department.
Source: Ian M. Paul, MD; Katharine E. Yoder; Kathryn R. Crowell, MD; Michele
L. Shaffer, PhD; Heidi S. McMillan, MD; Lisa C. Carlson, MD; Deborah A.
Dilworth, RN; Cheston M. Berlin, Jr., MD; Pediatrics, July 2004
Reviewed by: Mary
L. Gavin, MD
Date reviewed: July 2004