Cough syrup hurts, not helps kids, says panel

by Sarah Gilbert (Subscribe to Sarah Gilbert's posts) Jan 11th 2006 8:28AM

Cough syrup, the cold panacea found in every parent's medicine cabinet, may soon disappear if they heed the advice of the American College of Chest Physicians. New guidelines out Monday say that, not only do over-the-counter cough medicines fail to relieve coughs, but they may be harmful to your kids.

According to a member of the panel making these new recommendations, "cough and cold medicines are not useful in children and can actually be harmful. In most cases, a cough that is unrelated to chronic lung conditions, environmental influences, or other specific factors, will resolve on its own." The harm, he said, could come from over-sedation. Older-generation antihistamines are recommended for adults, but for kids, experts suggest just waiting it out.

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Alice 1-13-2006 @ 11:38AM

Well, when *I* was little and had a bad cold and cough, a spoonful of Calpol was the only thing that eased it, and from where I am right now I'd say I'm perfectly healthy and not at all damaged by my mother trying to ease my suffering.

Calpol was the stock medicine in our house: it helped us all live through coughs, colds, headaches and fevers, and if I'm feeling really bad as an adult (which isn't often) I still dose up.

Is it just me, or does this sound like yet another of those "studies" that will be contradicted by the same people sooner or later?

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