Cough and Cold Medicines

None of us want to see children feel miserable – for their sakes or for ours. We want remedies when they feel sick. In light of this, I am pleased with the decision of major pharmaceutical companies to withdraw their cough and cold medicines for children under 2 – it’s a good start. Even though these medicines have been given to millions of children, carefully controlled studies have not been able to show any benefit in typical children under age 6 – and in a small number of children they can have serious side effects. Yes, many children do get better when they take decongestants, antihistamines, and chemical cough suppressants for coughs and colds, but on average they get the...(more)

Alan Greene MD FAAP