Cough Medicines No Better Than Placebo

Two active ingredients found in a number of non-prescription cough medicines are no better than non-medicated syrup for children with upper respiratory tract infections, says a Penn State College of Medicine study. "Consumers spend billions of dollars each year on over-the-counter medications for cough," said Ian Paul, of the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center. "Our study showed that the two ingredients used in most over-the-counter medications were no better than a placebo, non-medicated syrup, in providing nighttime relief for children with cough and sleep difficulty as a result of upper respiratory infection." The study appeared in the journal Pediatrics.

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