Approximately 30 million visits to doctors' offices each year in the U.S. are for coughs. Coughs commonly develop due to the common cold or a respiratory infection. Over-the-counter (OTC) cough medicines are frequently recommended for cold-related coughs. However, recent research reports that there is no scientific evidence that OTC suppressants like dextromethorphan or expectorants like guaifenesin effectively relieve cold-related coughs.
The American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) recommends that children under the age of 15 should not take OTC cough medicines. This advice is part of new comprehensive guidelines on diagnosing and treating coughs that were published in the journal Chest. The guidelines committee reviewed hundreds of studies dating back decades and found no scientific evidence that OTC drugs relieve coughs that are the result of colds. Findings also revealed that OTC cough medicines have a strong placebo effect and cold-related coughs eventually resolve on their own.
To relieve an adult's cough, the panel recommends the use of the antihistamine brompheniramine and the decongestant pseudoephedrine, found in some OTC cold medicines. Drinking warm beverages, using a humidifier for a dry cough, and rest can also help soothe a cough. Nonsedating antihistamines were not found to be effective in relieving coughs.
Wyeth, maker of Robitussin products, disagrees with the ACCP's conclusions. "Our stance is that the FDA has reviewed dextromethorphan and guaifenesin and found the two ingredients to be both safe and effective," says Fran Sullivan, Wyeth's spokesperson, in a USA Today interview. "We don't believe that consumers would re-purchase these products if they weren't efficacious."
REFERENCES:
1. Irwin RS et al. Diagnosis and Management of Cough Executive Summary: ACCP Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines. Chest. 2006;129:1S-23S.
2. Rubin R. "Cough syrup left out in the cold." USA Today, January 9, 2006, online: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-01-09-cough_x.htm
Posted by Elaine Gavalas on January 27, 2007 03:25 PM
