OTC cough medicines are largely ineffective

OTC cough medicines are largely ineffective

WASHINGTON - The American College of Chest Physicians has released fresh guidelines for the management of cough in which it says that over the counter cough syrups and medicines do not always work and in most cases harm children rather than doing any good to them.

The guidelines also state that adults are better off using the antihistamines and decongestants that were traditionally used rather than opting for OTC drugs. Over-the-counter cough medications contain very low doses of drugs such as codeine and dextromethorphan and are largely ineffective, said Dr. Richard Irwin, who chaired the Committee that issued the guidelines.

"Cough is the number one reason why patients seek medical attention. There is no clinical evidence that over-the-counter cough expectorants or suppressants actually relieve cough," commented Irwin, who is a professor in the Medicine department at the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, added that antihistamines had proved effective in such cases and unless there were specific contraindications, people were better off using these tried and tested drugs. The new guidelines also say that adults should take up a new whooping cough vaccine that has been released last year.

The generally held perception is that OTC drugs do not cause drowsiness and provide speedy relief from cough. But this is not always the case, said Irwin. Dr. Peter Dicpinigaitis, another panel member said that they felt the need to issue guidelines since many consumers were ignorant of the same.

"We're not saying there's no role for any of these products but, for the common cold, there are very few good studies showing that any of these drugs do work," he said. The guidelines are contained in the January issue of CHEST and are called Diagnosis and Management of Cough: Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guidelines.

There are more than 200 recommendations that have been adopted by the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) and supported by the American Thoracic Society and the Canadian Thoracic Society. But the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, found fault with these guidelines saying that OTC cough medications have helped millions of consumers.