For a kid’s cough, try time, not syrup

Over-THE-COUNTER cough syrup appears to work no better in alleviating children’s hacking than sugar-water syrup.

As part of a recent study, 100 Pennsylvania children with colds were given no medication one evening; the next evening, they were given either dextromethorphan (found in many popular brands), the antihistamine diphenhydramine (found in Benadryl) or a placebo.

Parents assessed each day how much their children, ages 2 to 18, coughed and slept when no medication was given and then again when either the medications or a placebo was given.

The study found little difference between the medicines’ ability and the placebo’s ability to reduce coughs and improve sleep. Furthermore, all the patients reported significant improvement on the second night, which indicates that symptoms decline over time rather than as a result of taking medication, said the pediatrician who conducted the study, Dr. Ian Paul, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Penn State Children’s Hospital in Hershey, Pa.

Meanwhile, the children who took the medications reported side effects, including insomnia for those given dextromethorphan and drowsiness for those given diphenhydramine.

In a statement, the drug manufacturers’ trade group Consumer Healthcare Products Assn. rebutted the study, saying that the syrups do “provide therapeutic relief.” It also criticized the study for relying solely on parents’ assessments and for evaluating “just one dose administered on a single evening.”

Colds are the second-most-frequent reason children are taken to their pediatrician (ear infections are the top cause). Instead of giving children cough syrup, Paul recommends using ibuprofen or acetaminophen (Tylenol) to improve comfort, as well as keeping the child well hydrated, using saline nose drops or sprays, and using a vaporizer that dispenses humidified air. Says Paul, “The big message is colds get better with time.”

The study appears in the July 2004 issue of Pediatrics.