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Cough and cold medications (CCM) generally are felt to be safe by both parents and health professionals. Widespread possession of CCM in the household and the common perception that CCM are efficacious1 reflect the influence of the marketing and promotion of drugs. In 1987, more than 1.9 billion dollars was spent on CCM nationwide.2 However, two recently published controlled trials have demonstreated little efficacy of CCM in children younger than 5 years old. One study demonstrated no significant improvement in the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections among children 6 months to 5 years old treated with an antihistamine-decongestant, placebo, or no treatment.3
Gadomski et al. (Wed,) studied this question.