The American College of Chest Physicians is now advising those who have colds that over-the-counter (OTC) cough syrups or drops are worthless for their intended purpose.
There is no scientific evidence that either suppressants like dextromethorphan or expectorants like guaifenesin relieve cold-related coughs.
This is similar to the findings of a 2004 paper by the non-profit Cochrane Collaboration, which discovered no good evidence either for or against the effectiveness of OTC cough medicines.
OTC cough medicines do have a strong placebo effect, and coughs from colds eventually go away on their own; consumers may have therefore been led to believe they had personal evidence of the effectiveness of the cough medicines.
Nearly 30 million visits to doctors' offices in America each year are for coughs.
Not too long ago, I warned you about wasting money on worthless over-the-counter (OTC) medications to treat a bad cough. The American College of Chest Physicians, after reviewing scores of studies spanning decades, finally got on board with the fact that these medicines are useless.
Any "benefit" an OTC drug may have on your cough is strictly the result of a placebo effect.
No big surprise, a spokesperson for Wyeth -- the maker of Robitussin -- defended the value of such worthless products based on consumer demand and their safety.
Of course, that spokesperson also failed to mention the dangers of cough medications, including the fact that dextromethorphan can cause birth defects and has become one of the leading abused drugs among adolescents in recent years.
If you really want to avoid coughs, take the necessary steps to keep yourself from getting them in the first place.
That means: