Cold medicine
Cold medicine | |
---|---|
Other names | Cough and cold medicine, cough syrup, lin, lean |
Cold medicines are a group of
While they have been used by 10% of American children in any given week, they are not recommended in Canada or the United States in children six years or younger because of lack of evidence showing effect and concerns of harm.[4][5]
Types
There are a number of different cough and cold medications, which may be used for various coughing symptoms. The commercially available products may include various combinations of any one or more of the following types of substances:[citation needed]
- Mucokinetics, or mucolytics, are a class of drugs which aid in the clearance of mucus from the airways, lungs, bronchi, and trachea. Examples are carbocisteine, ambroxol, and bromhexine.
- Expectorants are substances claimed to make coughing easier while enhancing the production of mucus and phlegm. Two examples are acetylcysteine and guaifenesin.
- Antitussives, or cough suppressants, are substances which suppress the coughing itself. Examples are dextromethorphan, benzonatate, codeine, pholcodine, noscapine, cloperastine, and butamirate.
- .
- Decongestants may improve nasal congestion in sinus infections. Examples are ephedrine, phenylephrine, pseudoephedrine, and oxymetazoline.
- .
- Also employed are various substances supposed to soften the coughing, like honey or supplement syrup.
An example combination is guaifenesin with codeine.
Effectiveness
The efficacy of cough medication is questionable, particularly in children.
Medications
- Dextromethorphan (DXM) may be modestly effective in decreasing cough in adults with viral upper respiratory infections. However, in children it has not been found to be effective.[12]
- Codeine was once viewed as the "gold standard" in cough suppressants, but this position is now questioned.[13] Some placebo-controlled trials have found that it is ineffective against some forms of cough, including acute cough in children.[14][15] It is thus not recommended for children.[15][16] Additionally, there is no evidence that hydrocodone is useful in children.[17] Similarly, a 2012 Dutch guideline does not recommend its use to treat acute cough.[18]
- A number of other commercially available cough treatments have not been shown to be effective in viral upper respiratory infections. These include for adults:
Alternative medicine
A small study found
Many alternative treatments are used to treat the common cold, though data on effectiveness is generally limited. A 2007 review states that, "alternative therapies (i.e., Echinacea, vitamin C, and zinc) are not recommended for treating common cold symptoms; however,...Vitamin C prophylaxis may modestly reduce the duration and severity of the common cold in the general population and may reduce the incidence of the illness in persons exposed to physical and environmental stresses."[24] A 2014 review also found insufficient evidence for Echinacea, where no clinical relevance was proven to provide benefit for treating the common cold, despite a weak benefit for positive trends.[25] Similarly, a 2014 systematic review showed that garlic may prevent occurrences of the common cold but there was insufficient evidence of garlic in treating the common cold and studies reported adverse effects of a rash and odour.[26] Therefore, more research needs to be done to prove that the benefits outweigh the harms.
A 2009 review found that the evidence supporting the effectiveness of zinc is mixed with respect to cough,[12] and a 2011 Cochrane review concluded that zinc "administered within 24 hours of onset of symptoms reduces the duration and severity of the common cold in healthy people".[27] A 2003 review concluded: "Clinical trial data support the value of zinc in reducing the duration and severity of symptoms of the common cold when administered within 24 hours of the onset of common cold symptoms."[28] Zinc gel in the nose may lead to long-term or permanent loss of smell. The FDA therefore discourages its use.[29]
Recreational usage
Cough medicines, especially those containing dextromethorphan and
Adverse effects
A number of accidental overdoses and well-documented adverse effects suggested caution in children.[23] The FDA in 2015 warned that the use of codeine-containing cough medication in children may cause breathing problems.[32] Cold syrup overdose has been linked to visual and auditory hallucinations as well as rapid involuntary jaw, tongue, and eye movements in children.[medical citation needed]
Decongestants are possibly harmful to people with high blood pressure or a heart disease because these substances can constrict the blood vessels.[33]
History
Heroin was originally marketed as a cough suppressant in 1898.[34] It was, at the time, believed to be a non-addictive alternative to other opiate-containing cough syrups. This was quickly realized not to be true as heroin readily breaks down into morphine in the body. Morphine was already known to be addictive.[citation needed]
Society and culture
Brands
Some brand names include: Benylin, Sudafed, Robitussin and Vicks among others.[35] Most contain a number of active ingredients.[4] The Thai company Hatakabb produces the Takabb Anti-Cough Pill, which is a Chinese herbal medication.[36]
Sudafed is a brand manufactured by
Gee's Linctus is a cough medicine which contains
Coricidin, Coricidin D, or Coricidin HBP, is the brand name of a combination of
Codral is a brand name manufactured by Johnson & Johnson and sold primarily in Australia and New Zealand. Codral is the highest-selling cold and flu medication in Australia.[41]
Economics
In the United States, several billion dollars are spent on over-the-counter products per year.[42]
Poisoning
According to
In 2022, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a warning against cooking foods in cough syrup after a video of someone preparing "NyQuil chicken", sometimes also called "sleepy chicken", became popular on social media. Cough syrup is designed to be stored at room temperature and its properties can change when it is heated, making it potentially deadly. Heated cough syrup can also vaporize, leading to inhalation hazards.[46][47][48] The warning received attention from many news outlets, but some criticized the FDA's handling of the issue for amplifying the attention the topic received online and questioned if making and eating NyQuil chicken actually existed as a widespread trend.[49][50][51]
See also
- Nin Jiom Pei Pa Koa, a Chinese herbal cough syrup
- Throat lozenge
- Toxic cough syrup
References
- ^ PMID 25420096.
- ^ PMID 28837801.
- ^ PMID 30201828.
- ^ PMID 19910592.
- ^ "FDA panel: No cold medicines to children under 6". CNN. Washington. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ Medsafe cough and cold group "Minutes of the Second Cough and Cold Review Group Meeting". Archived from the original on 25 May 2010. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- PMID 11834560.
- ^ "New Cough Guidelines Urge Adult Whooping Cough Vaccine; Many OTC Medications Not Recommended for Cough Treatment" (Press release). American College of Chest Physicians. 9 January 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2006. Retrieved 4 February 2006.
- PMID 24615334.
- ^ Vestbo, Jørgen (2013). "Therapeutic Options" (PDF). Global Strategy for the Diagnosis, Management, and Prevention of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease. pp. 19–30. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 October 2013. Retrieved 4 December 2013.
- PMID 20824870.
- ^ PMID 19874728.
- ISBN 9783540798422.
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- ^ PMID 21156892.
- ^ "FDA acts to protect kids from serious risks of opioid ingredients contained in some prescription cough and cold products by revising labeling to limit pediatric use". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) (Press release). Retrieved 2 February 2018.
- S2CID 23865647.
- PMID 22917039.
- PMID 18425925.
- PMID 25735839.
- ^ "Honey A Better Option For Childhood Cough Than Over The Counter Medications". 4 December 2007. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ PMID 29633783.
- ^ . Retrieved 27 August 2010.
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- PMID 15496046.
- ^ "Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Products (Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Cold Remedy Nasal Swabs, and Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size)". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Archived from the original on 19 June 2009.
- S2CID 42989013.
- ^ a b "Cough and Cold Medicine Abuse". National Institute on Drug Abuse. May 2014. Retrieved 19 April 2016.
- ^ "Codeine Cough-and-Cold Medicines in Children: Drug Safety Communication - FDA Evaluating Potential Risk of Serious Side Effects". U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). 1 July 2015. Archived from the original on 3 July 2015. Retrieved 2 July 2015.
- ^ "Taking medicine for a cold? Be mindful of your heart". www.heart.org. 18 January 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2022.
- ISBN 9781407021225.
- ^ "Children's cough and cold medicines – Lists of products" (PDF). Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 December 2013. Retrieved 18 December 2013.
- ^ Khingkongsin, Jindawan จินดาวรรณ สิ่งคงสิน (10 October 2007). "ซิมเทียนฮ้อ "ห้าตะขาบ" ตำนาน 72 ปี จากบางคล้าโกอินเตอร์" [Sim Thian Ho "Five Centipedes" 72 year old legend from Bang Khla Go Inter]. Manager Daily (in Thai). Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
- ^ "A breakdown of the over-the-counter medicines market in Britain in 2016". Pharmaceutical Journal. 28 April 2017. Archived from the original on 8 September 2017. Retrieved 29 May 2017.
- PMID 27748955.
- ^ "Proposal for reclassification of cough medicines containing dextromethorphan, opium tincture, squill oxymel and pholcodine to restricted medicines" (PDF). Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Some commonly used cough medicines now need a prescription". RNZ. 3 March 2019. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
- ^ "Johnson & Johnson - Codral". Johnson & Johnson. 30 May 2008. Retrieved 25 February 2009.
- ISBN 9783540798422.
- ^ Bogdanich, Walt; Hooker, Jake (6 May 2007). "From China to Panama, a Trail of Poisoned Medicine". The New York Times. Retrieved 30 April 2010.
- ^ "Medical Product Alert N°6/2022: Substandard (contaminated) paediatric medicines". www.who.int. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "WHO alert over India-made cough syrups after deaths in The Gambia". BBC News. 6 October 2022. Retrieved 9 October 2022.
- ^ "A Recipe for Danger: Social Media Challenges Involving Medicines". U.S. Food and Drug Administration. 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 15 September 2022. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ "Don't cook your chicken in NyQuil: FDA issues warning against social media challenge". CBS News. 20 September 2022.
- ^ "Experts warn against 'sleepy chicken' cooking trend: 'It will kill you'". 7NEWS. 21 September 2022. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
- ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Leighton, Mara. "TikTok's interest in 'NyQuil chicken' increased 1,400% following the FDA's warning about the dangerous trend". Insider. Retrieved 1 October 2023.
- ^ Schulz, Bailey. "Were people actually eating NyQuil chicken? Viral challenge was the latest internet lore". USA TODAY. Retrieved 1 October 2023.