According to a panel of outside experts gathered by the Food and Drug Administration to assess medicines used to treat common colds and coughs in children, the over the counter medicines just don’t work. That’s right. There is no evidence that they work! What’s more, there is enough risk of harm to children, that children under 6 years of age should never be given these over the counter medicines.

 

These medicines have been used by decades and billions of doses have been given by parents to their children over the years. The drug companies who sell these products have spent billions of dollars marketing many different brands for a long, long time. The findings are not binding on the FDA or manufacturers, but the conclusions of the panel of experts will hopefully lead, at at minimum, to regulations requiring warnings or instructions on labels in the future. Until then, be careful what you put in your and your children’s bodies. Just because a product is on the market, that doesn’t mean it’s safe. Far from it.