Kids coughs

[tamborine]

G'son 7 has a hacking cough, mother claims doc says 'dont waste money on cough mixture' as they just enter the stomach - so no treatment. Is this right?

[Buenchico]

I've listened to many health programmes on BBC Radio 4 (and quite a few on World Service and Radio 2 as well) dealing with the effects of colds and flu. Every one of them has said that cough mixtures (for both children and adults) are just a waste of money, so I'm not surprised at the doctor's advice.

Childhood coughs are usually related to the common cold, for which there's no cure anyway. I'm sure that your grandson will be fully fit soon.

Chris

[jno]

oh I don't know; some of them do soothe a sore throat, others are supposed to help loosen phlegm so you can spit it out, though I've never found the second sort very helpful.

[Sqad]

Kid goes into see the Dr with cough and no medicine.......see's the Dr. and comes out with hacking cough and no medicine.................bad move.

Buenchico is correct, but it is poor "human relations"

jno is correct......many cough medicines sedate and that may be a good thing.

Cough is a symptom, not a disease, so one must ask what is the cause of the symptom.

Like most things in life, give them what they want and not necessarily what they need.

Prescribe a cough medicine.

[chazza]

I had a cough a while back and bought some cough mixture, but when I read the ingredients I was surprised to read that it was just sugar and glycerol! Bit of a waste of money!

[coccinelle]

So if you've only got a cough and not coughing up yellow phlegm and only have a bit of a temperature; it's not worth seeing a doctor? That's one trip I won't be doing today then.

[tamborine]

Kids cough mixture in Tesco is 35p; honey & lemon! It would give the cougher chance to sleep and build up antibody. Without medication the kid coughs till they wretch & their health weakens.

Most Vets would insist on medication for pets with coughs!

[daffy654]

Cough medicine supresses a cough which allows the infected sputum to stay in the lungs for longer,so making the illness last longer. If the child has a bacterial chest infection then antibiotics are all that is needed.