How Does Cold Medicine Work?
Amazing as it may seem, there is still no cure for the common cold. Why? Because colds are caused by some 200 different viruses, making development of a vaccine or treatment very difficult.1
Every year, about 22 million school days2 and 150 million workdays are lost because of the common cold.3 But you and your children don’t have to suffer through miserable cold symptoms.
Cold combination medicines like Robitussin Severe Multi-Symptom Cough Cold + Flu provide relief for your symptoms.
- Decongestants shrink blood vessels in the lining of the nose. As a result, less blood is able to flow through the nasal area, and swollen tissue inside the nose gets smaller. Found in products such as: Robitussin Severe Multi-Symptom Cough Cold + Flu.
- Antihistamines lock your body’s receptors that trigger itching, nasal irritation, sneezing and mucus production. Found in products such as: Children’s Robitussin Nighttime Cough Long-Acting DM.
Amazing as it may seem, there is still no cure for the common cold.
- Cough suppressants control your cough: Some block the cough reflex (antitussives), while expectorants thin mucus in the lungs to help clear airways and make coughs more productive (expectorants). Found in products such as: Robitussin Severe Multi-Symptom Cough Cold + Flu and Robitussin Maximum Strength Cough + Chest Congestion DM.
- Analgesics, like acetaminophen, temporarily reduce fever and provide relief from aches and pains associated with colds, like headaches or body aches. Found in products such as: Robitussin Severe Multi-Symptom Cough Cold + Flu.
TAGGED: COLD MEDICINE, COUGH MEDICINE, EXPECTORANT, DRY COUGH
References
- CDC Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/community/for-patients/common-illnesses/colds.html. Accessed September 9, 2015.
- WebMD Common Cold. Available at: http://www.webmd.com/cold-and-flu/common_cold_overview. Accessed September 9, 2015.
- Allen LV. Colds & Cough. Int J Pharm Compd. 2012 Nov-Dec;16(6):480-3.
- MedLine Plus Cough & Cold Medicines. Available at https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/coldandcoughmedicines.html. Accessed September 9, 2015.
We are aware of FDA’s proposed order to remove oral phenylephrine (PE) as a nasal decongestant from the OTC monograph. Note, FDA’s proposed order does not question the safety of oral PE, only efficacy. We have introduced several new formulations across our brand portfolios, to remove oral PE, to ensure product availability for consumers to treat their symptoms ahead of the 2024/2025 cold, cough, flu season and to provide new remedies and forms to ensure people have options.
