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Fillers POEM

Cough suppressants are ineffective in children

BMJ 2004; 329 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.329.7467.0-f (Published 16 September 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;329:0-f

Question Do cough suppressants improve the sleep of children with respiratory infections, or the sleep of their parents?

Synopsis When a young child coughs at night, parents don't get much sleep. Although the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends against antitussives because of their lack of demonstrated benefit, these products fly off pharmacy shelves in the winter months. This randomised controlled trial (double blinded) identified 100 children experiencing rhinitis and cough symptoms for one week or less who didn't have asthma or allergies; in other words, …

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