I knew it! Cough syrups don’t work!

Here’s something that doesn’t surprise me one bit: Over-the-counter cough syrups don’t work (via Boston.com):

Despite the billions of dollars spent every year in this country on over-the-counter cough syrups, most such medicines do little if anything to relieve coughs, the nation’s chest physicians say.

Over-the-counter cough syrups generally contain drugs in too low a dose to be effective, or contain combinations of drugs that have never been proven to treat coughs, said Dr. Richard Irwin, chairman of a cough guidelines committee for the American College of Chest Physicians.

I have always thought that I didn’t get any benefit at all from taking OTC cough syrups. Now I know that it wasn’t just my imagination. And it’s not just because I’m a big, fat guy.

Related posts:

1. Back to work..