Health Update: Cough medicine

CHILDREN'S cough mixtures containing suppressants such as codeine or dextromethorphan are no better at stopping a night cough than a placebo, according to US researchers. In a study of 49 children with a prolonged cough, they report in Pediatrics that a placebo given in syrup was just as effective in reducing coughing at night as a cough suppressant.

Some doctors argue that cough mixtures can help children to catch up on sleep, while others say that suppressing a cough may lead to pneumonia or lung infection.