cold medicine

13 Stories

Popular 'Decongestant' Will Stop Being Sold

FDA starting process of phasing out phenylephrine in oral meds

(Newser) - Changes are coming to the cold and cough aisle of your local pharmacy: US officials are moving to phase out the leading decongestant found in hundreds of over-the-counter medicines, concluding that it doesn't actually relieve nasal congestion, the AP reports. Phenylephrine is used in popular versions of Sudafed, Dayquil,...

FDA Agrees Ingredient in Cold Medicines Doesn't Work

Agency's advisers already decided oral phenylephrine is ineffective

(Newser) - After what the agency called a thorough review of the data, the Food and Drug Administration has proposed ending the use of an ingredient of many cold and allergy medications because it doesn't work. Oral phenylephrine doesn't ease nasal congestion, the agency said. That's the same conclusion...

CVS Yanks Completely Ineffective Cold Meds

Move comes after FDA found oral phenylephrine to be a useless decongestant

(Newser) - CVS Health is pulling various cough and cold medicines from its shelves after an FDA advisory panel determined the active ingredient doesn't work. Phenylephrine, approved in the 1930s, has long been found in over-the-counter syrups and pills meant to resolve sinus congestion. However, an FDA analysis found the ingredient,...

Ginsburg Hospitalized Again
 Ginsburg Hospitalized Again 
Oct 15, 2009 1:09 PM CDT

Ginsburg Hospitalized Again

Justice suffers adverse reaction to medications, released after overnight stay

(Newser) - Ruth Bader Ginsburg is out of the hospital after suffering an adverse reaction to medication last night. While waiting for takeoff on a plane bound for London, Ginsburg because extremely drowsy and fell from her seat because of a reaction between a prescription sleeping aid and an OTC cold medication,...

Vicks VapoRub Dangerous for Babies: Study

Despite wide use, may restrict breathing in children under 2

(Newser) - Vicks VapoRub is dangerous for children younger than 2, potentially causing breathing problems and mucus buildup, a new study warns. The popular cream’s label already warns against using it on kids that young, but many parents do it anyway, researchers say, because that’s what their parents did. “...

Medicaid Spends Millions on Drugs FDA Never Approved

FDA loophole allows potentially-lethal drugs to stay in market

(Newser) - Taxpayer dollars still pay for unapproved prescription drugs that have sold for decades and are linked to dozens of deaths, the AP reports. In the past 5 years, at least $200 million has been paid for drugs like cold and pain medications that were never approved by the FDA, yet...

Move Over, Apples: It's a Mandarin a Day Now

Satsumas provide natural antihistamine for colds and allergies

(Newser) - Satsuma mandarin oranges from northern California’s Placer County aren’t in the medicine aisle, but the citrus packs a potent dose of a natural antihistamine that can relieve cold and allergy symptoms, the Sacramento Bee reports. A study found that a glassful of the fruit’s juice has six...

Cold Meds Land 7,000 Kids a Year in the Hospital

Report tallies ODs, bad reactions

(Newser) - More than 7,000 American children a year end up in emergency rooms after taking over-the-counter cold or cough medicines, the federal Centers for Disease Control reports. Most of the children take overdoses of the drugs on their own, but a quarter have bad reactions to normal doses given by...

Ditch Cold Meds for Tots: FDA
Ditch Cold Meds for Tots: FDA
Jan 17, 2008 6:04 AM CST

Ditch Cold Meds for Tots: FDA

Government to officially warn against dosing children under 2

(Newser) - Although cold and cough medicine manufacturers pulled their baby and toddler lines off the shelves in October, the FDA is issuing an official advisory today to warn parents of the risk of giving any such remedies to children under 2. The government worries that uninformed parents are simply dosing their...

Antibiotics Don't Help Suffering Sinuses

Drugs make almost no difference, and could hurt: study

(Newser) - Antibiotics don't cure sinus infections and may actually do more harm than good, researchers have found, the Los Angeles Times reports. While more than 80% of US doctors prescribe antibiotics for sinus infections, a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found the difference in recovery times...

Honey Works on Kids' Coughs
Honey Works on Kids' Coughs
Dec 4, 2007 7:07 AM CST

Honey Works on Kids' Coughs

Study says it soothes throat, helps children sleep

(Newser) - Parents looking for an alternative to cold medicines for their young kids might consider a sweet solution—honey. A new study suggests that a commonly available dark variety soothes children's coughs and helps them sleep better, the Houston Chronicle reports.  The study comes in the wake of the FDA's...

FDA Advisers Reject Cold Meds for Kids

Popular remedies don't work and aren't safe for for children under 6

(Newser) - Over-the-counter cold medicines are dangerous for children under 6 and should not be used, a panel of health advisers reported to the FDA today. Many popular medicines, including Dimetapp, Triaminic, and Pediacare, have never been sufficiently tested on children under 12, the committee concluded. “The data that we have...

Trail of Chinese Chemicals Leads to Toothpaste

Governments on two continents investigate tainted product

(Newser) - The Dominican Republic is the latest country investigating the possibility that a poisonous chemical from China wound up in a consumer product. This time it's toothpaste that contains the industrial solvent diethylene glycol, which has already turned up in Panama and Australia, the Times reports. The Chinese government has tracked...

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