The cold snap before Easter may have had you thinking about winter, and coughs and colds that often accompany the change in seasons.
Coughs and colds are very common. Each year, adults can develop between two and four colds and children between five and ten. With our increasingly busy lives, we are often seeking a treatment for coughs and colds and the first stop is usually the pharmacy.
Cough treatments will not cure a cough; but they may help relieve the cough symptoms. Treatment depends on the symptoms and the type of cough. If you have a dry, non-productive cough, a treatment that soothes the throat and/or suppresses (stops) the cough may help. If the cough is chesty and productive, a cough treatment that will help break up the mucus making it easier to cough may provide relief. A cough medicine that suppresses a cough is not suitable for a chesty cough.
Colds are caused by viruses. There are no medicines that can cure a cold. Some medicines such as cough suppressants, expectorants and mucolytics, antihistamines, pain relievers and decongestants may ease the symptoms of colds and flu. Antibiotics do not work against viral infections and so are not useful for treating colds.
You can get more detailed information on coughs and colds from the Self Care Fact Cards titled Coughs and Colds and flu, available from pharmacies providing the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia’s Self Care health information, or ask Piggotts!