Over the counter drugs are easily available and affordable from a pharmacy. They are normally sold in bulk with or without the prescription of the doctor. They seem harmless and quick reliever of symptoms. But sometimes things are not what they seem to be.
A recent study conducted in five hospitals in Delhi and Haryana from the vantage point of paediatrics gives out a tainted picture of the consequences of using OTC cough drugs. A study was conducted based on an evidence collected over a couple of decades which suggested that administering cough and cold medicines to children are ineffective for providing a cure and they can have critical side effects in the form of respiratory depression, apnoea, seizures, stroke, cerebral haemorrhage, cardiac adverse effects and even death. Observations were made on the frequency of prescribing OTC cough and cold medicines (CCM) to children of certain…
