How do pharmaceutical companies get away with the lie that is cough “medicine”?

[Coughmedicinedoesntwork]

Seriously, how are they allowed to sell this stuff? I must have tried every brand and type of cough medicine including liquids/syrups/tablets/lozenges and NONE of them work. They do not stop or help a cough. Had everything pinned on Covonia but again doesn’t work.

I’m talking about those awful coughs you get when you have a cold, with these useless products specifically being targets at cough and cold sufferers. I even tried a humidifier and what a waste of money that was too. In fact everything I’ve read is a waste of time and money. Yesterday I tried garlic and pineapple as “natural” remedies and they did zero to help with my cough.

I feel like we are all sold this rubbish that the medicine works and as unwell people are desperate for some relief we will try anything and these companies know this and benefit from peddling their rubbish products.

Can you tell I am fed up after another night of coughing and no sleep. I just want something to work.

I haven't had a cough for a long time, sneezing yes but not a dry cough. I swear by the green Night nurse though when you're feeling fluey and strepsils were a life saver for my covid sore throat from hell.

They don’t work, none of them, sorry. Just try to stay hydrated.

I saw a documentary about this once , honey and lemon in hot water is the most effective thing apparently.

They want to ban night nurse I read somewhere

Ah really? Still not over them banning medised. That stuff was the business for flu.

The only one that's good is the drowsy benylin. That helped me so much when ever i had a cough. Knocks you right out

Why is it in the UK , any over the counter medicines that are actually effective they have to ban.

Fucking ridiculous. No other country police their medicines quite as over the top as the UK. And considering this country with the state of the NHS it’s nigh impossible to see a GP when you need to, you would think it would be in their interest in allowing access to over the counter medicines when we get sick.

I have to order melatonin from abroad (which costs more) , I expect it will soon be the same with night nurse.

Ah they have in march.

Rare allergic reaction indeed. Twats

The Uk brands don't work, you are right.
However, we arrived in NYC and my son started with a croup cough immediately. I was terrified as usually we had to take him to hospital for steroids as he got it every winter. We went into a pharmacy and they gave us something, maybe NyQuil? And it was bloody amazing. Stopped the cough and no steroids required. But obvs u can't buy it here as it's too effective 🙄

I use my own herbal remedies. If they have worked for people for centuries then why not? Grow the herbs in pots or in your garden.
Currently have a sore throat so gargling a mix of sage,apple cider vinegar,cayenne and salt. Its working.
For coughs make a syrup of hyssop or mallow. Honey and lemon will help. An oxymel( honey and vinegar) with thyme will help.
Steam over a bowl containing rosemary and sage.
Loads of ways to help yourself and the ingredients are all around you.

Thyme tea can be helpful.
Also marshmallow root.
Depends what's causing it though.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-020-79713-0

https://nimh.org.uk/herbal-resources/thyme-tea/

You need steam. Either boil the kettle and put the water in a bowl. Put your head over the bowl once it's cooled off a bit and breathe in the steam or get in the bathroom and put a hot shower on. This gets steam into the lungs which lossens the gunk there and helps you cough it out.

DH makes the most effective drink for a cough - slice up a thumb sized piece of ginger root, and stick it in a thermos of boiling water with a generous dollop of honey. Let it steep for as long as your thermos will keep it hot - ideally 8 hours or more. It's very gingery but clears a cough right up!

Gargle with Hydrogen Peroxide, it's brilliant for coughs and sore throats.
About £1.50 a bottle form Boots, lasts forever.

It's the capsules that contain pholcodene
From what I can see the liquid is still available as it has different ingredients

Ha my DH would drink this by the bucket!!

Thankyou.

Might still get a couple of bottles in, just in case. Can't trust them with nothing man.

I remember when we used to have to write down in a book every time someone bought pholcodine linctus. And if you looked dodgy, not a chance you were getting any.

In Switzerland (where I live) they recommend a half an onion under your bed. It actually does somehow magically stop nighttime coughing but by GOD is it smelly

I totally agree with you. I gave up on all cough medicines years ago when I realised that they did absolutely nothing to help my cough. The same goes for most cold and flu remedies. Nowadays,if I get a cold,I just take paracetamol to help with the symptoms. I have come to the conclusion that the only thing that works for a cough or cold,is time. My late DDad used to say 'Treat a cold and it will last a week,do nothing and it will last 7 days'. Just about sums it up really.

Pholcodine Linctus works very well to suppress a cough overnight. You can buy it over the counter. I had the most horrific cough at the end of a bout of flu and it was just the best thing. I'm not sure how I'd have recovered without it.

Pholcodene has been withdrawn from sale apparently

Ok so there IS a cough medicine that works. When we were on hol in France w 6 yr old DS he was really poorly w a cough, couldn’t sleep, was properly poorly. DH went to pharmacy and came back w cough medicine. I gave it to DS. 5 mins later came back into the room to find him fast asleep on the sofa (this is Duracell child who never sleeps). He slept, without coughing, for 14 hours straight and woke 100% cured. Was a total miracle.

BUT, when I realised how deeply asleep he was, I looked up what I’d given him, and it’s a medicine banned in almost every country because it suppresses respiratory function so much… So of course DS slept beautifully and I fretted all night.

so - there ARE miracle cough medicines. Just don’t take them… I threw the rest of the magic bottle away…

I agree about night nurse. I think you can just buy the bit of it that makes you sleep - it’s in nytol maybe? Diphenhydramine

if you have a tickly cough I have found the only thing that helps is knocking yourself out like you have said, and making sure you have a pint of water near the bed to sip when you start coughing. Also distracting yourself can help calm down the urge to keep coughing when it tickles

i always swear by taking paracetamol / ibruprofen too, as I figure that all that coughing must be making something inflamed!

https://www.gov.uk/drug-safety-update/pholcodine-containing-cough-and-cold-medicines-withdrawal-from-uk-market-as-a-precautionary-measure