Is there any such thing as a cough medicine / cold remedy for children that actually works?

[ejt1764]

DS has a streaming cold, and is coughing and spluttering like you wouldn't believe ... he sounds like a cross between Darth Vader and Lassie.

He's not really unwell with it as such, but is starting to complain that coughing so much is making his chest hurt.

Is there anything he can take to stop him coughing so much? He's not bringing anything up ...

The only one I have found that works is the Boots Night Time one - has pholcodine in it which seems effective-ish...

Thanks for that ... ...

Hi all, I'v got three kids over 2.5 and now I got a two month old and since december last year all the family has constantly been getting colds to which the kids have been given cough n cold meds and antibiotics. Im sick n tierd of then not working and now that there is a baby about I worry more. My baby has a cold (sniffles) and I want to help him I was searching on the net and have found that sambucol for kids is very effective in getting rid of cold. Its made from black elderberry, I have orderd some but have not used it yet as I have not received it but I am so excited about it. People who have used it swear by it that it works so once I have tried I will let you all know if it works...

My DS had a cough for months over this winter. I stopped giving him medicine because it just didn't work, except for a bed-time spoonful of Medised on exceptionally bad days, Snufflebabe on chest, and Karvol on a piece of kitchen roll inside his pillowcase at night. Get them decongested and the cough seems to ease a little (less mucous trickling down the back of the throat I imagine). But no, cough medicines don't actually work - they just help you feel you are actually doing something.

Then again why dose up with drugs if they aren't actually working?

The ONLY comfort I had during all those endless weeks of coughing was believing that common illnesses help build up immunity and that dcs with their fair share of them are less likely to develop horrifically more serious childhood illnesses later on. Heard it on Radio 4 one day. Don't know if thats true or not, but helped keep me same during the sleepless nights ...

HTH

its made from elderberry, its from a health shop. It helps build up the immune system which fights the cold virus etc. People have given their views on it and apparently it gets rid of the cold within a couple of days and in some cases the very next day. So i am excited and cannot wait to receive mine. I got four kids and never uneccessarily ever used meds, but wen I do if my children are suffering too much they dont really help so I hope this works as I worry about me two year old who gets asthma when he gets a cold.

I have tried six diff cough meds in the last week.
None worked for me and I am still coughing and unable to sleep.