A new study shows that using too many cough drops, particularly the ones containing menthol, may be actually make coughs more severe. The study all began when Green Bay doctor, Robert Mead, realized that patients were not mentioning cough drops as an over-the-counter remedy they were using to battle their cough. The study was conducted by the Wisconsin Research and Education Network (WREN), headquartered in the department of family medicine and community health at the UW School of Medicine and Public Health. Mead, a family-medicine physician with Bellin Health, followed up his original observation by asking patients with persistent and unexplained coughs to stop using cough drops. He observed that coughs then resolved over a matter of days. Mead then contacted went to Dr. David Hahn, a senior scientist at WREN, who conducted a study. Of the 548 eligible surveys, 66 percent of those responding used cough drops. Reported duration of cough illness at the time of the clinic visit was greater in cough-drop users compared with non-users. Hahn suggested that studies on the possible negative side effects of menthol cough drops would be a good next step.
Do Cough Drops Make the Problem Worse?
Mar 8, 2018 | 3:00 PM
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