A Spoonful of Sugar Makes the Medicine Go Away

The next time a cough keeps your little one awake at night, don’t reach for medicine: New research suggests that simple sugar syrup—or even water—can ease symptoms just as well. What’s more, the nondrug alternatives are a lot safer.

Doctors at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey asked parents of 100 sick children to rate their kids’ coughs and sleep quality over two consecutive nights. The first night, the children were given no medication; the second night they were divided into three equal groups to receive either a diphenhydramine syrup, a dextromethorphan syrup, or a placebo syrup of sugar and water.

By every measure, the sugar syrup performed nearly identically to the drugs. The authors suspect it may help by triggering the placebo effect. “I believe any liquid would do just as well,” says lead author and pediatrician Ian Paul.

Whatever accounts for the results, the researchers advise parents to avoid giving cough medicine to children. They don’t do much good, they sometimes cause allergic reactions and other side effects—and having them around the house brings the risk of accidental overdose.

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