Almost every day, we encounter children with chronic cough in our clinics, and some of the reasons for their poor outcome are related to misconceptions about medication. If you don’t take into account the cause and the physiological characteristics of children, and just take some cough medicine at home whenever you have a cough, and stop eating and stop eating, you will delay the treatment and even aggravate the disease. Parents also need to clarify the cause of the cough and choose the right medication according to the physiological characteristics of the child to safely and effectively remove phlegm and stop the cough. Myth 1: Anti-inflammatory drugs should be used first for pediatric cough Many parents believe that a cough is an inflammation of the respiratory tract, so anti-inflammatory drugs must be used when their child coughs, which can have many negative effects on the child. Pediatric cough is not only caused by inflammatory stimulation after a respiratory infection, but allergies, smoke, and foreign body irritation can also cause a pediatric cough. Anti-inflammatory medications are not beneficial to the treatment of cough if they are not used at the right time, and they often produce gastrointestinal discomfort and other adverse effects. Myth 2: Adult cough medicines can be used for pediatric cough Some parents mistakenly believe that it is enough to halve or reduce the dosage of medication, which is a very harmful practice. Children and adults are not only different in weight, but also have many physiological and pathological differences. For example, some children cannot use oral dosage forms such as capsules and tablets because their swallowing function is not yet perfect; as children’s liver and kidneys are not well developed and their enzyme systems are not yet mature, their ability to absorb, metabolize and excrete drugs is poor, so some drug ingredients that can be used by adults are prone to adverse reactions when used on children. Therefore, children with cough should choose expectorants and cough suppressants designed for children. Myth 3: Use cough suppressants whenever a child coughs Coughing is a protective physiological reflex of the body. When a foreign body is inhaled from the respiratory tract, or when there is an inflammatory secretion obstruction, this message is transmitted to the cough center in the medulla oblongata of the brain, and through the cough reflex, the aim is to expel foreign bodies and secretions from the airways. Coughing is therefore a self-protective mechanism that is beneficial to the body. Unlike adults, 70% to 80% of coughs in children are phlegm coughs. Moreover, the respiratory system of children is not yet well developed and they cannot cough up phlegm as effectively as adults do, and phlegm retention can easily occur. If you take oral cough suppressants as soon as you cough, the cough will stop, but the suppression of coughing will make it more difficult to expel phlegm, which will result in blocking the respiratory tract and will not only aggravate the cough, but will also easily develop into the lower respiratory tract, causing more serious diseases such as lung infections. Therefore, the early stage of a child’s cough can be treated with expectorant treatment, and the cough will naturally reduce after the phlegm is removed. In addition to distinguishing between a wet cough with phlegm and a dry cough without phlegm (the former should be treated with increased fluid intake and with phlegm-suppressing medication), it is also important to consider whether the dry cough is affecting the child’s sleep, appetite, and spirit, and to consider appropriate cough suppressants for a severe and frequent dry cough. Moreover, there are two types of cough suppressants, narcotic and non-narcotic, and you must consult your physician carefully before you can use them with confidence. Myth 4: Pediatric cough is not directly related to nasal congestion and runny nose Pediatric cough is often associated with nasal congestion and runny nose, but parents often treat only the symptoms of cough, not realizing that nasal congestion and runny nose are also one of the main causes of pediatric cough. Therefore, when choosing pediatric cough medications, compound preparations containing the decongestant pseudoephedrine can not only relieve nasal congestion and runny nose, but also help reduce cough symptoms.