Check with your doctor before giving any cold or flu medicine to children. These medications relieve muscle aches and pains and reduce fever. Examples include acetaminophen, aspirin, and ibuprofen. Aspirin should not be given to children with a fever because of their risk of developing Reye's syndrome. These medications block histamine, a substance that is released in response to allergies and causes a runny nose and sneezing.
Antihistamines help dry a runny nose and watery eyes.
They often cause drowsiness. Examples include chlorpheniramine, diphenhydramine, pheniramine, and tripolidine. These medications work by thinning mucus so that it can more easily be coughed up. These medications work by quieting or suppressing a cough. They are usually recommended for dry coughs when you are not producing mucus.