Medicine can, however, help relieve some of your cold or flu symptoms. Check with your doctor before giving any medicine to children. See the box below for a guide to the common ingredients in these products. Read labels carefully. If you have questions, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.
Analgesics relieve aches and pains and reduce fever.
Children and teenagers shouldn't be given aspirin. Antitussives tell your brain to stop coughing. Don't take an antitussive if you're coughing up mucus. Expectorants help thin mucus so it can be coughed up more easily. Oral decongestants shrink the nasal passages and reduce congestion.