PEDIATRICS Vol. 55 No. 4 April 1975, pp. 550-552
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A Critical Look at Oral Decongestants

Richard P. Lampert M.D.1, Donald S. Robinson M.D.1, and Lester F. Soyka M.D.1

1 Clinical Pharmacology Unit, College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington

The use of decongestants for the common cold remains controversial. Topical decongestants appear effective in shrinking the nasal mucosa and relieving symptoms, but the rebound phenomenon and other undesirable side effects, especially with imidazolines, preclude their more common use in children.12 No clearcut evidence exists for the efficacy of oral decongestants and their use in this regard may be more in the nature of a placebo. Based on Miller's study, decongestants may be helpful in maintaining eustachian tube patency in children with chronic serous otitis media, whereas Rubenstein et al.11 found them to be of no help in acute otitis media. Lacking convincing evidence, one cannot presently recommend on a rational basis the routine use of decongestants in upper respiratory infections.




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J. A. Church
Allergic Rhinitis: Diagnosis and Management
Clinical Pediatrics, October 1, 1980; 19(10): 655 - 659.
[Abstract] [PDF]