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Cough syrup is swallowed. The medicinal drug goes to the stomach. Is there any reason to believe that there is benefit in ingesting the medicine as a syrup? Wikipedia anyway writes

“There is no good evidence for or against the use of over-the-counter cough medications in those with a cough.”

Avrohom Yitzchok
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    Hum... so any drug for a headache should be injected in the forehead, instead of going to stomach? – woliveirajr Oct 20 '15 at 18:05
  • @woliveirajr yes and no. Yes, it's better to get medication there asap (hence in hospitals pain killers are often IV rather than oral) but injecting oneself in the head at home is a bad idea, and can lead to issues like brain damage and death, so is generally discouraged among practitioners. – Tim Oct 20 '15 at 18:09
  • I think the benefit is that it's the most convenient way to get the medicine into the bloodstream without requiring an injection - the digestive system is already designed to let ingested materials enter the bloodstream. The quote you included seems to question the efficacy of cough medicines in general, not the mode of ingestion. The biggest benefit I've noticed with cough medicine is not the cough suppression, but the fact that it makes me drowsy and helps me sleep. – Johnny Oct 20 '15 at 20:47
  • One time I had a really bad sore through, and my wife picked up some Robitussin cough syrup (I think it was Robitussin), and I took a shot of it, and right when it hit the back of my throat, I felt a cooling and soothing sensation. I have no scientific evidence to support my claim but I will say that swallowing the cough syrup is what had the most effect for me personally. – Zack Oct 20 '15 at 20:51
  • Closely related: http://skeptics.stackexchange.com/questions/8444/is-pentoxyverine-in-cough-syrup-effective-in-suppressing-a-cough – Oddthinking Oct 21 '15 at 02:23

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