Antihistamines for the common cold
The systematic review on antihistamines for the
common cold3 was undertaken because the use of
antihistamines for the common cold is widespread
yet there was concern that they may not be
effective. The review contained 32 papers with 35
comparisons; 22 trials were of monotherapy and 13
were of a combination of antihistamines with other
medication. The number of participants totalled
8930. The authors reported large differences in
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study design, participants, interventions and outcomes.
For monotherapy, no evidence was found of
a clinically significant effect on general recovery
with antihistamines as monotherapy for either
children or adults.