Can any medications help treat the common cold?

Some medicines ease the symptoms of the common cold. Pain relievers you can get without a prescription can reduce a fever and ease the pain of a sore throat. These include acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) and ibuprofen (Advil, Children's Motrin, others). But fevers most often are a good sign that the body is clearing out the virus. The main reason to treat a fever is to make your child more comfortable.

If you give your child a pain reliever, follow the dosing guidelines closely. For a baby younger than 3 months old, don't give acetaminophen until a healthcare professional has seen the baby. Do not give ibuprofen to a child younger than 6 months old or to children who keep vomiting or have lost body fluids. The condition in which a child has lost body fluids is called dehydration.

Do not give aspirin to children or teenagers. Aspirin has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare life-threatening condition, in children and teenagers who have the flu or chickenpox.