Sure, but what I’m getting at is that a lot of people have some kind of mistaken notion that somehow the price of goods is based directly upon the cost. More expensive things must cost more, raises in price must necessarily mean raises in cost, and the like are all incorrect things that stem from that.
In this case, the reason cough syrup is relatively highly priced is almost certainly related to the seasonality of coughs, and the relatively inflexible demand for cough syrups that actually work. I would bet that cough syrup is just like the beer- the vast majority of its price is distributor and retailer markup, not raw materials.
It could be. Back in the day, I used to be a graphic artist. I had one client who distributed hair products to supermarkets.
I was tasked with designing the logos and art for the labels. This guy just basically ordered shampoo from a factory to his specs and they printed the labels from the artwork I supplied.
He had me design an expensive looking label and an economy looking label so he could sell the same product at different price points, thus competing with himself, in the same market.
Supplier costs may also be higher. Cough medicines tend to be either liquids or gel caps. Cost of a liquid-tight bottle is likely higher than a bottle or blister pack for pills. The large gel caps that cough medicines use are probably more expensive per dose than pills or capsules, and in any case wouldn’t be priced to undercut the liquids.
Cough medicines are not as volumetrically efficient. I buy a 365 day supply of generic Claritin in a bottle that might hold 3-4 doses of NyQuil. Higher volume (and possibly weight) per dose impacts shipping costs and takes up more valuable shelf space.
Are cough medicines expensive? Prices vary a lot depending on what you buy and where you buy it. I’m sure availability, ingredients, marketing and volume purchased also come into play.
To keep things simple, the best prices in my part of Canada seem to be at Costco. Prices at some drug stores can be nearly twice as high, though may offer more selection. These were recently on sale at Costco and normal differences may be less
Antihistamines are helpful with allergic sinusitis and reactions, but are not always considered “cough medications” depending on cause. The oldest, first-generation antihistamines are by far the most effective but may cause drowsiness. Emergency departments use them almost exclusively. Generic Benadryl is cheap. Chemically it is very similar to Gravol and both can be used somewhat interchangeably. At Costco, newer antihistamines are also cheap, well under twenty cents for a long-lasting tablet.
Cough medicines often contain a pain medication (often acetaminophen), expectorant (often guaifenesin) and medicines to help stop the cough (possibly pseudoephedrine or several similars).
Canada Costco was selling 400mL (80 doses) of Buckley’s for about fifteen Canadian cents a dose, which consists mainly of camphor and menthol. 720mL (24 doses) of NyQuil or DayQuil/NyQuil cost about $16, much more expensive since the recommended volume of liquid is now 30mL. The ingredients are as listed in the above paragraph. In fact, this was a sale price and one could normally approach a dollar a dose. But you could also buy 96 Costco tablets (60 DayQuil and 36 NyQuil equivalent) for $12 Canadian, making each dose under fifteen cents and perhaps 75% cheaper than liquid NyQuil.
So what are the lessons?
Tablets tend to be much cheaper than liquids or caplets, especially with added letters. Costco brand might be cheapest. These can be given to children by crushing them and added to juice but one must be careful with doses.
Older medicines tend to work better but may have more side-effects. This is certainly true for antihistamines. Benadryl is best, only lasts 4-6h, can cause drowsiness (which may help or hurt).
Buying at some places or in small quantities can double the price.
If I had a terrible cough and cold symptoms paying a dollar to get rid of them for a night does not seem outrageous. Cough medicines are inexpensive, but you can possibly quarter the price by buying Costco tablets or local equivalent.
Natural ingredients like camphor and menthol may help but if looking for something beyond lozenge strength, seek guaifenesin (an expectorant) and something like pseudoephedrine to suppress cough. Many have acetaminophen which may help with mild pain or fever. Guaifenesin can be purchased on its own if looking to minimize side effects. Asthmatics may require a change of medicine during exacerbations.
I could have been more specific, as if anyone wanted that. Many (not all) cough medicines contain both a decongestant and an antitussive.
I should add the caution over-the-counter cough syrups are generally not recommended (for having more harm than benefit) in children under the age of six. This number has been increased in some countries. There might well be little benefit giving cough medicines under the age of twelve, but this is really @DSeid’s wheelhouse. I claim no expertise on this point and suggest you consult with your local provider.
Yes cough meds in general are more harm than good in kids.
What works best?
Honey.
Zarbees btw works. They put honey in a smaller bottle and charge more.
To the op- because people will pay it.
Benadryl for colds is more per volume than Benadryl for allergies. You have an acute illness you just grab. Ongoing conditions you look at price. Ironically the same med does little for colds and works for allergies… ain’t marketing grand?!
Authors’ conclusions:Honey probably relieves cough symptoms to a greater extent than no treatment, diphenhydramine, and placebo, but may make little or no difference compared to dextromethorphan. Honey probably reduces cough duration better than placebo and salbutamol. There was no strong evidence for or against using honey. Most of the children received treatment for one night, which is a limitation to the results of this review. There was no difference in occurrence of adverse events between the honey and control arms.
I did consider that but was unable to think of a way to express the underlying thought in a way that would be 100% correct in all circumstances. At first I was going to say that customers aren’t being asked to pay more than four cents per tablet of diphenhydramine, but of course that does happen at different kinds of stores, or if the consumer chooses a smaller package.