Aim: To determine which high sugar cough syrups sell most frequently in pharmacies in Barcelona.
Methods: 300 pharmacies in 10 districts of Barcelona (Spain) were visited and data collected on the type of syrup-based medicines dispensed most often over a 3-month period in 2008.
Results: Data was collected in 142 out of 300 pharmacies. The percentage of the medicines sold by group of antibiotics (sweetener) were: Augmentine (aspartame) 5.72%; Clamoxyl (sucrose) 3.28%; Ceclor (sucrose) 3.66%. In the anti-inflammatory group: Junifen 2.0% (saccharine sódic); 3.59%, Junifen 4.0% (sodic sucrose); 4.35%, Apiretal Codeine (sucrose); 0.31%, Dalsy (sucrose) 39.35%; Febrectal (sodic saccharine): 0.89%.
Conclusions: It is very important to advise parents, pharmacists, paediatricians, and paediatric dentists about low-sweetener paediatric medicine alternatives to control the high content sucrose medicines. The aim should be to reduce the intake of over the counter medication.