Journal of clinical pharmacy and therapeutics
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Common cold and flu are the most common human illnesses, and over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics are widely used to treat the pain and fever symptoms. Despite the every day use of these analgesic there is little information available in the literature on the efficacy and safety of these medicines in treating colds and flu symptoms. The aim of this review was to determine the safety and efficacy of the analgesics, aspirin, paracetamol and aspirin for the treatment of colds and flu. ⋯ Despite the lack of clinical data on the safety and efficacy of analgesics for the treatment of colds and flu symptoms a case can be made that these medicines are safe and effective for treatment of these common illnesses.