Schatzi - I saw that in the news headlines, too. However, I go by my own experiences, and certainly when I've had a lot of congestion in my chest, cough meds helped. At least, I felt much worse without them than with them. Maybe it depends on why you are coughing, and perhaps a lot of people take them for coughs where they won't do any good. I don't use them whenever I cough, but when I have chest congestion. I notice that they are only discussing a portion of the findings in that article, so without being able to evaluate the complete report myself, I'll have to withhold judgment on it.
Also, antihistimines won't help with a cold alone - they are a histimine blocker, and histimine is something your body produces as the result of an allergic reaction. The American Academy of Pediatrics states: "Antihistamines can relieve runny noses, itchy eyes and sneezing due to allergies (but not colds)." More information here:
http://www.medem.com/medlb/article_d...7C&sub_cat=409