Summary: The widespread use of symptomatic medications in people coughing due to acute respiratory infections reflects the need to help patients, but evidence-based evidence for their effectiveness is weak. They help alleviate symptoms, but often prove to be ineffective, and if administered for too long, they may delay establishing the correct diagnosis. In the case of centrally acting antitussives, complications and sometimes even death may occur if the recommended dosage is exceeded. In order to alleviate symptoms, drugs used for specific diagnoses, such as antibiotics or anti-asthmatic drugs (beta-agonists, inhaled glucocorticosteroids), are sometimes overused. Based on the limited body of work consistent with EBM, acute respiratory infections may provide opportunities for more selective use of symptomatic medications in selected clinical situations.