Prognosis
Embarrassed by Your Cough? ‘Sick Shaming’ Leads to Overuse of Cold Medicine
Pressured to return to work but cautious about seeming sick, US employees are loading up on over-the-counter cold and allergy medicine.
Sales of cold and flu medicine in the US have increased 30% since 2019.
Photographer: Joe Raedle/Getty ImagesThis article is for subscribers only.
At the height of the pandemic, Meg McNamara’s employer sent her home with symptoms that looked a lot like Covid, but she knew better.
A negative Covid test proved that the 37-year-old’s coughs and red eyes were just her usual allergies. Determined to not be wrongly accused again, the New York-based physician’s assistant turned to over-the-counter medication. She started popping Benadryl every morning to mask her symptoms, but that caused other problems.