A new study suggests that American doctors are telling patients to take cough or cold medicines less often than they did a few years ago. The study comes at a time when health experts say these treatments may be ineffective or have serious side effects, mainly in young children. Recommendations against giving cough and cold medicines to young children have become increasingly common in the United States since 2008. That was the year when the Food and Drug Administration advised against giving “over-the-counter” cough and cold drugs to children under the age of 2. Over-the-counter medicines are sold directly to patients or caregivers without doctors’ orders or prescriptions. Soon after, drug manufacturers recommended against cough and cold drugs for boys and girls under the age of 4. The American Academy of Pediatrics advised against these drugs for kids under the age of 6.