why is there alcohol in cold medicines?

Answer 1

there is alcohol in Nyquil

that's the only one that I know of

and I think it's in there to help you get to sleep when you are miserable with a cold

also it gives you a nice warm feeling as it goes down...

it's comforting

hence the name
NyQuil
(night) (quell? like soothing, calming)

Answer 2

I, like the other people who have answered the question, don't know for certain what the answer is, but the first thought that came to mind was that alcohol thins the blood and also absorbs into the epithelial layer of the skin.
1.) The thinning of the blood by such a small fraction would result in no problems with a buzz while still allowing the medicine to be transported through the system faster than if it wasn't thinned.
2.) With the alcohol in breath mints; I speculate this is because the "smelly good" crystals and liquids would absorb into the tounge so the odor stays in the mouth longer than if the mint was to be chewed on then swallowed only allowing the mint to add fragrance to the smell of the breath for the few minutes the mint is in ones mouth.

Again those are just random thoughts that seemed logical enough to me, so don't hold me to it, but those answers seem good enough for me :).

Answer 3

Alcohol is an ingredient in lots of cough syrups and in liquid cold medicines like Nyquil.

Answer 4

I don't know the for sure answer why, but a lot of products like mints/mouth wash has alcohol in it. Many products do...buts only like .0001% if not a little more, so you'd die of overdose before you ever got a buzz.

Answer 5

it's a cheap sedative and it's also a great solvent