Headlines
As reported by the Norwich Bulletin, December 2, 2008.
Health and Fitness: Experts Say No Elixir Before Age 6
Children Have Died From Over-the-Counter Medications
By Sharma Howard
While coughs and colds can make infants and small children cranky, there is no evidence over-the-counter medicines work for colds. In fact, these products can pose a danger to children younger than 6, according to pediatricians. And they can even have a reverse affect by increasing irritability.
“I’ve seen 4-month-old babies cry for hours on end,” said Dr. Larry Scherzer, a pediatrician at the University of Connecticut Health Center.
The American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend any over-the-counter cough and cold medications for children younger than 6, and last year, the FDA’s Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee ruled against the use of OTC cough and cold medicines in children ages 2 to 6. However, these products are still being marketed and sold to parents, although 14 were voluntarily pulled by leading drug companies last October .
With good reason — the risk in using them is steep. Scherzer said a few deaths have been attributed to OTC medications.
One reason is some people don’t read the labels properly, or they may mix a few of the drugs, thinking they are giving different medications — one for a cough, another for a runny nose — but the medications may have the same ingredients.
Another factor that makes the medications dangerous is the dosage information is based on adults, and shrunk down to reflect a child’s weight. But children’s livers metabolize medicine at a different rate. So, in effect, no correct dosage information is available.
While deaths are rare, Scherzer points out there is no need to take a risk, especially when there are no benefits to giving the medication.
“A better way to go is supportive therapy to help kids get through colds,” Scherzer said.
Dr. Bronson Terry, pediatrician at the Pediatric Center at Day Kimball Hospital, advised parents keep in mind that coughs can be helpful, and aren’t necessarily a symptom with which to be concerned.
“Although coughing is annoying to children by keeping them awake, coughs are actually helpful because they clear out mucus. What cough suppressants do is trick the brain and raise the threshold for coughing, so what happens is the mucus then stays in the lungs, potentially turning a self-limiting virus to a dangerous bacterial infection like pneumonia.”
Some guidelines on determining whether your child should see a doctor, according to Terry, are the following: a fever at 101.5, conditions that last longer than 10 days, coughing that is extreme (nonstop and violent), and parental discomfort with the child’s condition.
Tips: Fend Off Colds
- Honey can be used for children ages 2 and older to help with their coughs. Dosage for ages 2 to 5 is half teaspoon; ages 6-11, one teaspoon; ages 12 and older two teaspoons.
- A cool-mist humidifier in the bedroom can be useful, and easier to keep clean than warm-mist humidifiers.
- Position children to be propped up on the pillow.
- Keep hands washed; don’t allow family members to share cups, or plates.
- Flu shots are recommended each year for children 6 months and older.