Here's what parents need to know about kids' cold and cough medications.
Marie isn't sure what to do anymore when her 3-year-old daughter comes down with a cold. "I'm afraid to give her any kind of cold medicine," she says, "but I hate not being able to do anything to help her."
Many parents have been feeling the same way since October 2007, when the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) recommended that over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medicines not be used to treat infants and children under 2 years old (unless medications are specifically recommended by a pediatrician). That decision was made because of serious and potentially life-threatening side effects these medicines can have on young children. They can cause children to have seizures, stop breathing, or lose consciousness.
Then, in January 2008, FDA advisers said that cough and cold medicines also shouldn't be used in children aged 2 to 6. However, neither the panelists nor the FDA have yet to officially recommend against the use of cough and cold medicine for children aged 2 to 6.
So what's a parent to do?
While the FDA is completing its review of this issue, it recommends that parents follow these tips if they use OTC cough and cold medicines for children over age 2:
- Check the "active ingredients" section of the DRUG FACTS label. This will help you understand what "active ingredients" are in the medicine and what symptoms each active ingredient is intended to treat. Cough and cold medicines often have more than one "active ingredient" (such as an antihistamine, a decongestant, a cough suppressant, an expectorant, or a pain reliever/fever reducer).
- Be very careful if you are giving more than one OTC cough and cold medicine to a child. Many OTC cough and cold medicines have more than one "active ingredient." If you use two medicines that have the same or similar "active ingredients," a child could get too much of an ingredient, which may hurt him or her. For example, do not give a child more than one medicine that has an antihistamine.
- Carefully follow the directions in the DRUG FACTS part of the label. These directions tell you how much medicine to give and how often you can give it.
- Only use the measuring spoons or cups that come with the medicine or those made specially for measuring drugs. Do not use common household spoons to measure medicines for children since household spoons come in different sizes and are not meant for measuring medicines.
- Understand that OTC cough and cold medicines are intended only to treat your child's symptom(s). OTC cough and cold medicines do not treat the cause of the symptoms or shorten the length of time your child is sick. They only relieve symptoms and may make your child feel more comfortable.
- Don't use these products to sedate your child or make children sleepy.
- Call a physician, pharmacist, or other healthcare professional if you have any questions about using cough or cold medicines in children 2 years of age and older.
Medicine isn't always the answer
In addition to questioning the safety of OTC cough and cold medicines for children, healthcare experts are also raising doubts about how well the medicines work. Many of these products have never been tested on children, and experts, including FDA advisers, believe that the medications may not even relieve children's symptoms.
However, there are safe and effective ways to help relieve your child's cold symptoms. The American Academy of Pediatrics offers these tips:
To relieve a stuffy nose
- Use saline (saltwater) nose drops to thin nasal discharge. Ask your child's doctor about which ones to use. Place a few drops of the saline into each nostril followed by gentle bulb suction. This works best for babies younger than 3 months.
- During the illness, use a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer in your child's room. This helps moisten the air and may help clear your child's nasal passages. Be sure to clean the humidifier or vaporizer often, as recommended by the manufacturer.
To relieve chest congestion
- Chest physical therapy can loosen mucus and may help infants and young children cough it out. Lay your child across your knees, face down; cup your hand; and gently tap your child's back. Or sit your child on your lap, lean her body forward about 30 degrees, cup your hand, and gently tap her back.
- During the illness, use a cool-mist humidifier or vaporizer in your child's room. This helps moisten the air and may help clear your child's congestion. Be sure to clean the humidifier or vaporizer often, as recommended by the manufacturer.
To relieve a cough
- Try half a teaspoon of honey for children aged 2 to 5 years, 1 teaspoon for children aged 6 to 11 years, and 2 teaspoons for children 12 years and older. If honey is given at bedtime, make sure you brush your child's teeth afterward. Remember, it's not safe to give honey to babies younger than 1 year.
- For a child aged 4 years and older, cough drops or lozenges may help soothe the throat. Remember not to give cough drops or lozenges to a child younger than 4 years because he could choke on them. Also do not give your child more cough drops than directed on the package.
To relieve a fever
- Give acetaminophen to a baby 6 months or younger. Give either acetaminophen or ibuprofen to a child older than 6 months. Ask your child's doctor for the right dosage for your child's age and size. Do not give aspirin to your child because it has been associated with Reye syndrome, a rare but very serious illness that affects the liver and the brain.
