Cough and Cold Remedies Dangerous for Children
Drug Companies Agree to Label Meds After FDA Warnings
Oct 15, 2008
Earlier this year, the Food and Drug Administration warned against giving OTC cold medicines to children younger than two. As of October 2008, the FDA now states that the drugs have little effectiveness and can be unsafe in children under six years of age. The FDA has, however, rejected an immediate ban on cough and cold remedies from fear that parents will begin using adult medications for their children instead.
Due to the new FDA warnings, drug companies have agreed to add warning labels to their products stating that children under four should not use them. While pediatricians still call for an all-out ban on these products, the decision to use a warning label is a welcome one. According to CNN Health, over-the-counter cough and cold medicines account for over 7,000 emergency room visits from children, and over 100 deaths annually. The majority of these problems occur in children ages two to three. Families in the United States also spend more than $286 million each year for these remedies.
Why OTC Cough and Cold Remedies are Dangerous For Children Under Six
- The sedating effects of antihistamines can be fatal, especially for children who already have breathing difficulties
- Parents often accidentally overdose their child since the same ingredients are often found in different products
- Children under six years of age who take these medications often experience drowsiness, unsteady walking, hives, and breathing difficulties.
- These medications have been proven ineffective, rendering them useless for children regardless of the dangers.
Preventing Colds
If cold remedies are banned, how can parents do their best to ensure their child stays healthy? Here are some tips:
- Minimize the stress in a child’s life. Do not overwhelm her with too many extracurricular activities, and make sure to have open, honest discussions about school, friends, and teachers.
- Keep the vitamin C a regular daily habit! Instead of just fruit juices, give a child fresh fruit on a daily basis. Make sure his diet is otherwise balanced and healthy.
- If over four years old, a child can take a multivitamin supplement once daily.
- Teach children to wash their hands thoroughly and often.
- Teach children to use a tissue to blow their noses and then to throw it away immediately to avoid the spread of germs.
- Do not allow children to share glasses, towels, or utensils.
- Try to avoid people that are obviously sick.
Treating Colds Naturally
If a child does come down with a cold, as most children inevitably do, try some old-fashioned advice:
- Give them warm liquids to drink, such as hot water with lemon, tea with honey, or other soothing drinks.
- Encourage constant rest and relaxation.
- Give them a gentle massage before bedtime to promote sleepiness.
- Play soft, soothing music before bedtime to aid in the sleep process.
- Give the child a nice warm bath with eucalyptus oil to open stuffy noses.
- Run a humidifier in the room the child sleeps in.
- Use a saline nose spray and a nasal bulb syringe to suction out mucus that might stuff up a child and make it difficult for them to sleep.
- Give a child an over-the-counter pain reliever such as Tylenol or Motrin if he has a fever, sore throat pain, or headache. Follow the recommended dosage charts.
- Do not use marketed herbal remedies without first consulting a pediatrician.
- Older children can gargle salt water or use cough drops to relieve throat pain.
Call a pediatrician if a child has a persistent high fever and is not urinating, or if they have ear pain and green nasal discharge. If the child has difficulty breathing, turns blue, or coughs up blood, parents should seek help immediately.
Parents must be educated about the use of over-the-counter cold and cough medications. They are ineffective and unsafe for children under six years of age. Drug companies have followed suit with new FDA warnings, agreeing to label their products as dangerous for children under four. While pediatricians are still calling for a ban of these products, parents should take matters into their own hands by not purchasing dangerous medications for their children.
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