Posted by dr-gwenn on August 17, 2007 at 10:26:29 AM

With cold and flu season upon us (yes, I know, you are still wearing shorts but before long that will change!), there is no time like the present to remind ourselves that small children should not use cold and cough medications. I talked about this a few months ago after the FDA warned us of the dangers of popular over the counter cold and cough medications in infants and toddlers.


In October, the FDA is convening an advisory panel to look into the safety of these drugs much more closely. The FDA is particularly concerned with drug dosing and helping parents give the proper medication doses to their children. To this end, this week, the FDA released a Public Health Advisory on Nonprescription Cough and Cold Medicine Use in Children emphasizing the need for parents to follow the labels closely, especially the "Drug Facts" box. The goal is to give the proper dose of medication and to avoid giving too much of a dose to a child.

Additional FDA recommendations from the advisory include:

• Do not use cough and cold products in children under 2 years of age UNLESS given specific directions to do so by a healthcare provider.

• Do not give children medicine that is packaged and made for adults. Use only products marked for use in babies, infants or children (sometimes called “pediatric” use).

• Cough and cold medicines come in many different strengths. If you are unsure about the right product for your child, ask a healthcare provider. * If other medicines (over-the-counter or prescription) are being given to a child, the child’s healthcare provider should review and approve their combined use.

• Too much medicine may lead to serious and life-threatening side effects, particularly in children aged 2 years and younger.

• For liquid products, parents should use the measuring device (dropper, dosing cup or dosing spoon) that is packaged with each different medicine formulation and that is marked to deliver the recommended dose. A kitchen teaspoon or tablespoon is not an appropriate measuring device for giving medicines to children.

• If a measuring device is not included with the product, parents should purchase one at the pharmacy. Make sure that the dropper, dosing cup or dosing spoon has markings on it that match the dosing that is in the directions in the “Drug Facts” box on the package label, or is recommended by the child’s health care provider.

• If you DO NOT UNDERSTAND the instructions on the product, or how to use the dosing device (dropper, dosing cup or dosing spoon), DO NOT USE the medicine. Consult your healthcare provider if you have questions or are confused.

•  Cough and cold medicines only treat the symptoms of the common cold such as runny nose, congestion, fever, aches, and irritability. They do not cure the common cold. Children get better with time.

• If a child’s condition worsens or does not improve, stop using the product and immediately take the child to a health care provider for evaluation.

So, next time your small child starts to cough or sniffle, resist the temptation to treat. The stuff causes more harm than good. A humidifier, saline nose spray and TLC from you will go much further than anything you think you are getting from a cough medication.

Since we are not officially in the cold and flu season, I have a feeling this is the first on many posts on this topic for the upcoming season. For now, just tuck this away for future reference and enjoy the rest of your summer. I'll be on vacation for a week but will be back soon.

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