So there’s this ongoing controvery on restricting OTC cold medications for kids. When my kids have colds, I usually just give them chicken soup and tyelonol. Very rarely have I given them Benadryl or the Multisymptom syrups or strips.
I’m sure what the controversy is all about. Share your views please.
Re: Over the counter cold meds
Hey at least your kids take chicken soup. I give my son tylenol or motrin....i need to look into all this before i ever give him again :( But I usually give less of a dose then recommended.
Re: Over the counter cold meds
The controversey stems really from dosage information. When parents read to give the child "half a teaspoon", they take a kitchen spoon and fill it halfway and give it to the kid. This has been shown to be as much as 3-4 times the dose that they should actually get. Most parents do not measure with a medical spoon for OTC medications and this can result in respiratory distress and/or death in a very small number of cases.
In any case, its been shown in numerous studies that OTC cold meds do not help children in the same way that they help adults. Noses still stuff up, coughs still bark and the littles are not comfortable whether they have the meds or not. So the AMA decided that the risk is not worth whatever small benefit and have therefore removed most cold remedies from shelves.
When my littles are sick, they get motrin and/or tylenol as needed if they are running fevers and I dont give cough/cold/flu meds anymore. I tried a couple of times but I have to agree with the AMA here...they dont do all that much to help the symptoms and they add the further complication of constipation and even further decreasing the desire to take in food or fluid.
Re: Over the counter cold meds
Another thing that helps toddlers and up during colds it taking a bath with Johnson's Vapor Bath kinda thing. It opens up their congestion and they sleep better. You even get those Vicks plugins. I haven't tried those but rubbing some baby vicks does help if they don't have a fever.
Cough, Cold Drugs Not for Kids Under 4
Over-the-Counter Pediatric Cough, Cold Medicine Not for Chldren Under 4