FDA Cautions Against Use of Children’s Cough, Cold Medicines

By Michelle L. Klampe, Ventura County Star, Calif.

Dec. 28–Sometimes medicine isn’t best, even when your child is miserable because of the runny nose, congestion and other side effects of the common cold.

That’s the word this cold season from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which recently issued a public health advisory saying the potential risks of nonprescription cold and cough medicines for children may outweigh any benefits, and parents should use caution when administering them. The agency is now reviewing cold and cough medicines for children.

In October, manufacturers voluntarily recalled some cold and cough medicines for infants and children under 2 years old because of concerns of misuse and overdose, leaving shelves at drugstores bare.

That can leave some parents wondering what to do when their kids get sick.

Mostly, it means back to the basics: lots of liquids, plenty of rest, a humidifier, a box of really soft tissues and time.

“As a pediatrician, I’ve never really recommended over-the-counter medicines,” said Dr. Suhad Niazi of the Pediatric Diagnostic Center in conjunction with the Ventura County Health Care Agency. “A lot of over-the-counter medicines have lots of different ingredients with their own set of side effects.

“We do more supportive care,” he added.

That includes using saline nose drops and a bulb syringe to loosen and remove mucus from infants’ stuffed-up noses, a cool-mist humidifier to moisten the air in the child’s room, plenty of fluids, or even chicken soup. Some doctors will recommend acetaminophen or ibuprofen for fever, or menthol rubs for the chest to ease coughing.

Ventura mom Oksana Wong uses some of those for her children. Wong, the mother of two girls, ages 2 years and 1 month, isn’t a fan of giving her kids medicine.

“I get a huge box of Kleenex, soup and juice, and we kind of just wade through it,” Wong said. “It’s tough, but it’s better for the kids. Medicine can mask the symptoms.”

Honey or honey-based products are discouraged by doctors, particularly for children under a year old, because of risks of botulism poisoning. Parents also shouldn’t give their children smaller doses of adult medicine or medicine for older children.

“What we generally will see is use of medicines that aren’t appropriate, that can pose more harm than good,” said Dr. Michelle Laba of the county’s Mandalay Bay Women and Children’s Medical Group in Oxnard. About half of her cases on one recent day were children with cough, cold or other viral symptoms, she said.

Her office does a lot of work educating parents on what cold viruses are and how they should be treated. She also talks a lot about prevention, primarily “washing hands and using hand sanitizer.”

If a fever isn’t going away after a couple of days, a cold or cough isn’t getting better, or is getting worse, a call to the doctor is probably warranted, said Dr. Jeff Dyer, a family practitioner with California HealthFirst Physicians in Camarillo. And parents should never hesitate to call their doctor if they have a question about treating the cold, he said.

“It’s tough. There aren’t a lot of options,” Dyer said. “Parents want a quick fix because your kid’s miserable.”

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