Published: December 09, 2007 02:05 am            

Forget cold medicines for treating young children

JEFFERSONVILLE, Ind. — Just in time for winter, parents are being warned that not only do common over-the-counter cold medicines not work they’re also dangerous for children under 6 years old.

The warning came after a group of pediatricians - who say doctors have known for decades that cold and cough medicines work no better than dummy pills and can have dangerous side effects - petitioned the Federal Drug Administration to remove the products from store shelves.

In October, drug companies voluntarily recalled all over-the-counter cold medicines targeting children under 2 years old. Federal health advisers are recommending the FDA take the recalls a step further and remove products for children 6 and under. The panel also said there’s no evidence the drugs work for children ages 7-12.

In more than four decades there have been only a handful of studies regarding the effectiveness of over-the-counter cold medicines, and none have found that the medicines really work, according to the FDA. Nonetheless, drug companies spend about $50 billion a year on advertising to convince parents to buy their products, and parents listen, giving children more than 3 billion doses of the medicines each year.

The drug industry maintains that the medications do work, and that the problems stem from parents using the products improperly.

“We have always known these were very mediocre drugs,” said New Albany pediatrician Chris Mescia. The reason they’re now being recalled, he said, “is because of new data showing the danger of user error when using these combination drugs.

“Some of these (products) have three or four different medicines. Parents don’t realize this and they give their child one medicine for a cough and another one for a stuffy nose. What happens is that they end up giving the child double or triple doses without knowing it,” Mescia said.

Dosing guidelines are also confusing and parents may not follow them exactly, for example, using a teaspoon instead of the dropper included to give the medicine. Although such mistakes can be dangerous for any child, “little babies are more suseptible to toxicity, especially Sudafed,” Mescia said.

From 2004-2005, more than 1,500 children were treated in emergency rooms for accidental overdoses and bad reactions to the over-the-counter drugs, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Since 1969, at least 54 children have died.

Although the FDA does not have to follow the recommendations of the federal health panel to also recall drugs for children ages 2-6, groups like the American Academy of Pediatricians are advising parents against giving non-prescription cold and cough medicines to children under 6. The recommendation applies to medicines containing decongestants, antihistamines and antitussives. It doesn’t apply to expectorants, though many of the medicines also contain that ingredient.

“The data for older kids (over 2 years old, but under 6) is a little sketchy, but it’s not as risky for kids that age as it is for babies,” Mescia said. “I wouldn’t really recommend giving it to them either, but if a parent feels they need to I would say be sure to follow the dosing instructions very carefully and make sure it doesn’t contain other medications.”

New Albany mom Robyn Davis Sekula says she’ll forgo the over-the-counter medicines she’s used in the past to ease cold symptoms for her 18-month-old twins and their 4-year-old sister.

Sekula, 36, said she’s never found over-the-counter cold medicines to be particularly effective, “Nothing ever really worked all that well,” Sekula said. “I hate how much they cough when they get a cold, and I’m sure it disturbs their sleep, because I know it bothers me. I wish there was a good medicine on the market that isn’t dangerous that I could give them. We’ll just have to tough it out.”

For her older daughter, Sekula plans to skip the medicines for her as well unless the cold is severe, and in those cases, she would probably consult a doctor before giving her any medicine. “It’s not worth the risk,” Sekula said.

Mescia said he’s hearing from some parents who are frustrated with the recalls and lack of options to help their child feel better. “They want immediate relief, they obviously don’t want to see their child suffering. But you have to keep things in perspective - it’s just a cold. Sometimes an illness just has to run its course.”



Lisa Hurt Kozarovich writes for The Evening News in Jeffersonville, Ind.





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Tips for easing a child’s cold

You have to wait out a cold; treating symptoms won’t make it go away faster. But here are some tips to ease the symptoms:

• Plenty of liquids, from water to chicken soup.

• Suction bulbs can gently clear infants’ clogged noses.

• Saline nose drops loosen thick secretions so noses drain more easily and suction bulbs work better.

• A cool-mist humidifier in the child’s bedroom. Be sure to clean the humidifier regularly.

• Some chest creams can ease stuffiness with menthol or other fragrances, but check labels for age restrictions.

• Acetaminophen or ibuprofen, as recommended by your doctor, to alleviate pain or discomfort - but make sure they don’t contain extra ingredients like decongestants or antihistamines.

• Make sure your child gets plenty of rest and eats a balanced diet.

• A teaspoon of honey before bed seems to calm children’s coughs and help them sleep better, according to a new study in this month’s issue of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine. The remedy did better than cough medicine in the comparison. Honey should not be given to children under age 1, however, because of a risk of botulism.



Tips to prevent catching, or spreading, colds:

• Make sure everyone washes his or her hands.

• Keep your child away from anyone who has a cold, fever, or runny nose.

• Avoid sharing eating utensils, drinking cups, toothbrushes, washcloths, or towels with anyone who has a cold, fever, or runny nose.

• Wash dishes and utensils in hot, soapy water.

• Don’t smoke around your child.



Box 2 -- FOR JUMP



Here is the list of cough and cold medicines targeting children 2 and under that were voluntarily withdrawn:

• Dimetapp Decongestant Plus Cough Infant Drops

• Dimetapp Decongestant Infant Drops

• Little Colds Decongestant Plus Cough

• Little Colds Multi-Symptom Cold Formula

• Pediacare Infant Drops Decongestant (containing pseudoephedrine)

• Pediacare Infant Drops Decongestant Cough (containing pseudoephedrine)

• Pediacare Infant Dropper Decongestant (containing phenylephrine)

• Pediacare Infant Dropper Long-Acting Cough

• Pediacare Infant Dropper Decongestant & Cough (containing phenylephrine)

• Robitussin Infant Cough and Cold CF

• Robitussin Infant Cough DM Drops

• Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips Decongestant

• Triaminic Infant & Toddler Thin Strips Decongestant Plus Cough

• Tylenol Concentrated Infants’ Drops Plus Cold

• Tylenol Concentrated Infants’ Drops Plus Cold & Cough

        

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