Ban Sought on Cold Medicine for Very Young

[acmavm]

By GARDINER HARRIS
Published: September 29, 2007

<snip>

WASHINGTON, Sept. 28 — Safety experts for the Food and Drug Administration urged the agency on Friday to consider an outright ban on over-the-counter, multisymptom cough and cold medicines for children under 6.

The recommendation, in a 356-page safety review, is the strongest signal yet that the agency may take strong action against the roughly 800 popular medicines marketed in the United States under names like Toddler’s Dimetapp, Triaminic Infant and Little Colds.

<snip>

The reviewers wrote that there is little evidence that these medicines are effective in young children, and there are increasing fears that they may be dangerous. From 1969 to 2006, at least 54 children died after taking decongestants, and 69 died after taking antihistamines, the report said. And it added that since adverse drug reactions are reported voluntarily and fitfully, the numbers were likely to significantly understate the medicines’ true toll.

The Consumer Healthcare Products Association, an industry trade group that has consistently defended the safety of pediatric cough and cold medicines, recommended in its own 156-page safety review, also released on Friday, that the F.D.A. consider mandatory warning labels saying that they should not be used in children younger than 2. Many cough and cold medicines now advise parents to “consult a physician” before use in such children.

<snip>

There are thousands of such unapproved drugs on the market. Indeed, an estimated 2 percent of all prescriptions are written for unapproved products. Most have been around for decades, and the F.D.A. is gradually forcing their makers to either get official approval or stop selling them.

-MORE-

Parents need to read. I NEVER gave my kids medication unless it was prescribed. A cough is a defensive reaction to congestion. A fever is the bodies sign that it is fighting infection. I have always been one of those nuts who believes that you should never take medication unless it was absolutely necessary and then only when supervised by a doctor. And now over the last decade or so I've become suspicious of them as well. Not that I think I'm smarter than they are, but because they are so damn quick to handing out medications from the drug rep that waiting outside to see him/her at the same time I was.

[Heidi]

1. I can't believe no one is replying to this thread.

Ten years ago, when I was in my late 20s and early 30s, I knew _plenty_ of parents who were "Robi-dosing" their pre-schoolers just to keep them quiet. Hell, it was so common (parents giving kids Robitussin or Benadryl to "mellow them out") that we had a name for it: Robi-dosing.

I'm childless by choice and appreciate calm, well-behaved children, but certainly not at the cost of a child's health. That's abusive, in my opinion.

:kick:

[acmavm]

3. That's insane. I've joked about drugging my kids when there were on

a tear, but I've never done it. I'd be soooo afraid something would go wrong and I'd end up in prison. But then again I guess I've been lucky. My kids weren't like my grandson who is an absolute maniac. He's been diagnosed with ADHD (but I think he's bi-polar) and his mood swings are so drastic he makes you crazy. And he NEVER sits still, he's never ever ever quiet, and his behavior is pretty much uncontrollable. He's been prescribed medication my daughter won't give it to him because he says it makes him fell bad, which maybe it does.

But to intentionally medicate a kid when the don't need it is criminal.

[hedgehog]

6. I just remembered that in my dad's childhood, it wasn't uncommon

to give a toddler a sip of whiskey to soothe him.

[hedgehog]

2. How many parents are dosing kids with OTC meds because they

can't afford a doctor?

I replied to another thread about this earlier today. When my son was 18 months, he was walking around the house with a deep cough. I was familiar with that cough, I've had it more than once and my brothers had it all winter every winter when they were young. I "KNEW" it was "JUST A COLD", but it was really wearing the poor kid out. I know that antibiotics won't touch a cold, but I broke down and took him to the doctor so I could get an age appropriate prescription for a cough suppressant. He was immediately given a shot of epinephrine. How was I to know that that was asthma?


I know some parents use OTC meds to control kids on trips, but how many are using them in lieu of proper medical care that they can't pay for?

[Kaylee]

4. I must plead ignorance....

for both of my kids when they got a nasty cold (virus) I would give them 'Infants Tylenol Cold and Cough' to help alleviate their symptoms while they waited the virus out. I have even had nurses advise that I give them 'Little Colds' brand products once they were older. I am glad that nothing happened to them and that the FDA is cracking down on these companies.

It's scary that you can believe you are doing the right thing (following nurses advice, reading the labels, using proper dosing) and you can still be putting your child in danger.

[acmavm]

5. I don't claim to be some genius when it comes to medication. I never used

it much because when I was little my Uncle Johnny (who was morbidly obese) had to have a hip replacement. They were just starting to get good at those types of surgeries back then, but they still had problems with after surgery complications.

That was back in the day when they used penicillin for EVERYTHING. Get an infection of any kind, they'd give you penicillin. ANYWAY, he has the surgery and he develops an infection. So since they didn't have all these wonder drugs that they do now, penicillin was about the only option. But he'd taken so much of the stuff in his life (eye infections, colds, whatever) it wouldn't work. So they couldn't control the infection. Which eventually caused him to have a major heart attack. And that was the 'cause of death' listed on the death certificate. But actually is was more complicated that that. It was the whole thing of taking too much medication and then it didn't work when he really needed it to.

That's why I've always been afraid of taking stuff.

[gollygee]

7. I know people who way overuse these

people who make their kids take them every naptime and every night.

I don't think they should be used very often at all for young kids, but I think a ban is overkill. There are times where a cold is bad enough that a kid isn't getting any sleep. When need for sleep gets bad enough, a little cold medicine is a good idea IMO. Although I don't remember ever using any cold medicine before my daughter was 2, and that's the age the ban speaks to.

[motocicleta]

8. This deserves a kick

How many people have said to me, when I express my disinterest in using such medicines for my child, "Well, if the FDA approves of it, it must be OK, right? I mean, they do studies about these things" like I am some Luddite moron. Wrong.

I stay away from shit like OTC cough medicine in general; if a doctor says to, I may do it, after weighing all options, but not just because some pharma company wants me to. And in fact, no doctor has told me to. Once when my daughter was 8 months she had a gnarly fever, 105 I think, and we took her to the ER. They basically said it was all natural and that the fever would deal with the problem, but they gave her some Children's Tylenol anyway. We bit our tongues and let them give it to her. We went home and she puked up all the medicine, and the fever dealt with the problem. What a surprise. Nature works better than pharma.

Thanks for posting this, acmavm.

[acmavm]

9. You're welcome.