medicines for colds and cough: caution

Re: Colds and Cough, Treatment in Children; Caution
Fr: Excerpted from Associated Press (2008 Jan 17). “FDA: Cold medicines too risky for tots.” http://news.yahoo.com/sap/20080117/ap_on_re_me /cold_ medicines (underscore mine)

• WHAT
“Washington – Parents should not give sniffing babies and toddlers over-the-counter cough and cold medicines – they’re too risky for tots so small, the government will declare Thursday.

“… the Food and Drug Administration [FDA] is issuing a public health advisory on Thursday to warn parents to avoid these drugs for children under age 2 ‘because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur.’

“… last October…. the FDA’s own scientific advisers voted that the drugs don’t even work in small children and shouldn’t be used in preschoolers, either – anyone under age 6.

“… the FDA is asking an even bigger question: are over-the-counter cold remedies safe and effective for children under 12? The agency’s advisers last fall stopped short of recommending no use by children ages 6 to 11, but they did call for more research….

• WHY
“… decades ago,… scientists thought that what worked in adults would automatically work in children. Scientists today know that is not always the case.

“There’s no evidence that these oral drugs actually ease cold symptoms in children so young – some studies suggest they do no good at all. And while serious side effects are fairly rare, they do occur. Indeed, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention last year reported that more than 1,500 babies and toddlers wound up in emergency rooms over a 2-year period because of the drugs.

• WHAT NOW
Give lots of liquids to them.
“Meantime, the FDA’s advice for children over 2:
-- If you use these drugs, carefully follow label directions.
-- If you give two medicines that have the same or similar ingredients, a child could overdose.
-- Understand that these drugs only treat symptoms. Colds are viruses, and the drugs will not make them go away any faster….”