Does anyone know whether there is a body of research demonstrating that OTC cold medicines had no efficacy over placebo in young children, or rather is there "no evidence that they work" because there is no research at all? It is understandable that if risks have been made clear, and benefits have not, the FDA will advise against the risk. Other than the risk of overdose, I have not heard a specific reason why cold medicine is now considered unsafe for young children.

I have asthma, and spent every childhood winter trying to prevent the inevitable cold virus from causing bronchitis and then pneumonia. I'm grateful that medicine was available to help mitigate my cold symptoms-- for some children, fighting congestion isn't just about discomfort, it's about avoiding a hospital stay.

Salt water nasal sprays and other alternatives are great when they work, but without OTC medicines, do we try salt water and then head straight to prescriptions? Antibiotics? Radiation?

My niece recently got a chest cold. Her board-certified pediatrician stated that colds are viral and OTC medicine is not safe for babies, so the recommended treatment was: keep her warm, hydrated, and use nasal saline for congestion. Her cold worsened; then she lost weight, possibly because she couldn't breathe through her stuffy nose while feeding. Mouth-breathing is not only difficult for babies, it breaks the suction needed to nurse. (Infants are "obligate nose-breathers;" due to anatomy, they breathe almost exclusively through the nose.)
Since her congestion lingered and pervaded her chest, the doctor then took a chest x-ray to rule out pneumonia. If no improvement occurred, additional x-rays would be taken to monitor her lungs (thankfully, she improved!)

How are regular CHEST X-RAYS-- for a rapidly growing and developing infant-- SAFER than the proper dose of a decongestant, expectorant, etc?

Would you rather take the risk of a few drops of Robitussin or a chest x-ray every time your child gets a bad cold?

If parents are currently overdosing their children when the recommended dose is listed on the package, removing that recommendation could lead to even more dangerous guessing. And of course dosing small children is hard; body size can vary widely for a given age group. If parents are already having trouble, maybe we need more information, not less.

I am disappointed that the American Academy of Pediatrics does not seem to see that there exists a need for effective treatment of viral cold symptoms and call for more research into the subject. Preventing harm to children should include both over-medication and under-medication.

I totally agree with the comment below me. It is the most ridiculous thing i have ever heard of. I have a 15 month old who got an upper respiratory infection and i could not give him cough medicine because it is now illegal. He has had this for about a week and a half now. The antibiotics helped him some but he still has a runny nose and is still miserable feeling. He got the same thing when he was about 4 months old and guess what?? The doctor prescribed him a COUGH medicine that helped him tremendously!!! He was over it in about 6 days. For the parents who overdosed and killed your kids.. you should have never been a parent and I hope to god you don't have other kids!

OTC cold and cough meds are NOT OK for infants and toddlers, HOWEVER, you can still get prescription cold and cough meds so your child doesn't have to suffer.

If you would like to try a alt. to OTC drugs, Homeopathic Medicine works quick and with NO side effects or risk of over dosing, both myself and my 5 year old have taking nothing else other than homeopathy and have not had anything more serious than a minor runny nose for 24 hours when we have treated a cold or even a serious illness with homeopathy... it is a shame doctors do not take advantage of them more often as they did years ago.

Hi there!
Has anyone one ever heard of alternative remedies??? Why is it that we rely solely on over the counter medications and "Doctors" who give our children more toxic medications in the form of prescriptions. The ingredients in these things have risks and secondary effects that will later harm our childrens' healths.
It's real simple: Help support the immune system from the start! This will help get rid of colds faster and even reduce the number of colds your child gets throughout the cold season. By helping the immune sysytem, I mean Enchincia. There are a number of supplements that are out there in health food stores that you can give your child.There is no better way to treat cold then to let it run its course as well as help the immune system out NATURALLY.

The last time I called my pediatrician because my toddler had a bad cold the only thing they recommended was Benadryl to help her sleep at night. I do try to let it run it's course but sometimes they do need something extra for the congestion. I am now looking into alternative treatments.
Thanks,
Amy

I am a registered nurse and treat my children's cough with medication only if they have been unable to sleep well for a couple of nights. With the use of a humidifer, warm fluids to drink and elevating the head of their bed, I find they are able to get some relief. The cough is a protective relex of the lungs and we often don't remember that. Consult your pediatrician if your child's cough interferes with sleep, has a fever for 3 or more days or last longer than a week.

It's hard when your kids are sick and you can't give them something to make them feel a little relieved. OTC drugs don't cure anything they mask the symptoms until they are better. Some things that are natural work good, but others don't. A hacking cough so bad your child vomits is heartbreaking. Their bodies are fighting off the germs naturally anyway, so it's not like were doing more harm using them as long as we use them correctly. It's like so many things in the U.S. A few people carelessly abuse something and everyone else has to pay for it. People need to get more involved in reading labels or instuctions. If they tell you your 1 year old shouldn't use their product, listen. If anyone hears of something for bad cough and congestion other than a vaporizor and saline let me know. I know when I'm sick I want something to get me through the day. Maybe I'm too dependent on a quick fix, but life doesn't stop when your ill.

Thanks,Angela

i live in canada and i have used OTC meds on my two boys for years. they are both alive and well and felt so much better when they got releif from them. i now have a five 1/2 mth old daughter who has been congested since she was born and sick on and off since then. she has been to the hospital twice in the past month for it. she has had chest x-rays, blood work and even an IV which was horrible for both her and i to endure. she cant breathe properly, she has problems breathing all the time and she dosent sleep well most of the time. for the past week she has had high fevers as high as 103.3. the most i could give her was some advil to bring that down. she has such a horrible cough that she dosent eat that good and even when she does she ussaly vomits it back up from coughing so hard. she has the saline drops and the humidifer but it just isnt enough. she sometimes crys for hours and is up on and off all night. i HATE to see her like this and there is nothing i can do for her and it breaks mine and her fathers heart everyday. she cries everytime she coughs in pain. i just wish that i could give her something to help her feel better but becuz some ppl use medicine to help deal with their kids when they dont want to my daughter and tons of other kids have to suffer. its not fair. i know how to dose my children appropriatly and would never od them so why cant we use it??

Athena,

Have you tried taking the chemicals out of your home? My 1 year old had a rash all over his body. I started using all natural detergent and cleaning products and it went away. I've heard tons of stories of kids having respiratory issues and asthma because of household chemicals. Please feel free to email me if you want to know what chemical-free products I've been using. nlawrence@sbcglobal.net.

Nancy

I actually had a long talk with our pediatrician at my daughters 3 year check up in Oct. He and his practice partner agreed that in moderation, OTC meds are safe as long as you dont give the meds all the time and watch the dosing.

I just get frustrated, because my 3 year old weighs more then my soon to be 5 year old(3 year old is 40 pounds), but the meds are safe for my older daughter and not the younger one?

If they are going to make these reccomendations, then for over 2 year olds, they should make the recommendations by weight not age.

I to agree with someone else's comment regarding the parents that od'd there kid(s)... They couldn't of read the DIRECTIONS and they had to pay the ULTIMATE price and lost their child for their OWN MISTAKES... and now they want to blame the MEDICINE companies and want them to pay ridiculous amounts of money for something that COULD OF BEEN "PREVENTED".... oh and by the way, i'm SURE these parents received some kind of MONEY and let me just say, that MONEY "WONT" bring back your child and it WON'T change the past, the mistake has ALREADY BEEN DONE and blaming SOMEONE ELSE "wont" change a thing either!!! Seems like NO ONE in this country can DEAL WITH "THEIR" OWN MISTAKES ANYMORE.... its all about MONEY and how EVERYONE HAS TO PAY THE PRICE for someone ELSE SCREWING UP!!! now what i mean by EVERYONE, is that they have pulled COLD AND COUGH medicine off the shelves and OTHER children have to suffer!!! I think something is VERY WRONG WITH THAT PICTURE!!! I think there have been PLENTY of parents out there that have managed to give their kid(s) cold and cough medicine JUST FINE, WITHOUT NO PROBLEMS, over the years and i'm sure they READ THE DIRECTIONS .. you should ALWAYS go by WEIGHT "FIRST"!!!!!! it even says that on the DIRECTIONS!!! If there's an issue that you CAN'T READ, then GET SOMEONE TO "HELP YOU"! there is " NO EXCUSE WHATSOEVER " that a helpless child should have to go through this and some children have " LOST THEIR LIVES " all because of IGNORANCE, if you ask me!!! there is just ABSOLUTELY "NO RHYME OR REASON" for this WHOLE ORDEAL.. I DO BELIEVE there is SOME RELIEF "MEASURES" with the medicine that use to be provided out there on the market, cause otherwise, i dont believe they would of kept SELLING IT!!!!?? I'm not saying it worked for EVERY CHILD, cause like with everything in this world, "EVERYONE" is different!!! oh, and to another comment, the reason a doctor would have "prescribed" Benadryl is because it makes you drowsy so you are suppose to be able to sleep better.. that doesn't mean it will necessarily help with the cold and cough issues!!! i'm not saying it WILL or WONT help, i just know that it has a kind of "sleep aid" to help at night time!!! As you may be able to tell, i'm VERY UPSET and FRUSTRATED that it came down to products being pulled from the shelves and OTHER CHILDREN have to suffer from others "MISTAKES"!!! I know there can be OTHER alternatives, and maybe some work and some don't!!! but for the parents out there that chose the MEDICINE route, that is NO LONGER AN OPTION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was told to give my 1 yo son the proper dose (based on weight/age) of Concentrated Infants Tylenol with Cold and/or Concentrated Infants Tylenol with cold and cough IF he is miserable and cant sleep/breathe very well, along w/a humidifier and extra water and juice (and try to hold the milk)...

everyone needs to calm down.

You all should listen to the song "A Different World" by Bucky Covington. It might make you feel better about decisions you make for your family. And remember, medical advice seems to change everyday. So for those of you who want to give your kids OTC meds, have another baby in 5 years and they'll be praising OTC meds and telling us how horrible homeopathic remedies are.

My mom never did anything for us when we had colds... I don't do anything for my kids either. They always get lots of sleep, eat great, and drink lots of fluids... so we just maintain the routine. We don't use medicine around here unless absolutely necessary (sever pain or proven infection), although neither of my kids have been on anitbiotics yet for anything.

I give my son about a half teaspoon of raw honey a couple times a day. They have done studies that prove that the honey lessens their cough. But of course you should wait until they are older than a year old. Honey is also good for allergies and preventing colds etc.

hi 2 all!
i live in India, which is a relatively warm country than ur's, may b that's why cold is a big problem.But in India when we do suffer from colds we prefer 2 take hommade treatments rather than rush 2 docs (only if it gets 2 worse 2 handle.)i think i'll post sum on this site, anyone who wishes & gets any of these ingredients(as many of them u get ,wud b better) can try them on primary level 2 ease the trouble of ur youngones.
hot milk treatment:(for 1 glass)
heat milk ,reduce flame or temp(pause microwave -MW) add 2-3 pinch of turmeric powder,2 pinch of black pepper powder,3 pinch of ginger powder or grate 1 cm of peeled ginger over the milk,add 5-6 leaves of TULSI leaves ,simmer for 4-5 minutes on low flame,finally add jaggery (or sugar,jaggery wud b better)2 taste, mix with spoon till it dissolves,
this milk shud b sipped while its still hot.
i hope this will help relieve congestion .

I have a great remedy for a terrible and persistent, (especially nighttime), cough, via my doctor, who does this with her children. You put Vick's Vapo-Rub on the bottom of their feet at bedtime, then cover them with socks. I was not a believer until I tried it, and I'm telling you, it works!! Doctors don't know how or why, but it lessens my 18 month-old's cough by AT LEAST 70%. The nights that we've either forgotten it, or we've thoght we'd "See what happens", she coughed considerably more, and it kept her awake. And she had a gagging cough that would sometimes make her throw up a little. It works! For all you moms that are desperate like I was, try it!! It's not harmful, and it will help everyone get more sleep!!

I've been using tylenol when they are uncomfortable and then vicks rub...I also sit with the kids in the bathroom and run the shower to steam it up and then aspirate their nose or have the older one blow her nose...also lots of water and try to keep them sitting up or laying on an incline...

Triaminic makes a vapor fan that has worked wonderful for my girls that have had the flu over the past couple of weeks. It sends menthol vapors in the room for 8 hours; my older daughter loves the smell...go figure. We also do the vicks on the feet as well.

I do the WET SOCK TREATMENT

"The wet sock treatment is best if repeated for three nights in a row, or as instructed by your physician"

When my baby was sick this is what we did, so no medicine, nothing, just the wet sock treatment, and it worked wonders to our surprise. I laughed when I heard about this and you might too, but once I tried it, it definitely changed my mind. We also do it when we get sick.

http://www.vsnaturopathy.com/Wet-socks.html

I have a 2 months old and he seems to be having problem breathing due to a stuffy nose and i have also notice that he has rashes on his face / hands and sometimes it appears on his body. I spoke to the doctor and he said that it will go by itself. Its been a few weeks and its still there.... Has anybody seen anything like that or has any advise?

My husband works for a pediatricians office. They tell parents to not give infants or toddlers cough and cold medicine. When my kids get sick we spray nasal spray (Ocean) up the nose and keep suctioning their nose. Just to get their nose clear. We run a cool mist humidifier, and keep the temperature in the house cool. It takes about a week and they start to get better. It is just a matter of monitoring and making sure they are okay, and a lot of patience.

This is ridiculous... If you use the proper dosage and do not "overlap" medicines and most of all do so under a DOCTOR's supervision, I don't understand why there is a problem using OTC meds. My son has allergies and is in day care, so about once a month he catches some sort of virus or bug. I constantly keep a cool-mist humidfier in his room and try to use saline drops and suction as a first line of defense plus the Baby VapoRub on feet and chest. But if it escalates to him still not being able to breathe and/or hacking severely, i will then use some Lil Noses decongestant nose drops (recommended by my doctor). If he has a severe cough, my doctor recommended a small dose of OTC cough medicine that is appropriate for his age and weight(Delsym or Pediacare Cough). So, there, yes, I do give my 18 month old OTC cold meds when I need to (as recommended by my doctor) and he hasn't had any problems so far and has been able to get the rest he needs to get better faster.

I don't see the difference in a doctor prescribing a drug versus him recommending an OTC drug. If you are a responsible and educated parent, there shouldn't be any problems.

BTW... why is this issue limited to just infants under 2? The same risks apply to older children and even adults that abuse the OTC drugs.

As a pharmacist and a mother, I think the FDA restrictions are reasonable enough. I have long been skeptical of OTC cold treatments for infants and have reccommended against them even though most people rolled their eyes at me and bought them anyway. The facts are finally out there, the benefits of these medicines are negligible and there are real risks associated with them. We need to retrain ourselves not to think we need to medicate our children for every sniffle and cough. If your child is congested and/or coughing, think hydration, (fluids and humidifiers). Ayr or ocean saline sprays can also be helpful. Tylenol can lower a fever and help with the aches and pains (an don't forget headaches) that come along with illness. If your child has a fever of 102 or higher, has been vomiting or had diarrhea for greater than 24 hours, contact your doctor.

I use OTC medications only with our Doctor's permission & his recommendation on which product to use. The Doctor also calculates the dose according to my childs exact weight. It is my understanding that OTC meds are being used improperly & that is what makes them so dangerous. I am completely confident that with my Doctor's help I can give OTC meds without worry!

While I do empathize with all of the parents (me included) who have to scramble around for alternative methods in treating their child's cold, it is cruel and unfair to blame the parent's who've lost their child due to OTC medicines. I find it hardpressed to believe that parents are intentionally overdosing their children. Some have sensitivities or allergic reactions to the OTC meds. Check out this article:

"The metabolisms of children differ from the metabolisms of adults, so there’s no way of knowing how the child will metabolize the medication and what potential side effects it will have,” Alvarez continued.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,323391,00.html

I think we should stop blaming those who will have to live with a lifetime of grief over the loss of their child and shift the conversation to how we can help our children when they are sick.

I've found success using Traditional Medicinals products for kids (and myself). Their Throat Coat tea is unlike anything I've ever tried - it really helps for sore throats! Try their others as well. I also utilize Vick's Vapor Rub (on chest, back and feet); Saline spray for babies; elevate the mattress in the crib so the head is elevated and Cherry Bark liquid drops for colds. Check out Whole Foods or your local health food store for alternative treatments.

http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/?id=340&pid=56

Hope this helps!

My son had swollen adenoids when he was a toddler (removed when he was three), so when he got a head cold, he'd stuff up so badly he would lapse into sleep apnea through the night. Sometimes the only thing that cleared him up enough for night was cold medicine. I'd give him the prescribed amount and unless it was really bad, I tried to avoid giving it during the day (just to cut down on how much he was getting). A dehumidifier, etc. didn't work, so I don't know what I would have done without the Tylenol Cold. Now I have baby number two, but am up in Canada, so it's not "illegal", yet. I think it's RIDICULOUS that these meds are being pulled from the shelf. And "just" head to the Dr. for help?!?! Sure, it takes us a few days to get an appointment. Not sure why parents and kids have to suffer because a handful of adults made mistakes (BTW - I do feel for those parents, as no one wants to harm their child).

Everyone needs to calm down.

If we listen to everybody saying, we would all be dead by now. Please use your common sense and see for yourself. Listen we all bind taken different medicine when we were young and how are we today... still there and very healthy, and today most of the medicine is not as strong as it used to be. My son had many little cold up to now because of daycare. At first I would call my doctor to see what to do and now, I see for myself. If it is more of a runny nose, I would put the humidifier on to help him breathing and lift his mattress on one side and if he has a bad cought I will give him a "natural product" cough syrup over the counter and that helps him just as much then anti-biotic that make your human system resistant to all can things...

I don't know if many of you have read articles on the OTC decongestants. From what I have read in the past it is not overdosing that is killing the kids it is supressing the cough. Coughing is your natural way to clear out your lungs, and if you are not coughing fluid and mucus can build in your lungs. Babies and Toddlers are dying occationally when parents give them OTC cough supressents because their bodies cannot handle them. They need to cough. I'm sure some die from overdose, but it is not safe to have a young child not cough when they are sick with a cold. I would do some research on the subject before giving anything like that to your child. I will not give any such medicine to my son, we just use a humidifier in his room and call the doctor if it lasts longer than 7-10 days.

Saying you used it on your kids and they are fine is a ridiculous reason for keeping the drug on the shelves. I am allergic to penicillin, do you think I should take it just because it helps some people get rid of strep. NO, that is the same thing that is happening to some of these kids. They are given an OTC medicine their parents do not know will have a severe side effect, the child is to young to tell the parent they do not feel right after taking it and by the time the parent knows something is wrong it is too late. Luckily I did not die from my innitial dose of penicillin, but some of these kids are not as lucky when they are given OTC medicines.

All medicines have a potential for side effects, but these are actually killing kids!!!!

Why anyone would still want them on the market is beyond me, it is selfish of you to want them to be sold even though there is the potential of children dying from the side effects of the proper dose just because you want it for your kid.

The following paragraphs explain why the medicine is being banned, and was taken directly from the article about the FDA that there is a link for at the top of the page. It says nothing about overdosing, that is not the biggest issue. The medicine itself can cause life threatning side effects in young children. Just because some parents have used the medicine and their children survived, doesn't mean everyone's child is safe. Your child could be one of the few rare cases, and you wouldn't know unless you became one of the statistics. I wont take that chance with my child.

"We strongly recommend that over-the-counter cough and cold products should not be used in young children under 2, because serious and potentially life-threatening side effects can occur from use of these products," Dr. Charles Ganley, director of the FDA's Office of Nonprescription Products, said during a morning news conference.

The medicines, which include decongestants, expectorants, antihistamines and cough suppressants, have been associated with different rare but serious events including convulsions, rapid heart rates, decreased levels of consciousness, and even death.

A review of records filed with the FDA between 1969 and September 2006 found 54 reports of deaths in children associated with decongestant medicines made with pseudoephedrine, phenylephrine or ephedrine. It also found 69 reports of deaths associated with antihistamine medicines containing diphenhydramine, brompheniramine or chlorpheniramine. Most of the deaths involved children younger than 2.

How many kids have to die before it is removed - 123 proven cases are enough for me, too bad it took this long! If you do some more research on the subject you will see there has actually been a lot of research in this area, I had read about it and decided against using the products long before this statement was made by the FDA.

Sorry about the duplicate posts, it kept telling me there was an internal error, so I did not know it was posting.