In the early years of parenting my two daughters, I would browse the aisles of cough and cold medications as I was waiting for yet another prescription of Amoxicillin to be filled. When one of them was coughing so much that she couldn't sleep, I was desperate to help her. Several times I tried one of the popular medicines, often one that my pediatrician recommended. Because they rarely worked and caused grogginess and fatigue the next day, I ultimately discarded the bottles and gave up on them entirely. I turned to preventive measures, which brought more success.
Recently, the FDA warned consumers that children's cough and cold medicines should not ever be given to children under 2, and later issued an advisory about children taking medicines packaged for adults. These warnings follow on the heels of petitions from pediatricians and public health officials that all cough and cold medicines for children under 6 be pulled off the market. The problems are rooted in common ingredients such as pseudophredrine and dextromethorphan, which can have negative side effects on the heart, central nervous system, and brain. The effects of these typical, older ingredients have not been thoroughly reviewed for safety.
The FDA's advisory referred to such popular medicines as Little Cold, Toddler's Dimetapp, and Infant Triaminic.
Below is a list of ingredients from another popular medicine, Children's PediaCare Nighttime Cough.
Ingredients
Chlorpheniramine maleate 1mg (antihistamine), Pseudoephedrine HCL 15mg (decongestant), Dextromethorphan HBr 7.5mg (cough suppressant).
Chlorpheniramine maleate 1mg (antihistamine), Pseudoephedrine HCL 15mg (decongestant), Dextromethorphan HBr 7.5mg (cough suppressant).
Check your medicine cabinet for these types of medications. Consider discarding any over-the-counter cough or cold medications for toddlers or infants. Use children's formulas with extreme caution, if you must, and watch for negative side effects. Report negative reactions, such as increased excitability or dizziness to your doctor immediately. I recommend keeping a notebook on medications and side effects, which can become part of your child's medical history.